Next on “Evelyn Explains…” we talk about community service. Should I do it? What should I do? How much time do I need to spend doing community service? Why do colleges care about it?
Everyone thinks you need dozens, hundreds of hours of community service to get into college these days.
Spoiler alert: you don’t.
It’s a box you DO NOT need to check. In fact, if you’re involved in a handful of other extracurricular activities and you’re spending lots of your time on those, you can leave community service volunteer work off your plate. But if you should see a need in your community that aligns with an interest you have, you should step up. Not just once, not just for a 10-hour stint. Step up and be a regular – make yourself an important part of whatever the cause is. This is true for any activity you do – there’s no benefit to just doing a little bit of anything. We’re going for impact – YOUR impact on the activity and the activity’s impact on YOU.
Why Do Colleges Care About Community Service?
Colleges are themselves communities. So as each college reviews applications, they’re looking for new members of that community, members who will ADD to the community. One of the ways they consider how much you’ll add to their campus community is by evaluating how you’ve added to the communities you consider yourself a part of now, when you’re in high school. This is why colleges care about all of the things you do outside of school – so they can see how you’ll contribute if they make you an offer to join their community. See this post for a quick explainer about why colleges care about extracurricular activities.
Is Community Service Better Than Other Extracurricular Activities?
Nope. Activities are the vehicle to show colleges who you are. It doesn’t matter if you’re in theatre or performing arts; student government, debate, Model UN or Mock Trial; robotics or Science Olympiad; team sports as an athlete, scorekeeper or coach; or any other activity! It’s all about showing colleges how much time you’ve invested, the difference you’ve made in the community(ies) you’ve spent time with, what you’ve learned through your involvement and maybe what that looks like in the future for you. These are all things you can discuss in your essay – the best opportunity for you to let colleges learn a little bit about you. Again – the essay is not a rehash of what you’ve done, but an introspective discussion of what it has meant to you. Here’s a little article on whether one extracurricular is “better” than another; this article has a short video helping you make the most of your activity descriptions in both the Common App and the UC Application.
Back to community service, though. Here’s an article by a veteran college counselor that may help you see the value of community service and the lens through which colleges evaluate your involvement. Bottom line: if a volunteer opportunity aligns with your values and/or an issue you care about, and you’re willing to invest a meaningful amount of time over years during high school – this could be a great way to show colleges who you are, and who you’ll be when you join them!
Magellan College Counseling provides high-quality, effective, one-on-one college advising services to high school students and their families. We make the college search and application process more organized, and less stressful. Please reach out if you’re looking for guidance in your college admission journey!