Q&A: Peace Corps official explains new application, recruitment efforts

The Peace Corps is anticipating more than 22,000 applications for the 2015 fiscal year, an increase of at least 26 percent from last year, said an official who visited the UCLA Thursday.

The organization sends many college graduates from the U.S. to different countries for service missions. Nearly 220,000 people in the U.S. have served in the program, including about 7,000 who serve currently.

Among California universities, UCLA sent the second most volunteers to the program last year, or 43 people. Nearly 2,000 UCLA alumni have served in the Peace Corps.

Helen Lowman, associate director of volunteer recruitment and selection for the Peace Corps, spoke with the Daily Bruin on Thursday to explain the organization’s application process and why students should apply to the program. The group attributes its continuing spike in applications to what it thinks is an easier application process.

Daily Bruin: How many students are placed in the program?

Helen Lowman: We’re placing somewhere between 3,500 and 4,000 people in the field. It’s very competitive.

DB: Can you walk us through the application process?

HL: The online application takes about an hour to complete. Applicants also attach a resume and decide where they want to go based on personal and professional interests. However, you don’t have to choose a country or a sector.

If applicants get to the interview, it’s important they are very realistic about the challenges of being Peace Corps volunteers, and they know about the program and the country they are applying for.

DB: What has the Peace Corps done to increase the number of applications?

HL: First, we shortened the application. It used to take eight hours to fill out the application, but now it only takes one hour to complete. Second, applicants can now choose the country and sector they want to go. Third, applicants can now know they will have a decision from the program by a certain date. They can plan their life.

DB: Is there a concern that a shorter application will not tell much about an applicant?

HL: In the past, we requested every piece of information from every person no matter what they were applying for. Initially, we are just requesting the minimum we need to move you through the process. If there’s any other information we need, we will get that from you later.

DB: Why did you come to UCLA? What has your interaction with officials been like?

HL: We wanted to talk to officials on campus to see how we can encourage more Bruins to apply to the Peace Corps. We talked about several programs, such as a Master’s International program where a student applies to do their coursework at UCLA but do their field work as a Peace Corps volunteer.

We are also looking at Peace Corps Prep, a certificate program for undergraduates to take certain courses that will prepare them.

DB: What kind of program would the Peace Corps Prep look like?

HL: If a person decides they want to be an environmental volunteer, for example, there might be some environmental courses they might take. Typically, there is also a service and language component, as well as sometimes a study abroad component.

DB: How is the Peace Corps addressing safety and health concerns?

HL: We have all-new training for volunteers that teaches them how to take care of themselves and how to stay healthy and safe. Anytime volunteers feel unsafe in their community, we pull them out and work with them to determine.

DB: How is the Peace Corps recruiting diverse communities at UCLA?

HL: UCLA is not a school we really say is a minority group. What we have done here is general recruiting, but we would love to do more in terms of the diverse community on campus such as Asian Pacific Islanders.