I am a 16 year old high school student . I am a junior but I am also doing running start. Which is that I am going to community college while I go to high school . I will get my AA next year. I will graduate next year at 17 and have 2 years less of college. I want to volunteer abroad. I went to Ethiopia ( I am from there) once for a year and saw very bad poverty. I either want to go some where in Africa or Latin America because I am learning Spanish and it would be a good way for me to learn Spanish and better my self as a person. I would like to go for a couple of months or a year. Should i go . I read that colleges are unimpressed with volunteering abroad .
Firstly, is your CC AA transferable anywhere, or are you specifically happy with the places where it actually counts?
Establish that you have your academic parameters sorted first. I think schools look a bit sideways at the pay to play programs, like People to People, Amigos etc, because they know the kids who do these programs have had to front thousands of dollars and are usually privileged students. A self starter might be something completely different.
My AA is transferable and i said that i wouldnt want to pay for my program i would go with a program that pays for me . I would not go if i have to pay and for sure i am not a privileged student.
It’s not that colleges are “unimpressed” with overseas voluntarism. It’s that comfortable American kids unduly think it makes them unique to go serve some brown people and out spews the “new awareness” essay about poor people. And then they go spend a month at daddy’s beach house. Your going to your home continent or to spend time in a Spanish speaking culture to increase your abilities – and that you’re working to fund them yourself – is all good.