I Don't Like Volunteering

Applying to College
81

<p>Interesting thread.
My 2 cents (which very few will get to since there are already several pages of posts):</p>

<p>-Volunteering isn't the only way to show you care about the world.
-Seems to me that glorifying volunteering (being on Board, etc) is pointless for 95% of teenagers considering volunteer work. Those 95% won't have those kinds of opportunities outside of school. The 5% with tremendous passion and energy can get something started on their own in the wider community. Hats off to them. They have to work. They have to create. They have to do so much more than an adult walking into an existing organization.
-Volunteering can be approached from a variety of motivations and perspectives. Ought to. Want to. Have to. Some volunteer work is also self-serving. They all work.
-I think it puts the stakes too high if we expect volunteering to always change the volunteer.
-I understand being nauseated by someone talking about volunteering. Sounds like bragging.</p>

<p>I volunteer. I do something I like a lot (hospice patient visits and respite care). I do occasional grunt work for the same organization-- because I support the organization and because I like the people I work with.<br>
I was on my church council. I wouldn't necessarily call that fun, but generally positive. Again, I wanted to support the organization and liked being part of that team.<br>
I also volunteer with a youth organization, mostly to support my child's participation. (That's what I meant by self-serving, though it is really my child that is served.) </p>

<p>For someone who wants to volunteer, or is at least considering it, I would say, sure, look for something you love doing or are passionate about. If that doesn't get you anywhere, broaden your scope to things in your community that you want to see succeed, even if it isn't a passion. Then do a little bit to help. (Humane Society volunteers should like animals, but they don't all have to be passionate.) Make sure you care enough, or are disciplined enough, to be reliable.</p>

<p>I have three seasons of Ellen<a href="the%20sitcom">U</a> on DVD. There are a couple great episodes on volunteering.</p>

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<p>I hate to volunteer too especially rite now. i do volunteer sometimes but occasionally. I like to focus on my studies go to college get educated and THEN help the community and the world. its just that i feel i can volunteer my time better if i had more money and a degree in something so i can even help in that specific area. And it annoys me that 95 percent of high school volunteers just volunteer to put it on their apps and i dont want to be that 95 percent. sorry but if i volunteer i dont want any recognition i volunteer cause i know its the rite thing to do.</p>

<p>edit: and i also hate it when people ask me to volunteer, completely defeats the purpose.</p>

83

<p>^I like when people ask me to volunteer, because that takes all the work out of it. I can still help others while I don't have to go out looking for places to volunteer. If someone asks, that makes it really easy.</p>

84

<p>The funny thing at my school is that most volunteer organizations have been infested by college-application-ers. Here is a quote from a recent meeting of Key Club at my school;</p>

<p>"Hey guys could you all sign up for this -----(commuity service event)? It's great for service hours to get you into nhs and looks good on your college resume!" - Local Key Club President, and then later "We all know we're all doing this for our college resumes anyway." (about something else)</p>

<p>^ its sad in my opinion when even the leaders of volunteer organizations become college-application-ers. I doubt the high up leadership is like this though, since in order to become a state / national officer you need to have the true passion in it otherwise you'd kill yourself w/ the work, even though the minor officials like local key club president are vital because they are the direct contacts w/ the majority of the hs population.</p>

85

<p>I'd say if you have research and other experiences, that should compensate. but it truly is disapointing that you do not enjoy volunteering. have you tried it? volunteering at a hospital can be fascinating, and I tutoring elementary students or volunteering for the special olympics always seemed to cheer me up.</p>

86

<p>I hate volunteering but...<em>sigh</em> what I wouldn't do for college.</p>

87

<p>That right there ^ is the problem. Colleges try to evaluate subjective and relatively intangible things, thus throwing everyone into a panic trying to figure out what they really want. Do I have the right extracurriculars? Did I volunteer enough? Do I have awards from desirable organizations? Just look at the posts from college applicants on this site! IMO, colleges should stick to academics and leave the evaluation of humanity out of it.</p>

88

<p>"IMO, colleges should stick to academics and leave the evaluation of humanity out of it."</p>

