Community Service for College Apps.

[manutd1]

During my Freshman and Sophomore year I was in the process of doing my Confirmation (I am Catholic). As part of becoming confirmed we had to do 100 hours of community service, 50 hours for every year. On May of every year my church would have this bazaar. If we helped out the whole day, about 8 a.m to 6 p.m., at this bazaar they would count those hours as 50 hours, therefore we were done with the 50 hours for the year. When filling out College applications, do I put 50 total hours for the service, or do I have to put the exact amount of hours I helped out at this event, roughly 10 hours?

[T26E4]

You did 10 hours, list 10 hours. What's so confusing? You want to list fifty total? Then do another 40.

Community service -- or resume fodder --- you've blurred the line.

[M's Mom]

You did 10 hours. But don't fall for the common fallacy that you 'have to' do some amount of volunteer hours. You don't. It's not necessary to volunteer for even one hour if you are actively engaged in ECs that you care about or are working. I'm not knocking volunteering, by the way, if that's what you like to do - but too many kids treat it like something they need to check off the list as if it were an admission requirement. Adcoms want a true picture of what matters to you, so do that, and only that - not stuff that you think looks good.