<p>I've faithfully done community service hours throughout my highschool career, but I just now found out that last year, my junior year, I didn't turn in some community service forms. On my report card, it shows that I 'failed' my third trimester in community service.</p>
<p>How are colleges such as Duke and Wash U going to view that? Can I fix my problem?</p>
<p>On another note, how important is community service work in the college application process?</p>
<p>More serious than whether or not you’ve done an “adequate” amount of community service is that your official transcript may show a “fail” for one of the subjects that your school considers important. So if you haven’t done so already I would encourage you to check with your GC and/or your school registrar to see if the “fail” grade actually appears on official transcripts. If it does, and you can prove that you have the required number of community service hours for that junior year semester then see if you can have the grade changed. Perhaps you’ve already done that.</p>
<p>My sense is that community service is one of those grey areas in college applications and that the “count” of hours is often subjective. </p>
<p>What would make a difference in an application is a community service activity that you’ve pursued with passion and effectiveness during your high school career, and in which you’ve made a major difference, and attained a leadership position, and for which you’ve received formal recognition.</p>