Community Services (probably applies to US people only)

[Guy]

OK, I'm just damn confused by this. I've heard so many different versions of stories by my peers. In the US, most seniors and juniors in high school stress community services just as important as good grades. Colleges, apparently, look at your service hours to determine if you're good enough to get in. Some people thoroughly believe this, accumulating over 50 hours throughout high school years. Other people (like one of my friend), believe all this hype about volunteer hours are just bull made by colleges to scare gullible people into doing services instead of focusing on studies. I have friends who have well over 70 hours of services, and I also have friends who have none and refuse to go do any but still believe they can reach colleges like UC Berkely or Standford.

My point is, is community service really THAT important in getting into colleges? Because I think it is utter bull for colleges to reject you and pick someone else simply because he has done one more hour of service than you have. Colleges are about learning and determination; wtf does community service have anything to do with it? Besides, most people when they get into college, stop doing them anyway, so what's the point? I hope someone can clear up this confusion.

[shaberry]

Hrmmm...I never heard about it as one of the college requisites. *blink* That's a new one for me. However, I have heard that high schools require 50 hours of community service for graduation. Iono why *shrug* I'm thinking that the community service works as a way to get high schoolers in touch with the community and to get involved. *shrug*

[Christian Lub]

i had to do community service cause i got into a fight and went to teen court and they gave me 16 hours of community service and i had to stay after skool everyday for a certain amount of tyme till i got it done and this happened jus this year and i live in North Carolina

[iladys]

Well, for one thing, colleges do not look at community service alone. As far as I know, my cousins and friends in US have done none and still got into college. Same goes to the ones I know in different countries. They look at extra curriculur stuff you do, not just your academic grades. There's no point in being studious but you don't have much to make up for anything else. It is not THAT important, but it looks good on your report. I for one, have been doing +150 hours of community service in one year alone. It started off as part of a Extra Curriculum Award thing but now I just do it because I feel good about it. I'm in my senior year right now and I don't really have much time to do community service but I've done a fair bit so I'm good.

What colleges look for is extra curriculum stuff, like sports, music etc. You appear more interesting if you have done some service. Of course, this doesnt mean that they'll reject you if you haven't done any. Your chances of getting in just slightly decreases is all.

[Christian Lub]

mine happened in high school when i was in the 10th cause i got sent to a teen court so it wouldnt be on my record

[Waverly]

Well you have to think about what colleges are REALLY looking for. Though they should be places dedicated to education, what they really are are businesses. They want money and more than that, maybe, they want people to make them look good.

If a person has been involved in extracurricular activities and does community service what does it show the school? That they like to be involved in their community. That is a good thing for colleges to see, because they want to get students who will stand out in a crowd, become involved during and after college graduation, and hopefully make a (positive) name for themselves. Colleges LOVE to have well-known alumni. It shines well upon the school and makes people want to go there (and if more people want to go to their school, they get more money.) They basically assume that if you do community service before college, you are more apt to become active in your community after college.

Then again, that isn't all colleges look for. Most do look at grades, because when it comes down to it, if you can't do the level of work required for that college, then you won't be staying there. It shines badly on a school if a lot of people get kicked out/flunk out/ drop out.
There are plenty of schools you can get into without doing community service. Though if you really want to go to a certain school it seems silly not to try to give yourself a little edge up. Colleges want community service. If you and some other applicant have identical grades and are trying for the same spot but the other person has community service, they'll get in. They, in the eyes of the college, have more of a chance of making the school look good.

[II Xion II]

In the U.S., they really are important.

There is a graduation requirement in many high schools now where 40 hours is a minimum to graduate.

Colleges make sure you have some as well and a student with the same credentials as another might just be picked in a highly selective college over the other one due to that person's much higher community service hours.

[Ritsuka Aoyagi]

I have nothing to add here really because everything I can think of has been said...

However BoundnChains, You have missed the point of the thread, they're asking about volunteer time and you had to participate in PUNISHMENT - it may still be community Service but it was required and depending on the reasons why, It is rarely counted as a Plus in your favor on college applications

[Guy]

In the U.S., they really are important.

There is a graduation requirement in many high schools now where 40 hours is a minimum to graduate.

Oh god, are you serious? Thank god my school doesn't have that requirement! Dude, I didn't even know community services were that important until the end of junior year (which was a month ago). I've been searching frantically for them, but I can't find any. Why bother doing community services when the state of California has nothing that requires volunteers? *sulks*

Colleges make sure you have some as well and a student with the same credentials as another might just be picked in a highly selective college over the other one due to that person's much higher community service hours.

So if I want to go to a good college, I have to have them, right? Well... I only manage to accumulate 9 hours of services... is that the same as having no hours of services at all, since you need at least 40 hours to graduate in other high schools?

[Pipp-ORK]

There is a graduation requirement in many high schools now where 40 hours is a minimum to graduate.

Yeah, we have that here in Canada, as well. "Career development". You've got to complete 30 or so voluntary community service hours in your second or third year, before you're able to graduate. : (

It kind of annoys me, but I guess college is all about preparation for the work-force, anyway.

[shaberry]

Hrmmm...gonna kinda date myself...but eh *shrug* So I got to talking to my bf about this topic...and I just realized that back in my day ( -.-;;; ) community service wasn't really necessary for graduation unless you were getting financial help for tuition dues...so the student had to do 10-20 hrs (I forget at the moment what the actual number was) of volunteer work.

[Elocin]

It's not required but recommended. They ask on college applications what volunteer opportunities you have done, and clubs like Habitat for Humanity or Circle K (community service organizations) also look good on applications.

I was recommended to do community service to get into medical school when I wanted to do it.

I've only participated in AIDS Walk and Relay for Life a couple of times, though.

[Guy]

Does being the vice president of the school's chess club count as extracurricular activity?

[II Xion II]

Does being the vice president of the school's chess club count as extracurricular activity?

I guess it would...kind of. It would definitely look good on a college app.

As for community service, no it wouldn't count as such.

[Guy]

I guess it would...kind of. It would definitely look good on a college app.
As for community service, no it wouldn't count as such.

OK, so how much service hours would I need for my application to look good?

And it seems like my worst fear has been confirmed: A guy who spends his life helping an old lady in a wheelchair is more likely to get into a good college than a guy who gets a good GPA....

[elendil15900]

im in 8th grade and from now untill i graduate from high school i have to do 4 hours of community service every quarter. if we dont do it our grades will be messed up no matter how well we do in class.

[4thseal]

^that's very little when you break it up week by week.

But, no community service is not required to get into college. Good grades matter more. What people mean by community service helps is that if two applicants had the exact same qualification (identical g.p.a's, test scores, and so on,) the person who had done the community service would have a better chance of getting into college. So, it just one more little thing that give people an edge.

[motoki]

I had to do 20 hours of service because it was a requirement of my high school to graduate....i only did the minimum and i still got into college....
i cant say that if i did none i would've gone to college because i wouldnt have graduated HS....so i cant really be of help on this one.
but once in college, i'm apart of a communit service club, and its cool i think. i've met cool people, and i'm racking up hours to only help myself get into grad-school.
not that i think i can't get into grad school without the hours....it just helps your status is all.
i'm looking out for my future, and helping the community at the same time