Volunteering and College Admissions
A Tale as Old as Time
A group of high school students gathers at a local soup kitchen during the summer, with no adults or college students in sight. Their faces light up with excitement as they take a large ladle, dip it into the food, either prepared by someone else or by themselves, and scoop it onto the tray of an underserved individual. They repeat this process, offering warm smiles and kind words, as the act of serving food becomes second nature.
On the surface, they feel fulfilled, knowing they are helping those less fortunate. But on a deeper level, they are ecstatic for another reason—they believe this will help them get into their dream college.
Unfortunately, this type of work is not helpful at all for getting into one's dream college, even if it results in receiving The President’s Volunteer Service Award (the king of all participation trophies). To understand why, consider two key observations.
Why Colleges Don’t Value Menial Volunteer Work
The first reason is the absence of adults and college students in the above anecdote. Why? Because they have better things to do than spend an entire day performing unpaid labor that doesn’t equip them with new skills, put food on their own tables, or advance their life goals. Moreover, they are not pressured by society to engage in such work, unlike high school students trying to get into college.
Colleges recognize this dynamic. When they see applicants logging hundreds of hours of menial volunteer work, they have zero confidence that these students will continue doing such work once admitted. To admissions officers, it feels like a bait-and-switch—what they see on the application doesn’t align with what the student will contribute to their campus. Colleges, above all else, seek students who will make a tangible impact in the form of elevating the social and academic experience of their fellow students on campus. Menial volunteer work suggests that students are participating out of obligation, not genuine passion, making colleges doubt their long-term commitment to service.
The second issue is that these activities fail to distinguish applicants from one another. Anyone, regardless of background, experience, or skill, can serve food at a shelter. When an activity requires a skill that any person off the street can be quickly trained to perform, it provides no meaningful insight into an applicant’s unique talents, passions, or abilities. Colleges aren’t looking for “well-rounded” students; they are assembling a class of exceptionally sharp individuals, each with a specialized skill or talent honed over years of dedication. Time spent on generic volunteer work detracts from opportunities to develop those desirable traits.
The Misguided Mentality of Volunteerism
Expecting to be rewarded for service contradicts the very nature of service itself. True service is selfless, driven by principle rather than personal gain. When students emphasize their volunteer experience in applications, it raises questions about their sincerity and motives. The mindset of setting aside predetermined hours to "volunteer" is the wrong approach for competitive applicants.
Meaningful contributions to a community don’t happen in scheduled shifts at a shelter. They happen when students take proactive ownership of problems and commit to solving them. The students who truly elevate their communities don’t think of their efforts as "volunteering"—they see them as a 24/7 mission.
For example, a student who helps local businesses run by elderly owners adopt modern technologies to increase revenue is making a real impact. A student who uses their knowledge of environmental science to warn their town about an impending disaster and proposes a mitigation plan is solving a tangible problem. These individuals don’t wait for a volunteer opportunity—they create their own opportunities.
They attend town meetings. They build relationships within their community. They are constantly on the lookout for problems to solve. They challenge themselves by tackling issues beyond their perceived "pay grade," growing their skill set in the process. They are not just high school students filling volunteer slots—they are recognized names in their communities.
When they join an organization, they don’t settle for passive participation. They seek more responsibility. Once comfortable in a role, they ask for more. Eventually, they take on leadership positions where their decisions carry real consequences. And when they succeed, they can quantify their impact with real numbers—numbers that resonate on a college application.
The Bottom Line
If you want to be a competitive college applicant, remove the word volunteer from your vocabulary. The volunteer mentality will get you nowhere in the admissions process. Instead, leverage your passions to make a lasting impact in your school or local community. Colleges don’t reward participation—they reward initiative, problem-solving, and leadership.
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