<p>just wondering . i'm currently a sophomore, but now i'm most likely going to be volunteering when i'm a junior, since anything i do after this school year, would be considered done during my junior year ... people at my school & in the same grade as far as I know aren't really involved w/ community service and stuff like that, but i know some people are . i'm currently ranked in the top 10 of my graduating class, w/ a 4.2 GPA weighted, 3.87 GPA UW, but i don't know. i'm starting to think that won't be enough to get me into UCLA .... also, i've played on the girls' tennis team since my freshman year, but i'm planning on joining track ALSO next year in addition ... would barely doing these two my junior year look "bad" on my application ?... would a high SAT/ ACT score & a good personal statement somewhat make up for it maybe ?...</p>
<p>Volunteering is overrated. I had like ten hours of community service and still got into a top 10 school on a full scholarship.</p>
<p>If you’re in the top 10 of your graduating class you might consider doing some academic competitions instead. Even if you don’t do well in national competitions you might still place well in local contests (like Mu Alpha Theta for math).</p>
<p>Ruin your chances… No
What it have been smart to volunteer… Yes.</p>
<p>As long as everything else is good, you should be okay. It just might be a little harder.</p>
<p>I did 1.5 hours of community service over the bare minimum required to graduate from my high school and I still was accepted to UCLA. Focus on your GPA and test scores. If your weighted GPA is a 4.2 and unweighted GPA is a 3.87 then it seems like you’re not taking enough honors/AP courses.</p>
<p>Volunteer if you want to help people. If you’re doing it for college, stop and put your time somewhere else.</p>