I’m a first generation immigrant and I have a son in 10th grade. I have been having a bit of a hard time figuring out what’s needed for college admission since I did not grow up in this country. I just realized that volunteer activities are mandatory for college admission and that it’s also a bit late to start now. My son does not have any time to do anything extra during the school year so I proposed a solution for the volunteering requirement.
He is the president of his school computers science club and he’s very interested in programming, wants to major in computers science. In 9th grade he helped run a programming club for middle school girls. Our idea is for him to organize a free coding school for middle schoolers over the summer next year and the following year. We would find a space and advertise it. This could tie into what he did in 9th grade. He couldn’t continue in 10th during the school year since he took over the presidency of the computer science club in the high school.
The question someone asked is if we are sure that this would be considered volunterring if he’s organizing this on his own. Is it a must to get affiliated with some existing organization, or to do a different type of community service?
He would like to get into Purdue University, he’s shooting at at 3.8 GPA, and EC include the presidency of the CS club, robotics team throughout HS, this year 2 Honors classes and AP Computer Science, will continue with some AP/Honors classes throughout. High school is known competitive and doesn’t weigh grades. Thank you!
First, volunteering is not mandatory. It is looked upon nicely but not necessary. Think of a kid who has to babysit a sibling or work a part time job and truly does not have time to volunteering.
But to answer your other question, yes what you described would be considered volunteering. Organizing something on your own is fine. It shows you found a need for something and did something about it.
I don’t think he can claim he doesn’t have time to do volunteering because of hardship. Although I am a first generation immigrant and raised him as a single parent, I have a good career and make more than 100K/year. Plus, I just got remarried this summer, removing even the single parent thing. Likely he won’t get any breaks because of need or circumstances. It’s good news that he can do this though, he can’t keep up with his schoolwork and the EC and do other volunteering. There are not enough hours in the day. He really needs to get into Purdue, it’s the cheapest option for us and a good school.
You can look up a college like Purdue on collegedata.com to see what the university considers in admissions. For Purdue, volunteer work is considered, but is NOT listed as either “most important” or “very important.”
I noticed that you said “we” would find a space and advertise it. I suggest that your son use a library or other free space and that the parent not fund rent or expenses. It is important to avoid the appearance of trying to buy a good resume for your son.
If starting a summer coding school is too much for your son to do on his own, he should recruit his fellow students or do something simpler than founding a new program. There are many simple volunteer activities available year round, you just need to keep your eyes open. For example, in the summer, look for charity walks or running events and volunteer to pass out numbers or water. Right now, many people are organizing for disaster relief efforts. Schools often have a volunteer club you can join as well.
I had some community center in mind for rooms and you need to rent those, yes, that’s why I said “we” because I’d be willing to pay for a room once or twice a week. I also wanted to help by advertising on the nextdoor app, but maybe my son can make an account on the nextdoor app (he made mine in fact) and he maybe can even work out something with his school, or find some other space that is free, such as the library. He’s not shy when it comes to talking to people and organizing things. He’ll figure it out.
Agree with the above. Also, don’t compare your son to the kids on here that say that they have 200+ hours of volunteering. That is not your average. You can try to find small ways for him to volunteer. Tutoring at school, local library, food pantry, yard work for an elderly neighbor, bake cookies for a senior center. It doesn’t have to be something big.
I just looked on collegedata and indeed doesn’t seem that volunteering is that high on the admission weight. Perhaps he doesn’t need to do such a big thing then and he can find some smaller things to do. Thanks for all the advice, I was freaking out a bit that he didn’t do much of this, now I feel better.
Agree that there is no need to volunteer. I think starting a coding summer camp would be a difficult proposition. You would not only need space, but you may find that the camp would need things like liability insurance, counselors etc. I would instead consider seeing out a place that might value his skills (library etc.) where he could volunteer over the summer. Regardless of college admissions, it could be a good experience.
I think your coding camp is an awesome idea! Maybe he could also contact some computer programs to do some kind of “career panel” with the kids. Just an idea.
I think that there is something for all kids to do in their own community, look at volunteer match. Fill a need, he doesn’t need to create one. He can contact your local title one middle or elementary school and there will be an opportunity for him to help with after school programs, or summer programs, etc that would use his skills. If nothing else, his school will have a key club or volunteering opportunities in school (I think some kids don’t share this with foreign born parents as for sure this is something I have heard repeated before). I would avoid libraries (overdone) food banks (Unless they are undersupported, here they are overdone). Volunteering isn’t for college, it is to help with self-reflection and growth. There is no need to reinvent wheels.