Teen Volunteer Opportunities
College admissions are very competitive because so many students are applying. The simple fact is that colleges and universities receive thousands and thousands of applications every year. One way you can stand out from the crowd of applicants is through your volunteer work.
1) Applying for college is not different than when you apply for a job! Employers will want to see that you can perform various tasks or activities outside of your everyday role while maintaining a high standard with your responsibilities.
2) College admissions officers warn that simply rattling off the places a candidate has volunteered, without sharing personal anecdotes, can sound insincere.“Get personal,” and “Focus on how you’ve changed, don’t just list what you did or how many hours you volunteered.”
3) For the applicant who has volunteered for a slew of organizations, consider explaining how all of the experiences fall under one larger issue, such as poverty or human rights. While writing your essay, the officers recommend using such “power words,” as “initiative,” “personal change” and “leader.” But, they recommend avoiding “danger words,” which include “showed up,” “forced” and “required.”
