<p>So hear me out, I'm applying to the UC system this year and I have about 5 hrs of community service. I'm planning on doing some library work so by the end of November (when UC apps are due), I'd have about 100 hrs completed. However, can I just assume (truthfully assume that is) that I would have much more by say June? In other words, can I list more than I truly have? This sounds confusing but listen to this:</p>
<p>I have 5 hrs now.</p>
<p>By November 30th, I'll have 100.</p>
<p>On the application, I list 500 hours. (assuming, and I will, that I further volunteer until that 500 is reached.</p>
<p>No, you can't do that. The application is asking for your current reality. It's not asking for you to predict the future. You have no idea whether you'll have 500 hours by spring. Anything can happen.</p>
<p>You can't predict the future. Only put down what you've actually done at the time that you choose to submit the application. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, relatively few colleges consider community service in their admissions decisions. For the colleges that do, what you accomplish -- impact, fund raising, leadership, creativity -- all are more important than are the number of hours that you put in.</p>
<p>Spending 500 hours shelving books isn't as impressive as spending 100 hours creating and operating a spring break music program for low income kids or spending that time raising $2,000 for a charity.</p>
<p>Your rushing to do these hours during your senior year screams that you're looking for a way to pad your resume, not something that impresses colleges.</p>
<p>That's true. I'm talking about UC's. I'm not applying to Stanford or any Ivies because while Stanford is in CA, the others aren't. I'd rather go to UCI than go to Harvey Mudd or Berkeley. While I haven't cured cancer or ended world hunger, I still managed 100 hrs of community service in a particular activity, so I'm happy. Fine, I won't predict the future.</p>
<p>So, as of now, you haven't even been involved for a year. The most that you could write would be something like: Since Sept., 2006: 5 hours a week. Another option would be "senior year: 5 hours a week."</p>
<p>None of the questions that you have posted would be thought-provoking for people who are honest. Honest people realize that one can't act like one has done things that one may do in the future. Honest people also recognize that how the application is worded isn't an invitation to lie.</p>
<p>There's a difference between lying and giving an accurate picture of what you do. </p>
<p>Take for example a Spring sport you've played freshman, sophmore, and junior year. So are you saying when you submit your application in December, you can't say that you did track for four years? Even though you are obviously going to participate in the spring?</p>
<p>No, you can't say you've done it for 4 years if it's a spring semester event and spring hasn't come yet.</p>
<p>You can say, "I plan to do it spring semester" or you could write spring, 2007 (planned). You can't, however, act like that event has occurred. After all, anything could happen. For instance, you could have an injury or illness that prevents your participation.</p>
<p>Colleges aren't stupid. They would have good reason to suspect the overall honesty of anyone who clearly takes credit for something they haven' t yet done.</p>
<p>They also want to see how you manage different activities (obviously), so if they're only seeing your senior grades from the fall, listing an activity you do in the spring without noting that you haven't done it yet would be dishonest because it looks like you had more on your hands in the spring than you really did. Adding a "(planned for spring)" note after a consuming activity is like adding "(note: grades may drop around this time)". So you should indicate things you are planning on doing only if you want to show dedication to those activities, so that they know you're not dropping out of them.</p>
<p>How about this: I've been the President of the Young Democrats for 1 year now. We only had one meeting and it bombed so we've never had a meeting since. Should I even bother putting this into the application under "Activities" for UC's?</p>
<p>I would say no...if you've only had one meeting, why put it as an EC? You have in essence devoted maybe one or two hours of time to it...and the hrs/week wks/yr you would put 2 hrs/wk 1 wk/yr? That looks like a filler, and colleges can tell which ECs are the ones people are dedicated to and which ones are just added to take up space. If it's that important to you, maybe you could write one of your short essays about why the club failed, what you think could be done to improve it or prevent the same situation in the future, and how it challenged you as president to be proactive and change things up...that is, if you plan on doing so. If not, then forget it...I was the hair and makeup crew leader for 2 productions of my school's theater during my sophomore year and while I did devote about 50 hours of work for both of them, I didn't and still don't care enough about theater to include it in my applications. If you're not passionate about something, it's not worth including. You are not defined by your ECs, but your real and actual ECs are defined by you and how much time you devote to them.</p>
<p>Well I LOVE politics but it failed because of a lack of membership....Oh well, I guess I could take that out..</p>
<p>Anyway, what about the other EC's. For example, CSF member would be like 30 mins peek week? Or what about treasurer of a club (1 meeting per week), so would that be 30 mins (the lunch period) per week? Is it asking you for HOW LONG i've kept that post or what?</p>