Study finds most volunteering in HS resume padding

Parents Forum
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<p><i>One can always find exceptions [to resume padding] and we acknowledged them in the study: young people who were genuinely altruistic, who were serving their community, who genuinely enjoyed doing the work. Often they were minority youth who had good college prospects, but also had strong ties to their particular communities.</i></p>

<p>That is very interesting because it describes my kids’ situation (though I must confess I do wonder why so many other teens in my community do not seem to volunteer at all). When needs are obvious, and when one’s ability to ease them is so apparent, it is probably a lot easier for a kid to begin a life of service. I would be interested in seeing how the views of kids with good college prospects compare with those of other kids in minority communities. Perhaps those with good prospects more naturally sense their potency in dealing with problems and that this is why they tend to volunteer.</p>

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<p>My S learned very different lessons from coaching youth soccer and helping on Scout projects where he was interacting with people similar to his own background and mentoring an underprivileged child in a neighboring elementary school. The latter was a tremendous growth experience. The former was just another way to spend a Saturday. The recipients may have benefitted equally, but the impact on S was night and day. I'm glad he had the opportunity to go outside his comfort zone.</p>

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<p>I think the other side of the coin needs to be mentioned: community service is not essential to getting into a top college.</p>

<p>I know of several students currently at Harvard, including my own, who did little to no community service, other than that required by the various honor societies they belonged to. In my son's case, the vast majority of his free time was taken up with ec's that had no community service aspect (research, debate, music, tennis). The only service activities he did were a summer of twice a week volunteering at a hospital (and this had more to do with his desire for exposure to medicine), and some volunteer math tutoring of his friends during midterms and finals. Likewise, my friend's daughter, currently a senior at Harvard, did no service other than what was required by her participation in an orchestra that occasionally played for the elderly. </p>

<p>So, it seems to me that this belief that community service is a requirement, like having an SAT score, may be a myth. I think schools are interested in students that follow their passions as far as they can take them, and if that happens to include or center around a dedication to service, that's great. But this idea that you need to sprinkle in some service just to show colleges that you're a giving person not only does little or nothing to help your cause, but actually does come across as resume "padding".</p>

<p>p.s. I don't mean to imply that I think service isn't important to one's development as a person...I hope my son will find more time and inclination to pursue this in college. I'm also happy to say that my daughter was one of those kids for whom service (combined with her intererest in psychology) did define most of her extra-curricular endeavors in both high school and college.</p>

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<p>"To, it seems to me that this belief that community service is a requirement, like having an SAT score, may be a myth. I think schools are interested in students that follow their passions as far as they can take them, and if that happens to include or center around a dedication to service, that's great."</p>

<p>You are very right. I don't know why so many students appear to think that colleges like Ivies require successful applicants to have done a certain number of community service hours.</p>

<p>In the case of Harvard, which I am an alum interviewer for, I can't think of any applicants who have gotten in who have NOT done community service. However, that's not because Harvard requires that. It's because Harvard looks for students who are altruistic in addition to being smart and interested in learning.</p>

<p>What has distinguished the successful applicants in terms of community service is that they have done something that obviously interested themselves, and they've done their service with leadership, creativity and some kind of in depth or longterm effort. They haven't just done random hours to try to hit what they think is the goal that Harvard is looking for.</p>

<p>The types of things they have done have ranged from mentoring and tutoring students at their school to doing Eagle Scout projects to taking an active, leadership role in a creative community service organization such as by designing and instituting a project that they created after noticing a need. </p>

<p>They don't just mindlessly file or pick up trash while adding up their hours. If they start out doing that kind of service work (which is the way that most teens get into service work), they notice other things that are needed and then they do the hard work of organizing to address those other concerns.</p>

<p>The proof of their sincerity is that at Harvard, the campus-wide student run community service organization, Phillips Brooks House, has for decades been one of the most popular extracurriculars. Something like 60% of the students at Harvard participate in that during their college years. It has always included things like summer camps and other elaborate service projects that students created, run and work with without getting paid or class credit.</p>

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<p>"The only service activities he did were a summer of twice a week volunteering at a hospital (and this had more to do with his desire for exposure to medicine), and some volunteer math tutoring of his friends during midterms and finals."</p>

<p>Those sound like good service projects, done out of sincere interest and altruism. Doing things like your S did are very different than what students do who do completely random, easy service that has nothing to do with their interests just to get the hours.</p>

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<p>Northstarmom - Not to be a dispeptic skeptic but if ALL Harvard students did community service in high school but only 60% of them do it once the are in it would seem to validate the study.</p>

<p>Is there any room at Harvard for someone philosophically opposed to working for free? Altruism like dying for your country are not all they are cracked up to be in my book.</p>

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<p>" Not to be a dispeptic skeptic but if ALL Harvard students did community service in high school but only 60% of them do it once the are in it would seem to validate the study."
I said that about 60% of students did community service through Philllips Brooks House, the campus service organization that's run by students. </p>

<p>For all any of us know, the others may be doing community service through some other means. Harvard has hundreds of extracurricular activities, many of which also do community service that's not affiliated with Phillips Brooks House.</p>

<p>I have to think long and hard about students whom I knew at Harvard who did no community service.</p>

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<p>this thread really got my attention, and Ijust had to post. I am still a high school student so maybe I should'nt post but this concerns me. I do know many kids who just do community service to get into college but also my high school requires we do a community service interim trip and a 60 hour community service project that we design as senior. I personally love doing community service and am in the community service club and have lead many drives and been apart of many projects/committees. In my spare time I am a senior girl scout working on my Gold award which includes a community service project. In general, I just want to know if it will look like I am padding my resume or I have a real passion for community service to colleges? Also, will it hurt me that I have school requirements for community service?</p>