would an international volunteering program (south america or maybe asia) look good for college?? I dont want to do it just for college, I like that kind of stuff…
<p>The kinds of program in which your parents pay lots of money and you get to volunteer abroad aren't that impressive to the very top colleges. The same is true of students who spend time abroad living with relatives and "volunteering" in opportunities that their families have set up so the students look good.</p>
<p>Such things mayy, however, impress colleges below the top 30, which tend to have a lower proportion of students who would be willing to do that kind of experience instead of playing video games at home.</p>
<p>Very top colleges are likely to be impressed by experiences of all kinds in which students created the experience and raised the money and did other work in order to have the experience. Thus, a student's creating an interesting volunteer experience for themselves at home or abroad could be impressive particularly if it's clear that the student is following their own passion.</p>
<p>Equally impressive could be a student who expended lots of effort to get an ordinary job, and who shoulders that job with unusual commitment because the student wants to go to college and needs the money to do so.</p>
<p>whats really impressive to elite colleges?</p>
<p>What really impresses elite colleges is when students are passionate about something productive -- whether the "something productive" is academic or nonacademic, and when students use their own creativity and energy to pursue their passions.</p>
<p>What doesn't impress elite colleges is when students' "passions" consist of doing their best to pursue whatever activity that they think will impress elite colleges. The top colleges don't want students who, for instance, take summer classes to look good to colleges. They want students who do activities wholeheartedly out of genuine interest.</p>
<p>What some resume padders fail to understand is that some people really do ECs and academics because they truly love learning or love pursuing their ECs. They would do these activities whether or not the elite colleges gave a darn or even if their parents tried to discourage them. Those are the students the elite colleges hunger to admit.</p>
<p>Of course, the elite colleges also want the students to have high grades, strong stats, not be students who pursue passions, but get only C grades in the classes they don't give a darn about.</p>
<p>But how would colleges know about your "hobbies", through essays?? I mean i love travelling, and extreme sports and such! how would they know i'm pursuing these hobbies?</p>
<p>A hobby isn't the same as is a passion. Elite colleges aren't particularly interested in essays that are travelogues. </p>
<p>Essays also are how one displays one's passions. The passions also come out through recommendations and extracurriculars.</p>
<p>"I love to travel. I have a good time when I travel. I have been to 100 countries' isn't likely to impress elite colleges.</p>