Is Lack of Community Service an Ivy Deal-Breaker?

Archive Ask The Dean Archive
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<p>Question: I live in the United Arab Emirate. I go to international schools and I am an A student but I don’t do community service because we have none. Do I have a chance of getting into an Ivy? While admission officials are always interested in attracting applicants who are not only strong students but […]</p>

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<p>If adcoms are to be believed, there are no rules about community service and a lot of hours just don’t give someone an edge. If someone has financial issues and has to work or take care of siblings so parents can work, they would be disadvantaged if someone else has all the free time in the world to do service.</p>

<p>I would be hardpressed to believe there are no opportunities to do service in UAE. However, assuming this is the case, it is important to show what the student did with all the hours outside of school.</p>