Throughout their high school days, students are building their “resume” that will, ideally, help them gain acceptance to their college of choice. While working to achieve high grades and SAT scores is vital, it’s also important to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to a cause or organization through volunteer work.
Colleges seek to admit students whom they believe will be active, contributing members of their campus community. The best indication of this is a student’s engagement in volunteer work during their high school years. Students should choose one or more activities that are important to them – perhaps in the field they intend to pursue in college – and then commit themselves to volunteering over a lengthy period of time with the goal of making an impact.
The options are limitless. Students interested in pursuing a career in the medical field may want to volunteer at one of the many hospitals in the area. Even more impressive is to train to become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and work a shift or two each week, responding to calls.
Students interested in politics can volunteer with the Somerset County Democrats or the Somerset County Republicans, or work on the campaign of a local politician.
Those with a love of animals can volunteer at a local shelter, such as SAVE in Skillman or St. Hubert’s in North Branch. One student I worked with, a few years back, ran a Yorkie Rescue program, along with his parents.
Students with a concern for the environment have multiple local options: Duke Farms, Raritan Headwaters, New Jersey Audubon, Somerset County Parks Commission, Sourland Conservancy, The Watershed Institute.
There is also a great need for volunteers at local libraries, fire departments, food pantries, soup kitchens, senior homes and rehab centers, religious organizations, and Habitat for Humanity.
Students seeking additional options should visit DoSomething.org, one of the largest organizations that helps teens identify and engage with causes they care about. Those seeking remote volunteer opportunities should visit Zooniverse.org, where, once again, the opportunities are abundant. For example, more than 13,000 volunteers are currently counting Galapagos Marine Iguanas via aerial photographs. Another project is seeking thousands of volunteers to classify images from the Euclid space telescope using AI algorithms.
The goal, for students, is to identify volunteer work that is truly meaningful to them and to share their passion for their activities with the college admission folks.
Susan Alaimo is the founder & director of Collegebound Review, offering PSAT/SAT® preparation & private college advising by Ivy League educated instructors. Visit CollegeboundReview.com or call 908-369-5362
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