<p>We do happen to value putting your time where your mouth is and volunteering quite a bit, even if some like Dross, are cynical about our motivations.</p>
<p>We found that several colleges also valued students who spent their time either working to earn money for college/volunteering for a good cause, as opposed to spending $5,000 for a three week academic program to give already top students more of the same.</p>
<p>My younger daughter is on a soccer team, and over the years, the coach has stepped back and allows the girls to coach themselves ( after guiding them on the way to do it). As a result, this team is one of the tops in the league, not only on the field, but even when they lose a game, they are still on the sidelines talking about the game and enjoying each others company ( which is quite confusing to the winning team) ;)</p>
<p>They know they are responsible for their behavior. I found the same atmosphere at my Ds college. Students are responsible for their own behavior, and each others to the point that they will not stand idly by, while someone is behaving badly, but will call them on it.</p>
<p>This has results in small incidents of kindness, like it not being unusual for a lost ipod/backpack/cell phone/wallet to be turned into Greywood ( community services) intact, and for notice to be put on LJ for the owner.</p>
<p>My daughter, who is absentminded - for example forgetting about her laundry, often found it stacked neatly on the table, after someone had taken it out of the dryer or even paid to have it put * in * the dryer.
More often than not, if you leave your laptop unattended for a period of time it will be picked up,.... by library staff or another student concerned about its safety and taken to the security building.</p>
<p>Personal responsiblity and concern for others are reflected in giving time to volunteer organizations like Peace Corps- which is not "done" to look good on a resume, as some suggest, but in my experience, because the participant is fully aware of a global responsiblity to each other, not just to those in your family or church community. Which is why I find it highly unusual that volunteer giving outside of an immediate community is not a criteria in finding educational institutions which value "character"</p>