Community service awards - should they be listed on the common application

Applying to College Common and Coalition Application
1

My daughter has true passion for service that has been present since she was a child. She literally volunteers as much as she possibly can, in a genuine way and for organizations and causes that are important to her. Community service through her school and in the community is her main EC, although it is not really an EC - it is part of who she is.

Because of her commitment to service, she has been recognized with awards and honors by her school, her local community, her state, and nationally (President’s volunteer service award). The school, local, and state recognitions are more meaningful since they recognize specific contributions and impact on her community.

The awards she has received help reflect the commitment to service. However, it seems a bit strange to me to list community service awards given that she does not volunteer for recognition and awards. It seems at odds with the spirit of volunteering.

Any thoughts?

2

They can be included in the award/honors part of the application. The idea of the application is for your D to tell her story and if volunteerism is a big part of it then these awards are a way to help that come through.

3

Thanks for the response. I thought the award/honors was just for academic awards since it is under the education section. She does not have any academic awards other than the standard honor roll and NHS so there would be room.

4

Definitely inlcude them in the honors and awards section. There are several highly selective schools that really value community service. I think Tufts is one. A college will indicate on its common data set how much volunteer service is considered.