<p>I wouldn’t put too much stock in what one inexperienced ‘one season’ reader says, for colleges from one college from one state system.</p>
<p>Don’t leave activities you did off. It is worse to have no activities then to have ‘paid for’ activities. I don’t think being able to afford service trips will count against you. It is just that it doesn’t count against kids who are not able to afford such trips. And there are other ways to show your involvement in the world.</p>
<p>I think it is fine to write about it in your essay. The main point of the essay is for them to learn more about you and what matters to you and your qualities, such as leadership, ability to connect with others, curiosity. So if you are able to demonstrate this in an essay, along with good writing and a certain maturity, that’s fine. You don’t want to look like some trip was handed to you and doesn’t integrate with your values and how else you interact with the world.</p>