<p>lkf725: there are many upstanding institutions that do exactly what you state. However, the very thing that irritates you is what seems to give the so-called "top ranked" institutions their popularity and prestige. The fact is that HYPS and others do admit "holistically". While this might not generate the most academically measurable "best" student body, the formula works for them -- and this subjective process seems to work and they continue to see record nos. of applicants.</p>

<p>One can't slag them for their arcane admissions standards and then turn around and praise or envy them for their perceived greatness -- it's the very thing you complained about.</p>

89

<p>I am not complaining and HYPS are welcome to use whatever criteria they choose. Nor am I praising HYPS for their greatness and the admission frenzy they attract. Undoubtedly, they will continue to attract large numbers of applicants for academic and prestige reasons, but I doubt that people apply to those schools because they are full of magnanimous individuals.</p>

<p>I am not against volunteering and my own family gives generously of their time. I am only saying that the intangible and sometimes seemingly random (not "transparent"?) way that colleges run their admissions process causes kids to volunteer grudgingly and complain about it. Simply, the kids don't know what schools want, but since schools might want volunteerism, they all do it. They are afraid not to. What else can you expect? If you want sincerity, volunteerism needs to be removed from the admission criteria list.</p>

90

<p>I think HYP has their point right on the dot when it comes to extracurriculars - look, you cant get into HYP with just volunteering 500 hours, they just dont care because thats not a real good unique extracurricular. As such, HYP does not require volunteerism, because if its that small, its not important and they wouldnt really care.</p>

<p>However, those applicants that do something like 1000+ community service hours begin to stand out. Sorry, but most people would have killed themselves if they forced themselves to do 1000+ service hours unwillingly. As such, for volunteerism to be important in HYP, it is actually usually from the heart. You simply cannot do 1000+ service hours without some sortof volunteerism dedication, and the 'fluke' cases are usually one in a million. </p>

<p>Main Point:People who volunteer for college admissions usually dont achieve anything noteworthy that their fake-volunteerism is recognized by colleges, and so it doesnt matter that they volunteered. Those who do volunteer out of their hearts will achieve more commendable results, which will be seen and valued by HYP level colleges and consequently praised for their achievments.</p>

91

<p>"I think HYP has their point right on the dot when it comes to extracurriculars - look, you cant get into HYP with just volunteering 500 hours, they just dont care because thats not a real good unique extracurricular. As such, HYP does not require volunteerism, because if its that small, its not important and they wouldnt really care.</p>

<p>However, those applicants that do something like 1000+ community service hours begin to stand out. "</p>

<p>What you say is not true. Harvard and similar colleges don't judge applicants by the amount of time that applicants put into an activity, but by the results of the activity on the applicant and on others. One can measure the results of volunteerism by things such as: money raised; number of people involved; awards received; results achieved; impact on the applicant (which can be indicated through the essay or interview); impact on others (recommendations can reflect this).</p>

<p>There are plenty of aspiring Harvard students who try to impress by simply piling up mindlessly volunteer hours in random things that they aren't interested in. This includes students who pay big bucks to spend a lot of time out town including abroad on projects that someone else created and that the students only do to try to get into college. Their applications and interviews reflect that mindset.</p>

<p>A student who, for instance, devotes 50 hours to organizing a school fund raiser that raises $1,000 for a cause that the student believes in could be far more impressive than a student who flew to Africa to spend 500 hours in a project that Daddy paid for them to be involved with so their application might impress admissions officers.</p>

<p>"As such, for volunteerism to be important in HYP, it is actually usually from the heart. "</p>

<p>True. But it's not the impact on the student and others that reflects that from the heart devotion, not the hours.</p>

<p>After all, there are students who devote thousands of hours to premed studies even though their parents, not them, want them to be doctors.</p>

92

<p>So I just read through this whole thread and know I'm even more confused than I was previously. Like most of those that would be considered "frowned upon by society" according to some posters here, I don't really enjoy volunteering. I supposed this type of feeling has been lead on by NHS type required activities and other requirments.</p>

