I am going to Ghana for 4 weeks on a medical/public health volunteer trip to help make healthier villages. Our family has a long history of going to Ghana, which is why I started saving up for a year after I found out about the opportunity. I’m so incredibly excited to go, in fact our family friend is from Ghana and goes there many times a year to the exact village where I’ll be working. I know many students use these trips to pad their application, and colleges actually look down on these trips. Would it hurt my application (rather that help it) to put the trip as one of my extracurriculars?
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The airfare you’re spending to engage in poverty tourism could feed a poor family in Ghana for a year.
I wouldn’t expect some bump out of it but I don’t think it will hurt you either.
It depends on how you frame it. If your application reflects a serious interest in public health and your essays show self awareness that you gained more from the trip than your beneficiaries, it can help. If you look naive abthe trip looks like a one-off experience, it might hurt. If you send me a PM with your specific circumstances, I can give you a more tailored reply.