The application to Peace Corps for me was one of the most trying and frustrating things I've had to go through.

My specific experience may very well be (highly) unique, but I was not expecting for the process to take as long as it did (I was expecting to know my assignment within 6-8 months). 
 
There were two slight complications while I was applying: one, I was wearing braces and was expecting to have jaw surgery over Christmas Break 2009 (Peace Corps does not allow you to leave until braces are removed), and two, it turns out I happen to have G6PD deficiency, which means I was not allowed to be placed in any countries where anti-malarial medication is required of PCV's.

Here is an approximate timeline of how my application to Peace Corps went:

  • June 2009: work on application online, Motivation Statement was written on June 23, 2009
  • July 15, 2009: receive letter from my Regional Recruiter in Chicago requesting that I contact her in order to set up an interview. Letter says I need to fill out skill addenda, vegetarian questionnaire, romantic involvement worksheet, secure copy of transcript, get fingerprint chart filled out, fill out National Agency Check form, fill out and sign student loan form, and/or obtain notarized letter for financial obligations, and send all of the above items to the Chicago Regional PC Office or bring them to the in-person interview.
  • August 18, 2009: have in-person interview with Regional Recruiter in Chicago. I thought the interview (~75 minutes) went fairly well and felt I came across as genuine, honest, yet realistic in my answers.The interview method seemed very "offensive"/attack-mode. Nevertheless, after the interview I wrote down some of the questions. Here a few: "Tell me about a frustrating experience, how did you handle it?" "Have you really thought about what 27 months away from home will be like?" (follow up-question: "So the longest you've been away from family is 4 months?") "How do you deal with boredom?" (follow-up question: "But what if sports were unavailable?") Many of the questions found here were also asked (or variations thereof).
  • September 1, 2009: receive call from my Regional Recruiter and she told me that she was nominating me for "Math Education" in Sub-Saharan Africa. She asked me whether I preferred a June 2010 or July 2010 departure date. I said July 2010. I soon thereafter receive my nomination in the mail.
  • September 9, 2009: fax letter to my orthodontist, requesting that he document my "current status", "requirements for follow up over the next three years" and "whether or not I will be needing a retainer", as per Peace Corps' letter to me.
  • September 17, 2009: dental examination with dentist (paper filled out). Other than marking that I have a few fillings, I have no abnormalities or needed work-up.
  • October 15, 2009: have a physical with my physician and he fills out the forms. I get what I think are all of the necessary blood tests as well and wait a few days for the results. My result for G6PD is abnormal, well below the limit for "Low". Sidenote: Peace Corps has you fill out many forms, including such questions as "Can you climb at least 2 flights of stairs carrying groceries or luggage without difficulties?", "Can you ride a bicycle?", and "Can you bend, squat, kneel, and climb without any problems?"
  • <somewhere around early November>: Peace Corps acknowledges receipt of all of my paperwork and tells me to wait "1-3 months" for reply
  • December 21, 2009: have orthognathic surgery to correct my under-bite of nearly 9 years.
  • February 2, 2010: (pretty much exactly 3 months later): Get letter in mail saying "During the review of your medical kit, we find the submitted information to be incomplete." It says I need to submit a "repeat G6PD", submit a "Hepatitis BsAg laboratory report", and there was a form I didn't date and sign.
  • February 8, 2010: fax another letter to orthodontist requesting that he fill out yet another form "concerning dental braces and jaw surgery", covering reason for surgery, date of surgery, surgical procedure, current status, and requirements for follow-up.
  • February 12, 2010: fax all requested documents back to PC Office of Medical Services
  • March 8, 2010: receive medical clearance
  • March 9, 2010: receive email from Assessment & Placement Office, requesting to send final transcript (after graduation) and any updated experience/resumes. Email says "over the next few weeks, your file will be reviewed by the Assessment & Placement Staff for further evaluation."
  • April 26, 2010: send email requesting status update, as it had been 7 weeks since medical clearance and I hadn't heard anything. Receive reply one day later saying "At this time, we are still working to screen your file. Due to the number of applicants we are working with, the screening process can take a few weeks...We will most likely be taking a look at your file over the next couple weeks, and should hopefully be in touch in early May."
  • June 1, 2010: receive email from my "Education Placement & Assessment Specialist", saying "I have recently completed the preliminary review of your file and noted an item for follow-up". Requests to have final transcript sent in (electronic version is OK). I email her an electronic copy the same day.
  • June 7, 2010: send email saying "Can you tell me whether my file got sent to the Education Desk Placement and Assessment Specialist? I am wondering whether I am still on schedule for leaving in July".
  • June 8, 2010: receive email reply, saying "Your Placement and Assessment Specialist does have your file. I will share however that, the program you were nominated to was canceled, which given the nature of the developing countries Peace Corps works with is always a possibility, although luckily it only happens rarely. You and the other nominees in this program were not notified, as this is just one of many things that happens behind the scenes and these matters are often handled without having to stress the applicant...I'm telling you now, to let you know why there has been a delay in your placement. It is not uncommon for applicants to "miss" their program for any number of reasons...it looks likely that your Placement and Assessment Specialist will be considering you for a program departing in Mid August/September 2010. All of our upcoming Science teaching programs are in Africa. All invitations must be issued at least 6 weeks before the departure of a program."
