We toured many schools in the top 25-30 and did not hear any of them state that there is a community service requirement. I am curious to know which schools you are referencing.
I mentioned Tulane upthread. They do claim to be the first to require public service, but I’m not sure what other universities require it as well. (Tulane and TCU are the only private universities on D20’s list.) They have six different pathways to meet the requirement which are part of the curriculum. Here’s the information on their public service requirement:
Lots of schools have partnerships with their communities that combine experiential education with service.
Things like accounting majors doing tax returns for folks who can’t afford professional help, Ed majors volunteering at local schools, etc.
I see this as a win-win. Practical experience while helping others.
At D’s school, kids pad service hours for admission to NHS. My kid balances academics, involvement in clubs, and varsity/club sports and has meaningful, targeted service (ex. Special Olympics) but not the amount of hours needed to fulfill the service criteria for NHS admission. Several of her classmates have attended “service” trips which are more eco-tourism junkets in my opinion - one trip was to a posh Caribbean destination (BVI) with nominal service activities- tagging sea turtles and painting a school’s exterior. I blame the “arms race” of higher education pushing kids to check off all the boxes if they want to be noticed by uber competitive schools.
@ChillDad the OP is talking about the requirement for community service/volunteering once the kid gets TO THE COLLEGE. OP is not talking about this as a requirement or suggestion while in HS.
Not all lessons are learned in the classroom.