Hello :). I am student in Ukraine right now. I had a question, how many minimum hours of volunteer work are needed to be considered by a top college? Also since I am in Ukraine would helping war displaced people look good on my resume( i am not ukranian btw, would that help) also i plan on translating and volunteering for Khan academy. . Again would that be a good activity? thank you for your help 
There are no requirements when it comes to applying to top colleges, other than grades and standardized test scores that fall within the range of accepted students. You also want to show that you’re taking a courseload that challenges you (so advanced courses if you have them). Other than that, you’re free to do the activities that interest you.
Top colleges really want to “see who you are.” And by that they mean that they want you to have jobs / extracurriculars / research / volunteering that you’re passionate about, with it being implied that they way you prove your passion is by 1. showing commitment (doing activities for many years, every summer, etc.) to, and 2. showing leadership and/or initiative (creating a program around your passion, being the president of a club, being a mentor, etc.)
I don’t think that a circumstance like being displaced by a war should go on your resume; it’s not really a skill or accomplishment. If you feel that it has played an important role in shaping your interests / values, then you can write an essay about it. But if you’re just doing it to seem interesting, evoke sympathy, or “stand out,” don’t bother, because while it may pique an admissions officer’s interest for a moment, interesting life circumstances are not what gets people into top schools.
If you want to work with Khan Academy, go for it; if not, don’t.
And make sure you do some research about colleges that are not “top schools” because it is very possible to get rejected from all the schools you apply to. Be sure to also apply to schools that fit your GPA range, have the programs you want, and are less selective.
@onmyway2013 thank you :). i just wanted to know if it would strike out since most people wouldn’t have done something like that because being an international (poor one at that) i need aid to attend american universities, and anything less then an extremely prestigious uni would only see me going to college in india(native)
You should spend some time looking at how difficult it is for anyone to get into the most prestigious schools. Don’t get your heart set on it.
well i did see a number of seniors apply but most of them applied to the ivies with less than stellar scores ( and obviously got rejected) also the courses they were applying to were not related to what i want (engineering).