Our rigorous Classical education school takes our kids out for almost 100 hours of volunteer work per yr. Where to include on Common App?
Activities
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I would expect that school profile would mention it. If not, you could ask the guidance counselor to do so in his or her letter.
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We could do it there. Why isn’t there just an open block where students can add additional info?
It does include that on the school report - but not the number of hours - which says a lot. Yes, thank you - we can ask the counselor. I just think there should be an extra open space on the app for our kids to add information.
There is a section called “additional information” on the common app, but I would not use it for this. School-led/imposed community service and volunteer work is not especially meaningful to an admissions officer. Unless the student initiated the work themselves, or took a really significant leadership role, it doesn’t have a lot of impact on an application.
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Well, that’s a flaw in the system, because our kids apply to the best schools they can for what they offer. Overlooking that as part of the high school experience is a poor reflection on admissions.
There is:
Please describe this activity, including what you accomplished and any recognition you received, etc.
(Max characters: 150)*
The fact that the school requires it is not something the applicant needs to add.
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Every single kid in the school is required to do it and the requirement is mentioned in the school profile. It wouldn’t hurt an applicant mention it, but it is unlikely to differentiate a student.
If you feel that the specific hour commitment for this school requirement adds something to your child’s application, he or she can use the Additional Information section of the Common App. My opinion is that it is baseline requirement of the school, it is described generally in the school profile, and AOs are likely to be familiar with the expectations of a rigorous classics school, so it is unnecessary, but that is solely my opinion. Your best resource on how to handle it is to ask the guidance counselor what are recommends.
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It is an activity, and accordingly, it belongs in the activity section; activity type from the drop-down menu: “Community Service (Volunteer).” Whether the hours were required by the high school is irrelevant - many many high schools have such requirements.
My opinion: it does not belong in additional info.
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Are they doing one volunteer activity or lots of different efforts with different organizations? Does this happen during school hours? Is it organized by the school or do they have an hour requirement and can pick and choose the activities?
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Thank you. Yes, it is a requirement for every student in the school. I don’t feel it needs to differentiates my child, or mean to say it should take the place of volunteer work that a student would initiate on their own. That is certainly to the merit of the student! But I do see it as something that was life-changing in respect to the experiences and in that I would say my daughter could express how these experiences changed her - in a separate space on the app. Appreciate your comments!
They partner with many different organizations; cook, deliver blankets in the poorest neighborhoods - interact with homeless and the elderly, for instance. It is a full day event (7 hours) once or twice a month for 4 years. The school partners and organizes the events - but does not lead them necessarily. I do not want my child to infer that she did this on her own - but only the depth and opportunity that changed her.
Do they all get the President’s Volunteer Service Award? If not, it’s something the school could certify and level of award implicitly indicates the number of hours in total. The award alone wouldn’t convey the kind of impact it has had on your daughter, but it would communicate the hours spent.
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Thank you. Interesting take on it. My feeling is that it could go in the additional section as a greater description of the volunteer work itself - not to push a number of hours per day. It’s a valuable life experience that many colleges would appreciate knowing that the student was touched by the opportunity.
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It sounds like it might provide a useful context for the Common App main essay. In addition, some aspect of it might be relevant to various supplemental essays.
Still, I would also put it in the activity section. There is no need to explain how the opportunity to do the activity came about (the school making arrangements). She can simply describe what she did in the activity description.
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Thank you! I will look into that! It’s not something the school does now but certainty worth exploring.
There is a spot for hours in the Activity section.
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It really can’t. Or more to the point, it shouldn’t. If the college has a supplemental asking to expand on an EC, it can be listed there. If she wants as part of the main essay, it can be discussed there. But the additional info should not be used as overflow because the response doesn’t fit in the main section.
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