<p>I'm a junior in high school and I was just wondering what would be more beneficial to my college application:</p>
<ol>
<li>Doing a 4 week course at the college I want to go to in a field related to what I want to study.</li>
<li>Volunteering in another country for 4 weeks.</li>
</ol>
<p>side note: I would have already done 30 hours of volunteering in my hometown by next summer. Both options interest me a great deal...I'm just torn between which one to do.</p>
<p>Thanks for any help.</p>
<p>My D volunteered to work on a farm in Sweden for 8 weeks , in exchange for room and board . It was pretty life changing for her . Going abroad really widens your world viewpoint and is more exciting in my opinion . It was a great thing to list on her college applications .</p>
<p>As well, the “pay” programs don’t really carry much weight in admissions. Yes, you would get some information about the school and to a small extent, the options that school offers in your field of interest, but these can be replaced with a visit to the school.</p>
<p>The experiences you will likely have in another country just cannot be compared or replaced by paying for a course. You will always remember the experience and it will be great stuff for college essays. You should learn alot about yourself in the experience.</p>
<p>Hey, I would definitely go for the volunteering option if you can. You can do a course at any stage in your life but you may not necessarily have the opportunity to go away volunteering for as long again. It will look good on your application and will give you some amazing life experience and a new perspective. Take a look at some of these options; [Volunteer</a> Work - Community volunteering, conservation & wildlife volunteer projects abroad.](<a href=“http://www.realgap.com/Volunteer%20Work]Volunteer”>Paid Work | Real Gap Experience), you could do a combination trip (bit of travel and volunteering) or just teach English overseas if you want to get some new skills and have something to show for your time.</p>