What is the average amount of volunteer hours that are recommended for college admissions?

Answered

Hi @mcampisi,

Thanks for your question. This is a tricky one to answer because there a mixed opinions about whether volunteerism is the most admirable personal character trait for applicants or something that can be superseded by other spike activities.

The act of service to help others or causes is to me something innate in yourself or it isn't. If it makes you feel good to use your free time to help your community or charities or do things for others, that is something that is a part of your essence of being.

One of the huge problems I see in college admissions is that somewhere along the line, schools, counselors, college admissions professionals, teachers, parents, and mentors forgot to educate students on what the act of service is. Instead, they have come up with some kind of rubric that says you need to do 100 hours to get this level award, 250 hours to get that level award, or 500 hours to get the Presidential award. So in the end you have millions of students doing volunteerism to get the award, not because they really want to or because it makes them feel better about being a human being.

I think college admissions readers and committees can tell if someone is goal oriented about looking good on an application file versus being a genuine steward in their community.

The other dilemma with volunteerism is that sometimes it comes at a direct opportunity cost of having more impactful leadership positions. IMO, I think college admissions officers would rather admit an applicant that has made some measurable impactful contribution through their leadership roles versus completing 400 hours of following someone else's lead. Sometimes leadership and volunteerism can be in sync together. For instance if you serve on multiple Board of Directors where you have to lead and also volunteer your time. But the one mistake applicants make is to spend too much time volunteering thinking that it will make up for a lack of leadership roles. I would prioritize leadership roles over volunteerism.

Good luck.