I still have time to volunteer but I’ve been curious as to its importance to mention in the application process compare to clubs. Since freshmen year I have been very dedicated to the drama and Latin club in my school and plan to do key club and Mu Alpha Theta. My grades are fairly good. However I’m worried that it might not cut it because there’s a lot of pressure to volunteer (or so everyone in both my school and home have told me).
Welcome to College Confidential, @TiredLatin !
You should do whatever you truly enjoy and find fulfilling.
- You want to have a great high school experience, not just be focused on the future and missing the moment. You only get to do high school once! Use your free time for something you actually enjoy doing.
- Your application will be authentic and interesting if it indicates who you really are and what you really care about. Don’t do things just to pad a resume; it will backfire if you come across as inauthentic. Use your application to show how what you did was important to you and/or others.
Good luck!
You haven’t given any idea of your targets or your stats and standing. Latin and drama seem limited. What year are you now?
The more competitive the college, the more it all matters, including some sort of community commitment (it’s a good thing to do) and that some of the ECs relate to the possible major. So what is that? If Mu means you may have stem interests- and you want a top college- no other math or science ECs?
Preparing with the right range of experiences isn’t padding, imo.
Doesn’t Key CLub include Service? That counts as volunteering.
Does Mu Alpha Theta include any service? Do they do tutoring, for example? That is also service/volunteering.
It sounds like you are asking which activity is more appealing to colleges in the application process. If that’s the case, the answer for most colleges is neither and/or both. When selective colleges are reviewing your app, they don’t have a rubric or checklist that they go through; it’s not like “volunteering” is worth 10 brownie points and a “school club” is worth only 8 brownie points and the person with the most points is admitted.
Instead, they’re looking at your activities - and most importantly how you describe those activities - to give them clues about who you are as a person, what choices you make, how you think, what you’ll do and be involved with in college. So your choice of activities, how involved you are, why you do them, what you get out of them, how you impact others around you are what’s important, not the actual list of activities.
If you list 500 volunteer hours in a club or activity that sounds pointless or where you just showed up, did some undefined stuff and went home… that carries very little impact on your app.
If you list instead involvement in a club or activity where you describe what impact your work had, how you grew from the experience, why it’s meaningful, how this benefits the people around you… that shows a college who you are, why you made certain choices, how you work with and benefit your community.
See the difference?
Key club or NHS is often random vol hours, not the same as an individual, on-going commitment or two. Sure, it counts for any high school requirements. Same with some fundraisers, a coat drive, or giving a school tour. Nice, but in a college app to a top school, not bang
Totally agree with milee30:
It is about how you portray yourself/ your commitments/ your story. The same club could mean different things to, and reveal different characateristics of, different students.
I’d try to get in some volunteer hours, but do something you love or something related to the field you want to study in college. You said you enjoy the drama club… so is there a community theater you could volunteer with, perhaps designing sets, helping with lighting & sound, or even just ushering or selling concessions? Or could you tutor Latin or math?
Clubs vs. volunteering on a college application… depends on what you do with the experience, what you make of it, what you learn, how you grow from it, and how well you can express all those things.
College aside, volunteering can help you build a resume. As an employer, I’d personally count a reference from a long term volunteer coordinator higher than one from a club’s teacher.