How To Nail Your Peace Corps Motivation Statement

When applying to the Peace Corps, your “motivation statement” is the best place to show who you really are. Unfortunately, because so many applicants are recent grads, most don’t do a good job because they write it like an assignment. But, your “motivation statement” is so much more than that. And we’re going to try to show you how to show the Peace Corps that you are the very people they’re looking for to serve.

Along with your resume and references, the motivation statement is the last piece to convince placement to give you an invitation to serve. So, it is just as important, if not more important than the other two.

Peace Corps service presents major physical, emotional, and intellectual challenges. Please provide a few paragraphs explaining your reasons for wanting to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer and how you plan to overcome the various challenges associated with Peace Corps service. We will use this writing sample to assess your professionalism and maturity as a candidate. Please spend time editing your motivation statement. We recommend that you draft it in a separate document and cut and paste it into the box below. (4,000 characters, or approximately 500 words)

And every applicant feels that 500 words is just too short to answer the Peace Corps questions like they want to. I felt the same way, as I have served multiple times in the Peace Corps and had to write motivation statements each time. SoI’ll be sharing tips and advice that helped me and many who’ve asked for my help to get that coveted invitation to serve.

What Makes a Strong Peace Corps Motivation Statement?

Before we dive into the specifics, here’s a quick outline for a strong Peace Corps motivation statement. Following this structure will help you stay organized and ensure that your personal motivations shine through:

Why You Want to Serve: Begin with your personal motivations for applying and how they align with the Peace Corps’ mission.
Introduction/Personal Story: Share a meaningful story or moment that inspired your desire to serve, reinforcing your motivations.
Addressing Challenges: Acknowledge the physical, emotional, and intellectual challenges of Peace Corps service, and share how you’ve dealt with similar challenges in the past.
Relevant Skills and Qualities: Highlight your experiences and skills that make you a strong fit for the Peace Corps.
Conclusion: Reinforce your passion for service and express your readiness to tackle the challenges of Peace Corps life.

Throughout this post, I’ll guide you step by step through each of these points, offering practical tips and advice to help you write a good motivation statement.

a Peace Corps volunteer showing children in Nepal how to wash their hands

The Core of a Strong Peace Corps Motivation Statement

In some ways, the motivation statement is almost more important to you than it is to Peace Corps. It is because it is bringing to light your motivation, or what I call your “why”, why you want to serve in the Peace Corps. A lot of people “want” to serve, but understanding your “why” will tell you more about whether PC service is right for you or not.

To me, Peace Corps is looking for passionate, adaptable people who can thrive in challenging environments. Your motivation statement will show that more than your resume or references will. That is because there is nothing quite like Peace Corps service.

And above all else, your motivation statement should be authentic. It is not a creative writing assignment or an essay you’re getting graded on. It shouldn’t be written by anyone else but you. And definitely don’t use AI to write your motivation statement. It should be the ‘real’ you.

Finding Your WHY

You’re “why” is one of the things that will get you through the tough times of service – and there will be tough times – maybe not physically, but mentally. You can do volunteer work in America, so why would you want to travel halfway around the world in place that has a different language and culture, where you will be isolated but also expected to be a change-maker in a community you barely know.

And I would caution against reading many motivation statements on the internet written by other applicants, even mine. Everyone has different reasons for serving and yours should be very personal.

Again, the better you understand yourself and your “why”, the more you can give of yourself during service. And when things get tough, and they will get tough, your “why” will help you weather those challenges.

a Peace Corps volunteer teaching students in a classroom in The Gambia

Writing Like You’re Convincing a Friend

A common way to get away from just writing an assignment is to write like you are trying to convince a skeptical friend why serving in the Peace Corps is a good plan for you. You want to keep a friendly tone but also let your passion shine through. This is not a place for flowery language, obtuse word choices, or rambling sentences. Remember the prompt said “We will use this writing sample to assess your professionalism and maturity as a candidate.”

Balance your passion but with some humility. You really want to serve but let Peace Corps know that it’s a given that it will be difficult and that you’ll do your best. Again, being a Peace Corps volunteer is like nothing you’ve ever experienced, so don’t be overconfident when talking about your future service.

Highlighting Relevant Experiences

Some applicants have a hard time coming up with relevant experiences that would show they are a good candidate for service. Remember, this doesn’t have to be a ‘job’ that you put on your resume. Basically, have you helped others in any capacity? Have you been a tutor on campus? Have you done volunteer work at your local library or food pantry?

Your motivation statement is also a great place to show you have experience working independently in unfamiliar or challenging environments. For example, working a late shift at a fast-food restaurant where you were in charge even though it wasn’t part of your job description.

Be sure to talk about your recent experiences as that tells who you are ‘now’. Have you done any volunteer work on campus, or worked with clubs or other organizations? And if you have any leadership roles, be sure to mention them.

Overcoming Challenges

Serving as a Peace Corps volunteer is a very people-to-people job. And because you’re in a different culture where communication is also challenging, you want to show that you can overcome challenging situations.

It is a good idea to include a story about facing and overcoming a challenge. You want to highlight how you solved the problem and/or adapted. And if a challenge wasn’t fully “overcome,” explain how you came to terms with it or learned from the experience.

Motivation Statement Conclusion

Since this last paragraph is the last thing they’re going to read before making a decision on your invitation, summarize key things that you want them to remember. Be authentic and emphasize your “why.” Try to tie your conclusion to your what you said in the introduction. Make sure it shows not only your wish to serve but also your readiness to tackle the challenges. And that you’ll probably gain more than you give.

a Peace Corps volunteer playing with children in a circle on the playground

Check Your Motivation Statement

Use an app like Grammarly to check grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.
Break long paragraphs into logical parts for easier reading.
Read it out loud to catch any awkward phrasing.
Let a friend read it over, or better yet, read it to them to see what they think.
Don’t over edit because that might take away some of your ‘personal’ voice.
You can use AI tools like ChatGPT to review the motivation statement for tone, clarity, and how it fits with the Peace Corps mission. Here is a possible prompt you might use:

I’m applying to the US Peace Corps and have written my motivation statement. Review it for tone and clarity, and to ensure it meets the following given prompt? <prompt>Peace Corps service presents major physical, emotional, and intellectual challenges. Please provide a few paragraphs explaining your reasons for wanting to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer and how you plan to overcome the various challenges associated with Peace Corps service. We will use this writing sample to assess your professionalism and maturity as a candidate.

Final Advice

My final tip is to not overthink it. Write how you feel. Keep in brief but complete. Proofread it. Share with a friend. And if you still feel, even with the 500-word limit, it still shows who you are and your “why” you want to serve, just hit SEND.

And relax. The application process can be long and it might take weeks instead of days before you might get an invitation. This is a great time to also learn more patience, a great skill for a Peace Corps volunteer to have, by the way. Don’t worry. And I’m sure you’ll get that invitation.