<p>Hi... i'm going to be applying to college this fall and I have a lot of things that i've done over my time in high school, but are very touchy in subject, especially since i'm applying to several public institutions.</p>
<p>(1) I received my school's Christian Character Award in 2011, awarded to two members of my roughly 340 person class for... a Christian Character.
(2) Volunteering for the Ehrlich for Governor of Maryland, 2010 Campaign
(3) Volunteering for the Bongino for US Senate, 2012 Campaign</p>
<p>These are some of the biggest items for my resume, and I really think they show my commitment and my positive character, but I don't know if there is any sort of rule to using political or religious recognitions?</p>
<p>prunkss, because we had a discussion in another thread about high schoolers volunteering in a campaign, can you just give us an idea of your experience and responsibilities/tasks involved?</p>
<p>Are you wondering if you are going to be discriminated against in college admissions for being Christian and/or conservative? Or are you just wondering, more generally, if mentioning religious or political engagement is off limits? I assume you mean the former, since millions of church/synagogue/mosque/temple-going, politically engaged students head off to top colleges every year. </p>
<p>I don’t think there’s any reason to be afraid that your affiliations would be held against you - rather you will be contributing to the diversity of perspectives on campus, which most schools value.</p>
<p>I worked phone banks, shook hands, distributed materials, assisted in setting up and working events, etc. A lot of grunt work since I wasn’t an employee of the campaign. Through the work i’ve met quite a few “top-dogs” or recognizable names who I could get letters of recommendation for.</p>
<p>Letters of recommendation from famous people are a waste of time unless that famous person is your parent and/or you are a development candidate (ie, the school is hoping that by accepting you, they will also get a library…)</p>
<p>You would be much better off with a letter from a ‘lowly’ supervisor who really know you well. You wont a letter from someone who can write convincingly about your character, diplomacy, creativity, engagement - or whatever other characteristics you have demonstrated through your work - that are not obvious already from the letters of recommendation your teachers and guidance counselor are providing.</p>
<p>I never said famous. I mean “top-dogs” from party work, who I have worked under but are known by large numbers of people in the organization. I worked under the former Secretary of State for my state for three months and she is a supervisor who would recognize and know me and could definitely speak of my work ethic and character.</p>