But why? Community Service and College Applications

Many high schools have a built in community service requirement to try to instill values such as giving back, hard work, and selflessness.

Many high school students whine and complain about these requirements and basically refuse to do more than required.
Others go above and beyond and rack up hours on hours of this service, with the chant “colleges love community service. I need 100+ hours to even get my foot in the door,”   

Some genuinely enjoy it and make it the cornerstone of their personal brand.

And still, others try to cram it into their schedules junior year as if it’s a check box on their applications

So lets break community service “requirements” down a bit and get to the root of the issue.

First of all, lets just put this out there, admissions want applicants who do community service. This isn’t to say that people who do 100+ hours have better chances than 20-hour students, but doing none at all can be a downer on your application. 

But why do they look for community service on your applications?

First of all, it shows that you’re a concerned member of society. They want to know what issues you care about, and service is a great way to demonstrate that attitude. Community Service is one of the best ways to show that you’re the type of person who gives back to their community and wants to make the world a better place. Colleges are going to attach their names to you once you attend, and it’s very prestigious to have an alumni or student doing great things out in the world.

Also community service shows an ethical side. Being a do-gooder is a very positive character trait. Colleges want healthy and productive communities of engaged students. Those who devote time to helping others are a big part of this ideal. They want to be able to see you, the applicant, as someone who will contribute positively to their campus community, and doing good acts in high school suggests that you will continue that in college.

So you know that you have to do service. But what if it’s not your cup of tea? Of course you would love to help out, but you don’t have the time or the money to do anything really above and beyond.

There are a bunch of great ways to get involved without service taking over your whole life.

Firstly- Most schools will have some kind of club for service. Many, in fact, will have several. Find out about it and join. Usually you’ll have a set amount of hours a month you must participate, but these clubs will go out and find things for you to do. It is easy to work these into your schedule, and it’s another club on your list.

Another choice is to do a one-time activity. Maybe it’s habitat for humanity, or a week long service trip. While these are great ways to contribute a lot of hours really quickly, know that this should not be your only service in high school. That gives the impression that either 1. You did it and didn’t enjoy it or 2. You did it just for your applications. Even if either of those are true, keep that to yourself. Doing several of these one-time things might be okay though, for example doing habitat for humanity three or four times.
Also under this is donating your hair. I’m going to get on my soap-box for a second and say do not do locks for love. Donate to Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths or any other of these organizations. Locks for Love A: Has a surplus of hair, and B: Makes people pay for their wigs. There are other options.
But yeah, donating your hair could be a nice tidbit about sacrifice or a personal connection, but absolutely does not count as actual service (even if it took you 3 years to grow the hair out).

A big option is to get involved with a big organization. Many communities do a relay for life once a year, which is a great organization and is only as much time as you want to put into it. Doing walks or 5ks also fall under this category. You want to raise money for a great cause, and you know that your small contributions will help a larger goal.

The last option I’m going to mention is starting your own project. This is a potentially double-edged sword. Starting a club shows a lot of initiative, but if you are going to go this route make sure that you’re actually doing the work. Make real contributions and put in real effort. This can be a really great option is service isn’t necessarily your thing, or if you can’t find any way to get involved with an issue you care about. This allows you to tailor your options to A: Something you have passion for and B: Something you’d love to do.
For example, many of my friends in high school were passionate about music, and started a club where they combined music and community service. It was fun and really rewarding, and fit in with people’s busy schedules.

So yes, you have to do community service. But there are so many options and ways to get involved that it doesn’t have to be a chore. Find something you’re passionate about and work with it. You might get bitten by the service bug and find it more rewarding than you ever thought you might.

And, of course, if you’re passionate about service, that’s incredible and you should continue to do your excellent works.