<p>Although I have some decent ECs, I haven't really done any community service during high school. If I started doing some this summer (I'm entering senior year), will colleges automatically assume I'm just doing it just to have something to put on my app? I have done some church-related stuff that could be considered community service, but that's all. I would think it would look pretty fishy for someone to have done nothing for three years and then suddenly start volunteering the summer before senior year.</p>
<p>Volunteer for the sake of volunteering, not to be a college resume whore.</p>
<p>If you’re applying to elites then yeah, it’s too late. IMHO for most schools, ECs are highly over-rated as keys to admission.</p>
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<p>I understand that - but if I do it, should I leave it off my resume?</p>
<p>Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t read the post, I just kind of assumed 
): My sincerest apologies.</p>
<p>But it depends on how much it is. If it’s 50 hours or more total, go ahead and do. If not, I don’t think so. Try to do it somewhere that can augment you (AKA, if you want to be a doctor volunteer at a hospital).</p>
<p>No offense taken 
Thanks for the advice.</p>
<p>You seem to discount your church-related stuff. Depending on what it is, that could be perfectly good community service. Could you continue and deepen what you’ve been doing there?</p>
<p>Yep it’s too late. unless you write a killer essay about it. which you won’t</p>
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<p>I am hesitant to count it as community service because the organization itself isn’t dedicated to that end. It’s only community service in the sense that my role involves spending most of my time training younger members.</p>
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I am hesitant to count it as community service because the organization itself isn’t dedicated to that end. It’s only community service in the sense that my role involves spending most of my time training younger members.
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Call it “volunteer service,” then. You were an unpaid volunteer. Training younger people requires leadership qualities and communication skills, and the experience tends to build maturity in the trainer – all things that would appeal to colleges. I vote for listing that experience.</p>
<p>Your senior-year volunteer work might look a little odd if you’ve never done that sort of thing before – but if it’s something you’ve just gotten into, I’m guessing it’s probably a natural extension of something else you’ve done before. In which case, it won’t look odd at all. Make the connection and it won’t look the slightest bit “fishy.”</p>
<p>Even if it does look “fishy,” the worst a reader would typically be inclined to do is discount it. Nobody’s going to count volunteer work against you.</p>