<p>hey I have posted may threads regarding summer programs, but I would like to know, which would most likely impress admissions officers more, a volunteer mission in india or a summer program in brown?</p>
<p>hahah thanks in advance!!</p>
<p>Neither, unless you have a trend of activities and interests that would make either of those programs an understandable choice for you this summer in the context with the rest of your resume.
I’ll say this though, going abroad to do volunteer work usually proves to admissions counselors that you could afford to go abroad; the work you do there is generally not seen as any more valuable or impressive than doing the same work in the states. Unless of course you went to India to work on some sort of initiative specific to India (i.e. a rural medical program, or a microfinance program, or something like that), but once again that would have to be a continuation of similar interests demonstrated via previous summers and extracurriculars in which you were involved during the school year.</p>
<p>Thanks, so I have been volunteering since 9th grade in the local library and I just started volunteering in a hospital. (I am in 11th grade), so volunteering would connect to my resume’s theme of service?</p>
<p>Service, in my opinion, doesn’t count as a theme on a resume.
At this point, it’s almost a prerequisite to get into college to have some sort of community service experience, or atleast something that demonstrates that you are interested in giving back to your community (its via the logic of the latter that being heavily involved in non-service clubs in or out of school also works as a resume padder, because it shows that you are willing to return the favor to organizations from which you have gained something during your tenure with them).
And, as much as I hate to say this, volunteering in libraries and candy striping or being a receptionist at a hospital are some of the most generic types of community service there are. Your service has to be to something that you have a legitimate interest in–working at the library would make sense if you also volunteered as a tutor for young children, demonstrated interest in being an educator or helping literacy, etc. Likewise, working in a hospital would make sense if you had a theme in your resume of being interested in medicine, international health, etc.<br>
In short, find yourself a niche, be it education, healthcare, music, cooking, sports, or myriad other areas. Then make everything you talk about in your resume relate to that niche–take classes in school about that niche, do summer programs relating to that niche, work for a company involved in that niche, volunteer for an organization involved in that niche, etc.</p>
<p>Neither. </p>
<p>Get a job. Even better, get a blue-collar job: paint houses, scoop ice cream, be a waitress, work in an amusement park. Get your hands dirty.</p>
<p>And I’m being very serious.</p>
<p>thanks, I think I’ll do the volunteering in India in a rural clinic since I do have many things in my resume relating to medicine/science. (ex a medicine camp, science clubs,shadowing a doctor)
I think I’ll work harder to show that I am very passionate about the sciences by enrolling in a course at a local university about science during my senior year.
thanks so much for your help!</p>
<p>btw, why are blue-collared jobs a good option?</p>
<p>They show that you aren’t a privileged, pampered child, and that you actually have some degree of real-world experience. They’re good to have, but not a necessity, in my opinion.
I got into Brown having only worked as a paid tutor for a year, and I have friends who got into other Ivies with no work experience whatsoever. </p>
<p>As for the India part, as long as you have all the other medicine stuff lined up on your resume, this looks like it could be a viable option. But honestly, its no better than doing something in the states, such as getting a job as an EMT, volunteering at a free clinic, etc, unless you make it a major part of your application, such as your common app essay, and talk about how you’re extremely interested in international medicine, thereby justifying why you volunteered in India rather than the states. Essentially what I’m trying to stress is that there is no inherent benefit to overseas volunteering over volunteering in the states, unless you pursued an opportunity exclusive to the country to which you went. Sometimes it can even make you look like a rich kid who thought of a random impoverished country in which to volunteer because you thought it would make your application look good (especially since extra scrutiny is given to activities during the summer after junior year, since that’s the time most kids panic and try to find a hail mary pass in the hopes of padding their resume). I think a fear of that perception is what prompted fireandrain’s suggestion.</p>
<p>The question was what will “impress” admission officers. Neither of your 2 activities will impress them. Why? Because too many rich kids do both of those. I’m not saying you won’t get in, or that you need work experience to get in – those activities just won’t impress anyone.</p>
<p>But someone who is wealthy who spends the summer working a blue collar job (or volunteering in your local community instead of flying off to India) is so unusual that it is likely the admissions committee will sit up and take a second look at your application. While it is true that your application should show a theme, it’s also good that it shows you have some depth, some varied experiences.</p>