Any RPCVs out there?

Howdy!

Are there any Peace Corps volunteers turned MBA students / alums who are still active here?

(I previously started 2010-zero-admits-now-what thread before misplacing my login information. Last year I went 0 for 3 due in large part to a shortage of self-reflection and inadequate research. Now, I am stepping up to bat again, this time with a bit more preparation.)

As a part of my research I was hoping to hear from a few RPCVs (Returned Peace Corps Volunteers) who are currently attending MBA programs or have since graduated. Specifically, I'd love to know:

1. Which school did you opt to attend?
2. What were/are your post MBA plans?
3. What prompted you to choose that school?
4. Did your Peace Corps service impact your career goals?
5. What suggestions do you have for other RPCV's who are in the process of applying?


Thanks in advance!

(After returning home and consuming a gratuitous quantity of Chipotle and Coldstone, I'm mulling over visits to Booth, Fuqua, Darden, and a few others though I need to do a little more research. Possibly looking into management consulting with a bit of a quant focus but again, still researching.)

Hmm... does this mean I am the only one?

Hey dude. RPCV Cameroon 05-07 here. Fuqua class of 2011. I'm about to post in the B-school ambassadors section, so check that out too. For now, I'll just say that while RPCVs are certainly more rare at B-schools than at policy or law programs, we're out there. More at Fuqua and programs with strong social entrepreneurship programs (Stanford, Yale, etc.) than at your Whartons or Dardens, but even still.

1 - Fuqua
2 - After PC, I worked in professional international development for about two and a half years. Pre-B-school, I planned to stay in the industry. My plans have since changed, and while I might go back to development, I'm not trying to re-enter the field now.
3 - I already lived in the Research Triangle area in NC, so Fuqua didn't involve a move for me. Then they offered me more money than the other schools I applied to - that was honestly all I cared about.
4 - Sure. I think PC service helps you decide whether a career in development is really for you or not. It also gives you automatic "social sector" cred wherever you go, and at the very least, makes for good interview question fodder.
5 - Nothing that different from anyone else - think carefully and be honest with yourself about what you really want. Do you want to go be a do-gooder? That's fine. Do you want to be a d-bag consultant or i-banker? That's fine too. (My roommate last year, RPCV from Guatemala, is starting at Bain soon.) But you need to really reflect on that. That said, go into b-school with an open mind - at least half of the folks there change their minds completely about what they want to go into over their two years.