<p>I've looked at a number of the "admissions" sections of colleges on <a href="http://www.collegeboard.com%5B/url%5D">www.collegeboard.com</a>, and many of them rank "volunteer work" below other "extracurricular activities". I find this a bit odd. For one, isn't volunteer work an extracurricular activity in itself? Also, isn't it just as valuable as playing in a band or throwing around a football? Why do colleges rank it lower than these ECs? :(</p>
<p>I think community service becomes very valuable if you are in a "volunteer program". Like a program that you have to apply for and you have to complete a set number of hours. </p>
<p>Because anyone could just volunteer at a local YMCA or something. But this is just my opinion though.</p>
<p>To me, you can make volunteering as important and definitely even more important than EC's by what you contribute (organize events, etc...), not the mere fact that you went and "served" your time.</p>
<p>or anyone can just show up at a school meeting for a club and claim ec involvment</p>
<p>^ that's another reason why colleges like to see an officer position in a club. You actually have to put forth effort into that.</p>
<p>"officer" position, gee you know how many clubs have 3-4 VPs? please just saying you are an officer can mean nothing</p>
<p>Hmm I'm not in a volunteer program but for example here's what I'm doing this summer:</p>
<p>I take care of children at a daycare in inner-city DC that only speak Spanish and try to teach them English, then during their naptime I teach the paid teachers there English (who also speak primarily Spanish). So, this is not a leadership ability, but I'm proud of what I am doing...</p>
<p>Do you guys think colleges will look down on this because it's not a leadership position/I'm not organizing anything/it's not a program?</p>
<p>Because almost everyone does it.</p>
<p>What colleges make of what you're doing in DC depends on what you make of it on your college application</p>
<p>I think there's a misconception about volunteer work. If you, out of the goodness of your heart, get involved with a charity/program/etc and do SUBSTANTIVE and SUBSTANTIAL work with them then it's a definite plus.</p>
<p>If you work at a library for 15 hours it's nothing. If you stand on the street and collect change for your local animal shelter it's nothing.</p>
<p>So many kids approach community service hours as another thing to put on their ECs that they chose ease over passion. They do not develop relationships with the people they're supposed to be helping and their involvement is far from deep.</p>
<p>True comittment, whether it be one time or continued (and by one-time I mean a program like Amigos or a mission trip) any community service from which an applicant gained something while actually doing the community (not their local pool, but a group that needs help) some good, can't be bad.</p>
<p>It is not NOTHING, that is a horrid thing to say, anything any one does to help no matter how small is not nothing, its that attitude that angers me</p>
<p>it is that attitude that all must be done to impress admissions people is sad indeed</p>
<p>you know some people just volunteer because it is the right thing to do- no matter how little or how much</p>
<p>I don't care if a kid spends one weekend sellling lemonade for a homeless shelter, that $ helps, and bring about awareness, and if they helped one person for one day or even one hour that is a good thing, that is not nothing</p>
<p>maybe its because rewarding what should inherently be an altruistic effort on your behalf defeats the purpose of volunteer work; you don't know if the kid is doing it out of the goodness of his/her heart or just trudging along with a ****ed off look on his face volunteering clearly saying "i don't want to be here".</p>
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it is that attitude that all must be done to impress admissions people is sad indeed</p>
<p>you know some people just volunteer because it is the right thing to do- no matter how little or how much
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<p>true, but once its on paper it is difficult for anyone to judge whether it was done "because it is the right thing to do" or not. maybe that's why colleges are "considering it less".</p>
<p>Well...I'm tying in my other love (visual arts) by helping the children create artwork as well so I hope colleges will like that...but truthfully, I didn't even think of it for colleges' sake, I just thought it would be a really fun project for the kids. And BTW, I absolutely positively LOVE what I am doing, and I am going to try to ask the supervisor (bka principal) if I can continue to work there in the fall</p>
<p>your best bet is to put it down, and then try to express it in the way you just did there through an essay, one of the blurb 150 word thingy in the common app describing one of your activities, and through the numerous interviews you will (hopefully, maybe, possibly?) have. if it's a passion (again, it seems like it is from the above post) then it should come out fine. find as many ways as you can to express how it is unique to you, the ends you went to make sure this and this happened, etc etc </p>
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I am going to try to ask the supervisor (bka principal) if I can continue to work there in the fall
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<p>yeah, let them know that. go.</p>
<p>SO...if you volunteer on a regular basis and you're passionate about the volunteer position, then it's an EC? </p>
<p>Also, is it better if your volunteering is related to what you want to study? My volunteering is at a science museum and I love science.</p>
<p>yeah it is better to volunteer or work on something related to what you want to do.</p>
<p>Your volunteer work sounds like it takes a lot of thought and effort. That is valuable because not only are you giving of your time, but during that time you're very engrossed. I am hoping schools can tell there is a difference. The volunteering I've done is almost always mindless activities like directing traffic or serving food. I'm much more proud of my accomplishments in other areas, like sports.</p>