<p>I'm in my Junior year of high school and am hoping to go to UIUC. I haven't done very many ECs during my high school career and am looking for ways to get involved. What can I do to volunteer in my community? Also, is it possible to get a leadership role in a volunteer activity because I don't want to join a club or sport at my school? Also, what exactly are awards and what can I do to receive one?</p>
<p>Basically I'm asking what sort of volunteer activities are colleges impressed by the most?</p>
<p>What interests you? Colleges are interested in passion, dedication, and achievement. Picks things you enjoy doing, and since you're starting so late in the game, just do one or two. That way, you can achieve some sort of recognition in your activities. Colleges aren't looking for "Key Club" or "National Honor Society." They want interesting, human students, but of course they're looking for hardworking kids at the same time.</p>
<p>But luckily for you, state schools are more grade and score-oriented, so no need to freak out when you see the Harvard Chance threads (which I recommend staying away from, should you like your ego intact).</p>
<p>"Colleges aren't looking for "Key Club" or "National Honor Society."</p>
<p>^Um, I'm in both of these. Do that means I won't get into a good college?</p>
<p>It's not like being in Key Club or NHS will prevent you from getting into a good college; it just won't help you much, unless you are a very active participant.</p>
<p>OP: It's more about enthusiasm and dedication than anything else. Don't worry about what looks good. It sounds banal, but do what you like to do and do it well. Also, SAT scores matter more than anyone would like to admit.</p>
<p>looking for ideas? check out this list of 300 volunteer activities that won the Prudential Spirit of Community national award:
[Students</a> & Parents](<a href=“http://spirit.prudential.com/view/page/soc/14809?lp=14808]Students”>http://spirit.prudential.com/view/page/soc/14809?lp=14808)</p>
<p>whoaa, those are some extremely helpful ideas!^</p>
<p>I’ll give you a real-life example based on me.</p>
<p>I have a lot of ECs, Awards, and Community Service in a lot of areas. I like to tutor, I like music, drama, medicine, etc.</p>
<p>I noticed most of my awards, ECs and communit yservice reflected passion for teaching, learning, and medical community service.</p>
<p>so I used that passion to my advanatage on my essays, I wrote a lot about community service, public health, etc.,</p>
<p>having activities and awards that reflect ur passion makes understanding you a lot easier and makes u shine on your personal statements.</p>
<p>yep, pretty much all of my activities [volunteering] have to do with education & kids, so i try to work around that :D</p>