tips for high school students Archives -

High school students about to partake in a community service activity. They have their hands all in and it says volunteer on their shirts.

Community service is not giving your time up for free. It is an investment in you and your future. Having so many community service hours opened a lot of doors for me. I was awarded several scholarships, including the Gates Millennium Scholarship. Because I was given that competitive scholarship, I graduated college with zero dollars of debt and not a penny came out of my pocket for college. I did the math one day of how much money I got in scholarship divided into how many community service hours I had. It came out to about $67.00 an hour!

My Community Service Experience

Because of my circumstances at the time, I was able to rack up an impressive amount of community service hours. I didn’t know it at the time but that was a hidden blessing for me. When it came time to apply to college, that part of my application really stood out.

Teenage girl who is doing community service at summer camp for kids who have disabilities. She is embracing a little girl with down syndrome.

Money was always tight for my family. Sending all her kids to summer camp was not really an option for my mom. So, every summer from 7th grade to entering my senior year I volunteered at my brother’s summer camp. He has Down Syndrome and went to a school that tailored to individuals with disabilities. Financially, It was the best option for my mom. Instead of paying for me to go to summer camp I went to volunteer my time. I did that every summer for six years. If you know me, you know I love being around people with disabilities, so it was a really special way for me to get a ton of community service hours. There were campers I wouldn’t see all year, so, come summer I would get to see how much they’d grown and learned in a year. That is special memory for me!

3 Steps to Make the Most Out of Community Service

Step 1: Identify Your Passion

What are you very passionate about? Education, animals, your faith, homeless awareness, cancer awareness, veterans affairs, the environment, human rights, city beautification? Find what moves and shakes you and something you’ll love dedicating time to.

Step 2: Take Action!

Do a little research and find an organization doing community service at your school or where you live, that lights that passion. If you can’t find one that is exactly right, create your own. (There’s leadership right there. Two birds, one stone!) Find a way to support a cause you are passionate about and think of ways to contribute. For example, collect blankets for your local animal shelter, conduct a book drive for a local school, host a canned food drive, etc.

Picture of high schools students volunteering in a park with dogs. They have the word volunteer printed on their shirts.

You can also do research and find out about what events or projects local organizations have in place that you may be able to be a part of and may be able to involve your school like an annual 5k or carnival or showcase. Click here for more ideas of places you can get involved!

Step Three: Manage and Use Your Time Wisely

Time management is an important part of making your community service hours count. A diverse volunteering experience is an impressive component to a college application.

Determine how many hours you have to dedicate to community service, and while you are volunteering, log those hours. If you have extra time, dedicate a few more hours. Reach out to local nonprofit organizations. Many of those places would be overjoyed to have an extra pair of hands! There is always an opportunity to volunteer.

While you plan any of your events and activities ensure that there is an adult or member who can attest to the work you put in. They may come in handy when you are looking for a college recommendation letter later.

In my last post I mentioned four areas to focus on for a superstar college application, including leadership, academics and grades, SAT/ACT scores, and community service. I recommended really honing in on three out of those four categories, without completely neglecting the fourth, of course. Now that you have plenty of information about how to get started with community service, stay tuned to read more about how to make those other areas shine.

By Betty Carricaburu, Ms.Ed

For those of you who are looking for tips on what to do in high school to get into college of your dreams – this post is for you! I have identified four areas that will make your college application shine.

Back in 2013, after my daughter was born, I had opportunity to serve as an ambassador for the Gates Millennium Scholarship. I spoke to students from several high schools in my area, and boy, did I love it!

In my experience, people working in admissions for these four areas to be strong.

Community Service

Academic Performance (AKA Grades!)

Leadership

SAT/ACT

I have great news! If three out of four of these areas pop, that is more than good enough to make you a highly qualified and high-caliber applicant.

I was accepted to several top tier universities. Guess what? I did terrible on the SAT! Acceptance letters still rolled in because my application showcased my strong academic performance, involvement in community service, and leadership roles I took on. A friend of mine had the minimum requirement for community service but was very strong in the other three categories and she got into MIT! The lesson is, do not stress about perfection. If you are already strong in the four areas, that’s an amazing feat. What is most important is to have a well-rounded high school experience!

Here I am volunteering! I was always up to something with school clubs, I’m still very much like that – always involved!

Now, although I am suggesting that three of the four be strong— I do not mean to abandon the fourth! Do try your best and work hard in all four areas. Your grades should always be as best as you can maintain them. Join as many school activities and organizations as is enjoyable and comfortable for you. What I do not suggest, is letting anything be all consuming.

Trying to perfect all four will almost certainly be a drain on your energy and may wind up making certain areas weaker. For example, if I would have spent countless hours studying even more for the SAT, I would have never had the time to plan a 5k to raise money to support the Down Syndrome Association or had the time to enjoy a trip to New York with the photography club!

So there you have it! Lesson one— schools want a well-rounded student. My action item for you: Reflect on which of these three areas you can focus on. Again, we don’t want to abandon any category!

Stay tuned because my next post will be all about how to make the best in each area.

A picture of Betty smiling with her hair pulled back into a ponytail. She is at a University of Miami sporting event, and the backdrop of the stadium is behind her. — Here I am, smiling. It was joyous to be at UM, where I was truly meant to be!

My bachelor’s and master’s degrees are in education, however, I do not work in an admissions. All suggestions given from my extensive experience!