How to Verify Volunteer Hours in High School?

halcyonheather
Sat, 09 Jul 2016 05:49:43 +0000

College applications won’t ask how many volunteer hours you have. The Common App will ask you to list each of your extracurriculars (up to ten) and an estimate of how much time you spent on each one. You won’t be asked for proof, and colleges generally don’t try to verify extracurriculars unless they’re so remarkable that they would make or break the application.

[url=http://questions.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/qa-college-admissions/?_r=0]From[/url] a Yale admissions officer:

The thing we are looking for outside the classroom is not a series of check boxes on a resume; we’re looking instead for a high level of engagement or leadership in whatever it is that the student cares about most. For some students, community service is at the forefront of their extracurriculars, in which case we pay a lot of attention to what they have accomplished in that area. For other students, some other passion or interest holds primary sway, and we evaluate the engagement in that area. We know that very few students can fully engage more than one or two primary activities at a high level. Though it is fine for a student to have varied interests, a significant number of students make the common mistake of spreading themselves too thinly in a resume-building exercise.

You’re not expected to have a paid job or do anything in particular over the summer, but you should try to find activities that allow you to show focus, dedication, and accomplishment.