<p>Just curious if the top colleges are strict about whether or not MT kids have a ton of volunteer/service hours? </p>
<p>With school classes, dance/vocal/acting training, high school shows and all the time spent testing and auditioning there is little time for anything else!! </p>
<p>It seems as though they'd rather have someone with a lot of training, then someone with less training who volunteer a lot. Your experience with this please ----</p>
<p>Good question. My daughter did have some volunteering and service hours, but my guess is that MT program leaders understand that a student’s time is limited. Maybe school reps will chime in here, but I would say that your audition, and the way you convey yourself is probably the most important thing.</p>
<p>Yes, I think they look at it. Some of D’s community service involved music :fundraising concerts, singing at nursing homes and hospitals, caroling for the community and giving music lessons to younger students. Colleges look for students who have a talent and who can use their talent to make the community a better place. They are looking for students with a lot of training and those who can squeeze a lot into a busy schedule.</p>
<p>D had a decent amount of community service hours (primarily from build crew for shows etc, her school counts those) but during auditions no one ever asked about them. No idea if the hours played into any acceptances/rejections</p>
<p>I think getting hours for the sake of hours does not mean much. But if your child has a real interest in and passion for an organization for which they volunteer, that could be something that differentiates them from other auditioners. The number of hours she volunteered never came up. But in several auditions they asked my D about some significant philanthropic things she had done that she had noted with one line on her resume. I think it gave them an interesting thing to discuss when talking to her.</p>
<p>Remember there are two parts of the acceptance. One to be admitted to the school, and another to be admitted into a program. Depending on the schools your child applies to, volunteering may have an impact (or not). I agree with vvnstar, if your child is passionate about his/her volunteer work, especially if it has to do with the arts, it could be a good talking point or subject of an essay. But doing anything just to better your chances of being admitted isn’t worth the time and effort. Do something you love for expanding as a person, regardless of the benefits, and you never waste the time.</p>
<p>My D talks about her community service on her resume and I think its wonderful that she feels passionate about her causes. I also think it won’t make a darn bit of difference for getting into audition-based programs. I feel this way about the letters of rec also. They are wonderful to have and give her confidence in herself but they won’t make any difference except at the non-audition LACs where I think they actually read them :)</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter much for the auditioned program itself, but can certainly help with scholarships since the two key components for them is community service and leadership.</p>
<p>And for intense BA schools, like Northwestern, service is an important issue…</p>
<p>Yes, it depends on the school and how admissions is handled. But remember that in most schools, admissions based on academics, EC’s and letters of recommendation still plays a role in acceptance, not just talent. If you don’t make it in talent wise, you aren’t in, but for most schools you need to be accepted through admissions, too. Some schools like NYU will measure talent for only 50% of the application. Other schools, like Muhlenberg or Northwestern, don’t have a talent component for freshmen, you need to be admitted into the school based on academics, etc. in order to attend.</p>
<p>Remember there are many applicants out there that are able to balance MT demands (lessons, rehearsals, performances) as well as strong academics and good EC’s/ community service. Once someone is in for talent (and type), these other factors can make someone a much stronger candidate.</p>
<p>Unfortunately you’ll probably “hear” us say “it depends on the school” a lot. You may have better responses if you post the “top colleges” you are considering.</p>
<p>Meant to add I wouldn’t let it stop you from applying.</p>
<p>I think with Elon it made a difference for my D. She had lower academic stats than several that didn’t get into the school, but they seem to value volunteerism. I agree with others that said it shows being able to balance MT life with other things. No different than other ECs that show you are multi faceted. </p>