Are there any kids doing volunteer since the very young age. How do you document and keep records all of them and represent to your University? And pros & Cons? Any tip & Trick relating to volunteering?
Mine has been doing some kind of volunteering the majority of her life. She started going on yearly mission trips starting in 6th grade. In terms of college applications, they are only interested in what is done in high school. Obviously if your child has a relationship with a specific volunteer organization or group, it will build on itself through those years. The experiences could also be worked into one of the essays.
Colleges don’t ask for proof, nor do they usually pay attention to pre-HS volunteer hours. In fact, the argument could be made that trying to wedge that info into an application could backfire. If a college perceives that it is a parent pushing/leading the volunteer efforts (often the case of kids volunteer from a young age), the college is less impressed than a kid who discovered something they cared about and found a way to get involved. Remember that it is your kid’s application, not yours. If you push your kid too hard on things just to look good for AOs, or over package them, colleges can sense that.
@intparent we went to Library a lot for many activities there. He saw people working and he wanted to help. My mom was in the nursing home, we went there to visit her. He helped people there to interpret what patients wanted or gamble with them. Well, it was a way to kill time, isn’t it?
Usually the activities that matter are a commitment over time, not random “helping.” (And gambling may raise some eybrows as a vol activity.) There’s also sometimes a presumption that, over time, the significance of the efforts will grow. It’s not just the hours of doing something/anything.
Most colleges don’'t require proof, though UC may still random check a percentage of apps. You won’t have enough space on the app forms to list every single thing he did. And the easier the activity, the less challenge andimpact it represents.
College applications should almost never list activities done before 9th grade. (Exceptions are things like an AP test score from 8th grade or my son’s friend who was a national winner of Broadcom Masters science fair in 8th grade.) Applications generally have checkboxes for which of the 4 grades of high school you did an activity or won an award.
High schools may have forms for documenting volunteer hours. The HSs in our area require 60 hours of volunteering in order to graduate. (One could argue that it isn’t really volunteering if it’s required, but that’s beside the point.) They have a form that the volunteer’s supervisor needs to sign and provide a phone number.
But, college applications don’t require any proof. (Edit: yes, the UCs do a random check.)
My DD has also volunteered from a young age, mostly helping me with prep work for my volunteer activities. In junior high she did some mentoring as well as other more independent activities. I wouldn’t expect anything she did before high school to go on a college application. However, it did help her develop “an attitude of gratitude” and a habit of participation in service activities, which is helpful going into high school.
Colleges probably won’t ask for documentation, but if your high school requires service hours, they’ll let you know what proof they need (usually just having a supervisor sign off on a form. Likewise for NHS, etc. It’s probably not a bad idea for you or your student to keep a spreadsheet of hours served, including where, when, duties, and name of the supervisor. Your student might find it useful when they have to build a resume or remember what they did on college applications.
I think colleges only care about what is done in HS. Although if you say, started volunteering younger but then rose to a leadership position, I would mention that. I would keep track of hours in a spreadsheet as well as a contact…esp. if it is needed for a recommondation or for National HOnor SOiety.
@lookingforward : have you ever been to any nursing home and gamble with patients? If you ever gambled with them you would know how much they were looking forward to it. They would ask for your schedule and count to the day you come. If you let them win, they would brag about it for the whole nursing home. They practice so hard while waiting for your visit. I am against gambling but life has something interesting for you to give a second thought. Not all things are always white.
What kind of gambling? Are they playing Bingo, a dice game, or a card game like Poker? Are they playing for prizes, for money, or just for fun?
Instead of calling this gambling, your child should describe the activities and use the specific names of the various games that they play.
If either of his potential high schools require community service hours in order to graduate, be aware that many high schools won’t count volunteering for a for-profit entity or a religious entity. Some nursing homes are for-profit.
I would also be wary about talking about gambling as an EC on a college application. But, what do I know…my kid had competitive computer hacking as one of his major ECs.
@Ynotgo thank you for this tip about not for profit. I learnt something new. :x
It doesn’t matter if the nursing home patients want to gamble. It’s nice to hang with them but not what a top college is looking for. It’s not a challenge, it doesn’t grow him, he’s not aiming to be a geriatric social worker. Same goes for applicants who seem to spend most time with little children. Nice, not a bang.
Many kids do vol for profit-making orgs. The distinction is in what you actually do.
@lookingforward you think kids who want to be a Physiotherapist should volunteer at gym club and nursing home gym?
@ServiceAcademy didn’t you say your kid wanted to study law?
Volunteer activities aren’t just hanging out…they are actually contributing to the organization in a meaningful way. Yes, it is very nice that your kiddo likes to go to a. Nursing home and interact with the residents. But unless he is being supervised by a nursing home employee, has gone through the background checks now required for volunteering in nursing homes and hospitals, his visits there will be just that…visits. Nice visits…but visits.
Seriously? How about the vetetans hospital. Or a large med center that does orthopedic and rehab work.
But how does therapy even vaguely connect to wanting him to attend an Ivy or service academy?
If your kiddo wants to b a physiotherapist…it would be a LOT smarter to shadow a practicing physiotherapist than to volunteer at a gym.
I don’t know. This one is different kid. He just want to be a Physiotherapist.
@lookingforward
@thumper1: That is a good idea. I will pass your words. Thank you.
Is the physiotherapist kid the same kid with interest in the service academies and Ivies?