  • June 8, 2010 (hours later): send email saying "One concern I have is that I happen to be deficient in the G6PD enzyme, which makes me ineligible for countries endemic to malaria. Are there any countries in Africa that I am eligible to go to? I have read that Lesotho does not have malaria." Email reply says, "Sorry, I realize I mistyped in the earlier email, you are nominated to a Math Teaching program...I know a couple program options that can often accommodate this medical need, and the programs departs October/November 2010. All invitees are notified at least 6 weeks before their program departure." I show my parents and they throw a hissy-fit (relatively speaking), demanding that I start looking at other alternatives and forget about the Peace Corps. I do some research and try to find PCV's that had G6PD deficiency and try to see where they ended up going. I found one PCV on Facebook who was deficient in G6PD and the person told me that the only available countries in Africa for G6PD-deficient applicants are Lesotho and Morocco...
  • July 2, 2010: my orthodontist sends email to Peace Corps confirming that braces have been removed and attaches x-rays.
  • July 9, 2010: finally receive dental clearance
  • <somewhere around here, I believe I get my legal clearance?>
  • July 28, 2010: send email, saying "Can you tell me whether screening for October programs has begun and whether I might be hearing back within the next few weeks regarding placement?". Reply a few hours later says, "Your file has undergone the preliminary Placement and Assessment review and is awaiting further review by your Placement Specialist...As of now, the Placement Office is focused on sending invitations for programs departing in September. Peace Corps is obligated to give all invitees a minimum of 6 weeks' notice before a program departure."
  • September 1, 2010: send email, saying "Can you tell me any update on my status? I was wondering whether my file is being prioritized, since my first program (July 2010) was cancelled." Reply a few hours later says "I'd like to arrange a time for us to have a follow up conversation in the near future." 
  • September 2, 2010: speak with my "Education Placement & Assessment Specialist". Ends up being about a ~15 minute interview with questions like "so I know the application has been a long process. How have your thoughts towards Peace Corps changed?" and asking me about what I expect to get out of my experience, problems I anticipate encountering while teaching, etc. etc. I liked the answers I gave and tried to remain calm. I told her I was hoping to hear good news and that I was willing to accept that situations beyond their control can happen and delays can and do occur, but that I was willing to wait for placement, because doing Peace Corps is something that I really wanted to do...at the end of the questioning, she then informed me that the program I was nominated to was full, but that she sent a request to have one more volunteer (me). She told me that she wanted to be "frank" with me, and told me that whether it is accepted or not is not predicated on whether I'm a "good or bad candidate", but whether they have the resources necessary to take on one more volunteer. I remained gracious over the phone, tried to ask her whether the country was Lesotho (she would not say), and eventually hung-up. I told my parents about what happened over the phone, and again, they freaked out (relatively speaking).
  • September 7, 2010: send email, saying "Have you heard back yet?". Reply few hours later says "We have been in touch with the Host Country and it looks promising, however we are awaiting final approval. I'll let you know as soon as I hear something."
  • September 13, 2010: send another email, saying "Are we still waiting on final approval?" Reply says, "We are still awaiting approval from post. The last date for an invitation for this program is Sept. 21st."
  • September 17, 2010: receive email update, saying my Status Online has been updated. Online log-in says an "Invitation Kit" has been sent (!).
  • September 20, 2010 (one day before their 6-week notice "deadline"): receive Invitation Kit via UPS. Accept invitation (for Lesotho) via email the next day.
  • September 22, 2010: email update, saying my Status Online has been update. Online log-in says, "Congratulations! You have accepted an invitation to serve in Lesotho."
  • September 26, 2010: email "Aspiration Statement" and "Resume" to placement officers in Lesotho.
  • October 1, 2010: email reply requests that I re-format and re-send my resume for easier reading. I re-format my resume with bullets and re-send it a few hours later.
  • October 4, 2010: email reply from placement officers in Lesotho says "Thank you for your resubmission. Your resume looks great."
  • October 4, 2010: receive "Staging" email, requesting that I contact SATO Travel to make flight arrangements to staging in Philadelphia on November 1, 2010. I call a few hours later, request to leave from IND, and a few hours later, receive final email with flight itinerary!
  • October 12, 2010: receive phone call from Peace Corps stating that Lesotho November 2010 program has been cancelled, due to security concerns
  • October 13, 2010: talk with new placement officer over the phone and discuss new options. She emails me descriptions of three programs I would be eligible for, all departing in March 2011: Kazakhstan (teaching English), Albania (teaching English, though I was later able to switch this to Health), or Morocco (teaching Health).
  • October 14, 2010: I email my PO, telling her that I am leaning towards Morocco but would like to know whether it would be possible at all for me to attend my sister's wedding in June 2011 (technically against the rules, due to the "no leaving during training + first 3 months of service" policy). She says she will ask Morocco's Country Director for special permission.
  • October 25, 2010 (somewhere around here): I hear that Morocco's Country Director has OKed for me to attend sister's wedding. I ask about Albania, and she has to contact Albania's CD to ask the same thing.
  • November 4, 2010: even though I haven't heard back from Albania's CD yet regarding attending my sister's wedding, I go ahead and email my PO and say I would like to move forward with my nomination for Moroco.
  • November 9, 2010: receive Invitation Kit for Moroccoin mail via UPS Ground. 
  • November 12, 2010: email official acceptance for Morocco to Peace Corps
  • November 13, 2010: receipt of acceptance from Peace Corps, request to send new Aspiration Statement and Resume to Peace Corps Morocco.
  • November 21, 2010: after some procrastination, email Aspiration Statement and Resume to PC Morocco.
  • December 8, 2010: Receipt of Aspiration Statement and Resume confirmed
  • January 28, 2011: "Welcome" email from Desk Officer of PC Morocco and Jordan. Attached is three letters, one of which is a letter from the Country Director of Morocco.
  • February 7, 2011: "language and homestay questionnaires" email from Desk Officer of PC Morocco and Jordan.
  • February 14, 2011: "Pre-Placement Questionnaire" email from PC Morocco Program Assistant.
  • February 15, 2011: "Peace Corps Morocco Staging Information" email. I call the travel agency as soon as I read the email and about 30 minutes later, receive my travel itinerary via email.