Be Great

April 1, 2013

“Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve…. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. ” -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King was right in saying that you don’t need a college degree to serve, but did you know that volunteering can actually help you earn that degree? Today, more and more high school seniors are choosing to go to college after graduation. As the number of college bound seniors has risen, so has the pressure on those students to set themselves apart from other applicants. Good grades and high scores on entrance exams are not enough to guarantee acceptance into one’s top school choice. In order to GET IN, prospective students need to STAND OUT.

This is precisely where volunteer work comes into play. Admission counselors view volunteerism favorably. Serving others demonstrate a compassion, commitment, and community; attributes which only enhance any campus atmosphere. Taking time out of an otherwise jam-packed high school schedule shows a sense of selflessness often missing in our modern world.

So does this mean you should have your student pad his or her volunteer career with as many different activities as possible? NO. Skipping from one volunteer organization to the next can actually hurt an applicant’s college chances. According to the Huffington Post, 92 percent of admission officers surveyed by Do Something, a prominent volunteer organization, said they were more impressed by applicants who showed dedication and commitment to one area instead of multiple ones. Admission counselors review thousands of applications every year and can easily spot someone who helped out for the sole purpose of helping him or herself. When it comes to volunteerism, passion, persistence, and patience is the key. Therefore try to find and organization, mission, or cause that excites your students. The more enthusiasm behind volunteer hours allows your high school students to get involved and have something interesting to talk about when it comes time for college essays or interviews.

While volunteering is great, it is not always possible. Students should not be discouraged if they simply do not have the time or means to do public service. Summer and part-time jobs can also be used to strengthen an applicant’s admission chances. Students who are in these types of positions should look for ways to share how they served others, gained leadership experience, and acquired novel skills at their paid jobs.

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  1. I learned that aplniypg to colleges early can double or tripe your chances of getting accepted. This is important because so kids are being placed on the waiting list or finding out that it is very hard to get into the school of their choice. I also learned that if you slack off your senior year and your grades drop too much colleges wont accept you or if your already committed they can revoke your application. Early decison is not alsway the best thing, sometimes it can hurt your chances of recieveing generous financial aid.

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