Volunteering Won’t Get You Into College & Is Not Required to Apply To College
Some students come to us with the mythical concept that they ‘must get involved’ or do ‘community service’ before they apply to college. This is not a prerequisite, and in fact colleges are savvy to the fact that high schools may have volunteer hour graduation requirements. I was recently reviewing the Common App with a student, and one college directly asked if they had done any volunteering that was not a school requirement.
Take your time choosing your cause
What is it that you are truly very passionate about? Do not rush into the first thing that comes to mind or something that sounds good to you on a whim. If you are going to dedicate yourself, truly, it may be something you are going to spend a lot of time on. So you don’t want to become disenchanted (or bored) midway through. You’ll need passion, drive, and commitment to work through the tough times when things don’t seem to be going as planned.
If you like…animals: Contact your local Humane Society or animal shelter. They are almost always looking for cat or dog companions and people to help with daily operations. Try contacting an aquarium or zoo and see if they could use a volunteer assistant.
If you like…working with children: There are many organizations that work with children including day care, family shelters, emergency food pantries, counseling services and hotlines. You could volunteer your time at your local Boys and Girls Club or become an after-school tutor or mentor.
If you like…arts and culture: Museums and cultural organizations are constantly looking for volunteers. Your local newspaper or city website probably has a calendar of events which might include opportunities like this. Search for events that have an art or cultural component (such as a festival) and contact them to see if you can help out in any way. Do you have more than one thing you love, and can’t make up your mind? Combine them! For example, if you love kids and are also artistic, visit your local children's hospital and offer to lead art activities for young patients. If you love animals and like to be outdoors, call your local animal shelter and inquire about becoming a dog walker.
Grow naturally, don’t rush it
You should be enthusiastic about your cause! However, this does not mean you need to try to “save the world” in one go. Great organizations start small and grow slowly to serve more and more people (or animals or communities, etc.) over time. Staying within your means is incredibly important; it does no good to anyone if you become overextended and need to shut down operations.
Don’t be a perfectionist
Everyone should strive to do their best. However, doing your best does not mean doing everything perfectly. It may not be very hard for you to get a 100% on a test in school, but the real world is quite a bit different. Things rarely work out perfectly, and it often takes a great deal of flexibility, compromise, persistence and patience to get things done. The ability to laugh at situations (or yourself) when things do not go your way will help a great deal as well. Skeptics – No matter what you do in life, there will always be people who doubt your abilities, your motivations and your dedication. This is just an unpleasant fact of life. Try not to let these people get you down. It is difficult sometimes to stay focused in the face of doubters, but over time as you become