<p>So I have noticed a lot of people post how many volunteers hours they have. Do people really keep a tally of the # of hours spent? I mean it seems like hardly something you are doing "out of the goodness of your heart" if you keep track of every minute. And why do people keep track? Do colleges really want to know exactly how many hours you spent?</p>
<p>I totally agree with this. Volunteer work should be done for the point of view in improving others’ lives and for the better of your community.
I have questions on this too… does volunteer work count if you have not gotten a certificate for the hours that you’ve done? maybe you just went with a group of friends for a beach clean up without an official group.</p>
<p>Some colleges like UC’s ask how many hours you have done with the organization on their admissions app which requires you to keep note of how many hours you did. </p>
<p>@lunabars- I believe colleges don’t require any proof of volunteer hours but sometimes they randomly choose applicants and have them prove that they have done the volunteer work they listed.</p>
<p>This is one of my pet peeves about the college admission process. I don’t think the volunteer activity of adolescents should be a criteria for college entrance. Many, if not most, people develop their deepest sense of altruism and philanthropy after they become adults and gain a better understanding of the world. I see too many kids with an attitude of “gotta get some volunteer hours for my college application”. Ironically the whole effort becomes selfish, not in the spirit of volunteerism.</p>
<p>Hopefully, those students learn something from the experience in the end, even if their initial motivation was not altruistic.</p>
<p>Well, it’s better to have volunteers for the wrong reasons than no volunteers at all. A lot of kids wouldn’t participate in sports, other extracurriculars, etc. unless it would payoff in college admissions.</p>
<p>Help?
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1194453-upswing-kids.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1194453-upswing-kids.html</a></p>
<p>Everything is just for college in my eyes. If you put it down on your college application, then college was on your mind when you started to pursue it. Period.</p>
<p>Laurence, that’s nonsense. Many kids play sports or do plays or sing in the choir or teach Sunday school long before they’re thinking about college, because not all kids are tools. Later on, colleges ask these kids how they spent their out-of-class time.</p>
<p>But college applicants’ love affair with volunteer hours is equally nonsensical.</p>
<p>I record my hours because I have to sign in and out every time I volunteer. But I often do volunteering outside of my main “volunteering job,” which I don’t record.</p>
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<p>I didn’t say that it was their primary objective, but college was on their mind. If you’ve been dating your girlfriend for the past two years of high school, are you going to put that on your college app? After all,</p>
<p>a) you’re passionate about it
b) you’ve been doing it for a long time
c) you’re the co-founder of this activity, and therefore are a leader
d) it makes you happy
e) it makes someone else happy
f) it is outside of school
g) you could probably write a big, long essay about it</p>
<p>Answer is no, you wouldn’t put it on your college application, because you know it won’t impress any colleges. Lol. It’s common knowledge even before high school that colleges aren’t just looking for good grades.</p>
<p>I’m not saying that people don’t love doing the things that they put down on their college application, but to deny that college was on their mind is just ridiculous. It’s usually partly the parents’ fault too.</p>
<p>So some colleges might actually ask for proof?
I don’t know the exact number of volunteer hours I have, but it’s somewhere around 200. About 50+ of them are from assisting the elementary head of my school district. I definitely don’t have an official document for this… what would be my proof? Simply just asking her?</p>
<p>Sent from my MB860 using CC App</p>
<p>I would think they would only want to verify those that have a huge amount of hours but I’m not 100% sure. I doubt they have the time to request proof for those that have either the average or less amount of volunteering.</p>
<p>Well… I go to the temple every saturday for 7 hours (11:30 to 6:30) and teach children moral, spiritual, and ethical values that truly impact their lives (connection with parents, etc.). And I began doing this before even thinking about college. By the time I apply, I will have about 1400 hours. Will it look like I am lying or something? Because it is 100% legit and I actually do care about what I do. Thanks!!</p>
<p>Some High Schools require a certain number of volunteer hours in order to be eligible to participate in a senior project. There are also scholarships that require the number of hours on the application, as do the college apps. HS kids keep track because they will be asked, does not necessarily imply they are not volunteering for right reasons.</p>
<p>Well, most colleges don’t verify your exact numbers. It’s something the UC’s do, at random- and I can imagine some school might, if you have something unusual noted. But, most of you can just be as honest as possible- and not worry.</p>
<p>I don’t think the volunteer activity of adolescents should be a criteria for college entrance
The reason EC’s are important is to show your judgement, maturity, perspective, energy- and how you climb out of your “comfort zone” to do something that shows your leadership skills (not just titles) and ability to take on responsibilities.</p>
<p>It’s not just about your own interests, but what you do for your group and for others, as well (comm svc, volunteering, etc.) Put together with the rest of the app pkg, the adcoms get a good idea of the kid and how he’ll operate on campus- in and out of the classroom.</p>
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<p>Totally resurrected this - my bad…but MAN that just ****ed. me. off. I cannot believe you just said that. I have to say this even if you won’t read it. Seriously? You think everyone starts an activity because college was on their mind? I know there are some kids whose parents made them do dance/violin/piano and all that jazz just to prep them to get into an ivy, but I want to use myself as an example of people who aren’t like that and say I started running track in first grade because I loved running and was insanely good at it (back then at least). I started piano in 4th because I thought it was the coolest and most amazing instrument ever (and still feel the same way). My parents had NO say in what became my strongest ECs. Heck, I didn’t even realize these were ECs and that I could put them on my college apps until my junior year (which was the first time I started seriously thinking about college). Honestly, I look down on people who start ECs because they were thinking about college, or because their parents made them start when they were 3 (regarding the parent thing - it’s almost like their accomplishments aren’t a result of their work, but because their parents force fed them everything when they were too young to know any better)</p>
<p>I used to be one of those people who did ECs just for college, and I don’t think it’s a necessarily bad thing.</p>
<p>At the beginning of freshman year, I looked at everything with a mind set of “what would look good?” and set out to do that, but after a few months, I realized that there’s no sense in just doing everything to “look good” and that I should just pursue what I really love. If it wasn’t for the fact that colleges like ECs, I probably never would have tried Debate or Science Olympiad, but now those are two of my favorite activities that I devote hours to not to look good, but just because I love them. </p>
<p>mrlaurencenguyen: I disagree with you. I do admit that it’s annoying to watch when kids force themselves to do activities they don’t like just because they want to show off to colleges, but just because you put it down on your application doesn’t mean you set out to do strictly for the purpose of college. I know plenty of people who started playing sports or instruments or joining clubs in high school, and college is not on their minds at all - they just wanted to try something new. You can’t assume that every single person who starts any activity at all had college in mind.</p>
<p>“Many, if not most, people develop their deepest sense of altruism and philanthropy after they become adults and gain a better understanding of the world.”</p>
<p>If kids get in the habit of volunteering, it can stick and lead to a lifetime of volunteering - especially if they volunteer with their parents. </p>
<p>Many school programs require a certain number of volunteer hours in order to graduate, so the kids have to count and report the hours. My kids have to put in about 60 hours per year for school. They put in a little more with our church - they don’t have to count and report the hours with the church.</p>