<p>So many people in my school are putting down Habitat for Humanity, Roots and Shoots, and other community service activities just for the transcript (I know because they said it to everyone). Should I just join them or continue on what’s interesting like my mini-robots because volunteer almost seems mandatory right now.</p>
<p>I would say yes, it is. So many applicants applying for spots in many colleges and universities, it seems that they are looking for community involvement as well as academics and other stats.
There are SOOO many things to do , even on a small scale in your local community that it is relatively easy to give just a little back.</p>
<p>not outside of North America.</p>
<p>u want ur ecs to make a difference in ur application? Create ur own, the keyword is “competition”, you don’t have to be good, you have to be “better”…how does doing something everyone else does make you better?</p>
<p>Be creative, invent a meaningful EC and write a wonderful essay about it and u can get into any college you want.</p>
<p>You should have some sort of community involvement, I would say, but you don’t need something like what you’re talking about (though <em>sincere</em> dedication to Habitat for Humanity is a laudable thing). Get involved in politics. Teach robotics to middle schoolers once a week. Tutor other students at your high school in a subject where you are strong. Do something that you like - I dove springboard in a summer league for years, and became sick of the poor quality of the volunteer judges, so I became one myself when I was 15.</p>
<p>Community involvement does not have to mean volunteering at a hospital or doing Habitat. It just means that you’re aware of and contributing to your surrounding context.</p>
<p>I asked an admissions person on this forum about that a few years ago. The answer I got back was that community service was not required for admission. The committees look for students who are committed to something and show a depth of interest. Students who are doing 3 sports and taking 3-4 AP or Honors classes don’t have much extra time. Same goes for the kids who are playing 2 instruments, taking private lessons on both, and playing in every music group in the school. Or the kid who does both school and community theater. Admission committees know that there are only so many hours in the day. </p>
<p>Community service is a great thing to do. Many of the larger group activities that students are involved in contribute actively to the community. The small music ensemble that plays at the local nursing home, the drama group that performs a skit at the local elementary school, the team that does a benefit for the local sports league, are all doing community service. </p>
<p>If your schedule is full of activities that are meaningful to you, don’t worry about trying to get involved with something just to put it on your application. If you want to do some community service, find ways within your current activities to contribute to the wider community. My guess is that you are already doing it if you look closely at your activities.</p>
<p>Why lie on your application? Colleges can find out and then you won’t even be considered. They can also inform other schools. What kind of life do you want to have if you need to lie to get into a college?</p>
<p>On the other hand, you can start now to do other activities that would be meaningful to yourself and your community. Volunteering at your local library (a big hit in my surrounding communities) or helping coach a youth sport, or tutoring in the local Junior high , are all things that show YOUR initiative, rather than signing on to someone else’s organization- such as Habitat.</p>
<p>My D is a freshman at Harvard and had zero community service on her ap. She did however have plenty of EC’s related to school that took up most of her free time. I believe that if the schools see that you are heavily involved in something worthwhile they do not really care what it is.</p>
<p>As long as you have some other form of EC, it’s fine. It’s all about specialization, not being everything to everyone. For example, someone with a demonstrated interest in medicine or nursing as a career might be significantly helped by having done EMS-related work, or someone who considers a life sciences track could be helped by having done independent research and gone to (and hopefully done well at) science fairs.</p>
<p>Well… 50-100 hrs over the course of 4 years is nothing…just do it to be safe</p>
<p>I don’t think you should do community service just to look good on a college application.
I think you should do it because you are lucky enough to be able to give back. My kids live a finer lifestyle than I did as a child with more advantages. It makes me feel lucky to have been able to give things to my kids, but it makes me feel better to have them give their time and energy to make others lives better and easier. As a family, we are very service oriented , and I am always looking for more ways to spread it around…without notice too, I might add.</p>
<p>No, it is not at all necessary. I was accepted EA to the Boston College Honors Program and Georgetown University (Jesuit schools that really stress community involvement) with NO community service whatsoever. However, I did have extensive work experience. I think that you need to have one of the two, at the very least, and excel in it.</p>
<p>Whether it is required or not, I think community service is important. I didn’t even tried that hard and I have around 250 hours when I applied to my ED. Volunteering can be fun too.</p>