<p>I have the required amount of volunteer hours to graduate, but I don't consider what I have done to be considered as volunteering. It also is bothersome that I have to be compared with those that have 3000 insincere volunteer hours and I have <100 in things that I actually care about. For the past two years, the only things that I have volunteered in have been robotics related - helping with competitions, the younger leagues etc. I do this because it comes naturally with being in the organization, not just for Chairman's, but I don't consider it to be volunteering. I would love to extend the amount of robotics related outreach that I do, but school and transportation restraints have halted many of these aspirations. I am usually only able to "volunteer" once or twice a month the most, which isn't enough for many organization, or it makes me look like I'm lazy.</p>

<p>Due to my shy and nervous personality, I don't think I could handle working in a soup kitchen, hospital, or in the normal "for hours" places. I don't understand why volunteering has to be so extensive to be recognized. I would rather not mention it at all if I didn't have to, but I'm afraid that I will have to succumb to the "for hours" type of places in order to be competitive. Like everyone else, I also have other great factors on paper, but I have seen a trend involving the correlation of volunteer hours and success rates.</p>

<p>I think I'm in the same boat as JBVirtuoso when I question why does it have to be about numbers? If I am looking for something to volunteer for now because I need hours, does that make it less of a sincere effort when I actually put in the work? I don't see how colleges can differentiate between someone who has 1000 hours insincerely, or 100 dedicated hours. I understand holistic admissions, but how is volunteering really factored into admissions? Is it a function of time or quality?</p>

93

<p>Agh... </p>

<p>1) You don't have to be tremendously involved to make a difference in someone's life or on your application. For example, if you got involved with the Special Olympics, you'd only be devoting one Saturday afternoon every month or every few months. Not that hard.</p>

<p>2) Volunteering is an excellent way to <em>improve</em> your people and communication skills. Don't run away from your problem. Face it.</p>

<p>3) I was bit disgusted by the "why should i do a job below my intelligence" comment. Very self-absorbed and better-than-thou. It made me realize why adcoms look for volunteer hours in the first place.</p>

<p>4) Although I respect the fact that some people don't get as much enjoyment from volunteering as others, to say there isnt ANY type of volunteering you can tolerate is total BS. If you're into sports, be a volunterer timer/ref/official/whatever at a kiddie league. If you're more academic and into math/science, volunteer tutor someone... You don't have to be a brilliant teacher... Most of the time it's letting the person talk the problems out. If you do like medical stuff, hospitals. If you like dogs, animal shelters. If you like computers, teach them to old people. Most old people will forget what they learned, but you'll get them comfortable with comps. Don't make excuses.</p>

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<p>If you like music, then you should look into showing up either individually or in a group at a nursing home or hospital in your area and providing the occasional concert. Also, FYI, everyone does this at christmas time, but nobody shows up during some months (like February). If you were, for example, a pianist, you could offer to provide a little jazz on Friday nights to liven things up. something like that. This is always welcome, and you might find you actually enjoyed it.</p>

95

<p>@ Northstarmom,</p>

<p>Thats what I meant, when I said that statement about hours, I meant in general whatever commitement volunteering entials, since it is impossible to list them all. Obviously hours is not it because the volunteering only matters when it is a passion which shows itself in other ways besides hours.</p>

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<p>There's more than one way to volunteer. Some like to a little bit every weekend, while I spent most of last summer away from home helping out with an environmental non profit. I simply wouldn't have been able to do the same thing (even if it was possible to help out locally) a little bit at a time, which is more a sign of volunteering in a way that works for you.</p>

<p>If there's something you care about or want to see change, listen to Ghandi. "You must be the change you wish to see in the world", so find a cause you believe in, and help out. My GC puts it nicely - community service shouldn't be painful. If you're volunteering just for college, sure it helps out the community/cause, but it doesn't help you.</p>

<p>As for college apps, it's nice that some work gets done, but adcoms can (or at least should be able to) tell if someone volunteered because they wanted to, or if they just did it to write it down on their app. UCs are still largely point based, and last time I checked, 200 hours of volunteering (at least at UCSD) is worth 300 out of 11,000 possible points (although most acceptances are around 8,000 points - most from grades and test scores). Overall, in most cases it might help a little, like NHS might, if it's just listed on an app. If a volunteering experience shows up in an extended response or an essay, that will show a lot more weight. Of course, most of what I just wrote is my opinion, not fact for most of the varied admissions processes in the U.S.</p>

