<p>Hi I am currently at a crossroads of two decisions.
I am going to become a sophomore in Highschool.</p>
<p>My choices are:
1. Have tutoring for Chemistry and English SAT
I will be going to all honors next year and my English SAT scores are not the best...</p>
<ol>
<li>Do community service for this Korean association (I am Korean)
It is fairly exclusive- I believe there are only about 20 people out of all
I have to work for 100 hours total for 7 hours a day from Tuesday- Thursday
Basically only work 3-4 weeks
If i complete 100 hours, I will probably get a letter from President Obama and the governor</li>
</ol>
<p>I also have close to no community service hours so....
Any tips would be helpful and why =D
Also future advice...hehe</p>
<p>As dumb as that sounds, thats what colleges believe in. GPA and SAT are the two most important factors of your college app. Or volunteer now and get SAT prep next year, you’re only a sophomore.</p>
<p>Oh my, I am in a dilemma XD
I think I will do the community service 3 times a week instead of 4
However
This will allow me to hav 2 out of the 3 classes for my chemistry which I have Monday Wednesday and Friday
I will also hav the same for sat probably
But then again I am only a sophomore for sat :P</p>
<p>Keep in mind that you will see diminishing marginal returns for studying. Meaning that let’s say you have studied for the SATs for 30 hours in total, which will increase your score by, say 150 points. Studying for another 30 hours is only going to raise your score maybe 20 points (the number is irrelevant - I hope you get my point), if at all. What you need to do is study enough that you feel “ready,” but don’t spend too much time on it, because that time could be better spent on extracurriculars.</p>
<p>Ok, so i am going to mix up the schedules
Monday: Tutor day
Tuesday: Volunteer
Wednesday: Tutor
Thursday: Volunteer
Friday: Volunteer
for wednesdy and friday, the tutor or volunteer thing may change at my choosing
thanks for all the tips so far =D</p>
<p>I think that’s a good balance.
Just repeating what my mom tells me all the time, lol:
Keep in mind that SATs are first. To be blunt, your volunteering won’t count for much if your SATs aren’t up to par.
Don’t be afraid to stop volunteering if you can better spend that time studying for SATs, provided that:
Your SAT scores need improvement.
You’re willing to spend that time studying for SATs and not goofing off.
Studying actually helps to increase your score. (at some point, studying more won’t help you as much, and it’s more worthwhile to do something else, like essays or volunteering)</p>
<p>I think one of the issues that admission officers have with respect to community service is whether students are going into it primarily with their hearts or their heads. In other words, since highly selective schools have an ethos of service as a part of their mission, they want students to get involved not as a resume builder alone (of course you want it to look good on your resume), but as something you genuinely care about.</p>
<p>For example, I have mentored a student who tried to do all the traditional “high end” activities at her highly selective university but none of them worked out. Then she found her true passion. She is now working on getting much more attention and participation on the part of faculty and peers on the issue of North Korean refugees. She has sponsored forums, and is in Korea now doing lots of networking. In fact, she just had 4 North Koreans who made it to the South (an almost impossible journey) over to her place for dinner. She learned a tremendous amount about who they are and what issues face anyone trying to get out. It was sobering to say the least, but also solidified her passion to do something. </p>
<p>She will be writing about this experience in the near future and if you want I can send you her words when she is finished. She would be an extraordinary resource for you and others who should, given your background, have an interest in this issue. It is far too hidden in the US media and if more people would pay attention, fewer people would die trying to escape one of the most repressive regimes in the world. </p>
<p>You would have done something that few who do service really do, begin a grassroots campaign in your school, community, or church that will genuinely save lives. I can’t think of something more significant when it comes to service.</p>
<p>Thank you for bringing up the question and best of luck.</p>
<p>Woah
That is actually really interesting
If you don’t mind I would be interested in reading her report
And actually, I believe the group I work with is in fact grassroots volunteer</p>
<p>Well
When I first joined they confused me
100-175 is bronze
175-250 is silver
250+ is gold
Obviously higher the better
But for all of them u can get either a medal or letter or something else
Still I’m sure they all look good
U could google president volunteer service award
Only a few groups or whatevr qualify</p>
<p>I have left her a message and I hope she will reach out to you. Let me know if you have not heard back in a week or two. She is just about to return to the States so she might be a little overwhelmed at the moment. Thanks so much for writing back. I would be interested in finding out what you all are doing. And I think she would be too so if you can outline this it might be helpful to both of us. Thanks again and good luck.</p>