97

<p>I volunteer at the hospital every Saturday morning in the Emergency room, used to be in the Gift Shop. I absolute HATE it. </p>

<p>Why? Because I don't feel like I'm helping anyone or being used properly. I sit there half the time picking gum off my shoe. And not only that, the work I do is so stupid. I write the date on pieces of paper and go into the back to ask the nurses if visitors can come see patients. And I never know which nurse works at which bed so I look like a douche going around asking all of them. I'm like an assistant to the fricken front-desk lady. </p>

<p>I seriously ditch it half the time. My mom just thinks I'm going in, but I really just go play basketball or pick up chicks haha. The hospital doesn't even care, they don't even know when I come in or not. They don't even KNOW MY NAME for god's sake. They take our word for it whether we come in or not, all we have to do is log our hours into the computer. So I pretty much just BS my hours and say I went in when I didn't.</p>

<p>God I hope some admissions counselor doesn't read this. haha</p>

98

<p>Not to diss volunteering at all, but:</p>

<p>There are people out there who have done absolutely nothing for society up to a certain point and then do a lot later in life...e.g, hedge fund managers who retire at 30 and start doing full time charity work.</p>

<p>I wonder how many hours of volunteer work Bill Gates had done in high school. Today he is doing a lot for humanity through his charitable work.</p>

<p>I guess what I'm saying is that we all have our ways of doing good in the world and some of us do it in high school while others do it later.</p>

99

<p>"There are people out there who have done absolutely nothing for society up to a certain point and then do a lot later in life...e.g, hedge fund managers who retire at 30 and start doing full time charity work."</p>

<p>Please name some. I know lots of people, including well off people who do volunteer work, but all had started at an early age.</p>

<p>"I wonder how many hours of volunteer work Bill Gates had done in high school. Today he is doing a lot for humanity through his charitable work."</p>

<p>He was an Eagle Scout and his started him volunteering as a child.</p>

<p>From a Seattle Times article on Bill Gates, Sr. (the computer whiz Bill Gates' father) who is head of the Bill Gates foundation:</p>

<p>"he elder Gates is equally proud of his daughters, Kristi Blake, a certified public accountant, volunteer and mother in Spokane, and Libby Armintrout, a mother of three in Laurelhurst, who serves on several volunteer boards. "They just aren't as prominent, but they're great people."</p>

<p>The Gates children say their parents were their models. Constant volunteering for Children's Orthopedic Hospital, Junior League, Planned Parenthood, the library, United Way. Campaigning door-to-door for school levies. Every Christmas taking the children to select and personally deliver presents and food to a low-income family.</p>

<p>In a short speech to accept a YMCA award for lifelong volunteer leadership, Gates Sr. choked up, as he always does when talking about matters close to his heart:</p>

<p>"The things each one of you is doing in the larger community today," he told his children, "are things your mother and I can only have dreamed of. I never imagined how thoroughly you would have embraced your responsibility to serve others, but then, your mother's example was stunning."</p>

<p>Mary Maxwell Gates served on the UW Board of Regents for 18 years and eclipsed even her husband as an altruistic dynamo for her work with United Way and other charities. She came from a philanthropic family; her banker grandfather, J.W. Maxwell, helped found the Millionaire Club, a Seattle employment charity...."
<a href="http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=pbigbill26&date=20030126&source=ST%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=pbigbill26&date=20030126&source=ST&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

100

<p>"I volunteer at the hospital every Saturday morning in the Emergency room, used to be in the Gift Shop. I absolute HATE it.</p>

<p>Why? Because I don't feel like I'm helping anyone or being used properly. "</p>

<p>You have a choice: You can continue to complain and waste your time or you can volunteer at one of the many organizations that would not waste your time. I also would bet that there are good volunteer options where you currently are "volunteering," and you could create those options or find them if you gave a darn.</p>