Is there such a thing as too much volunteering?Answered
Hi there! I'm a rising junior who's just begun to start evaluating my extracurriculars and considering some final additions to my list, and I've started to realize that a lot of my ECs are either direct volunteering for organizations or something related to serving my community (like teaching underrepresented kids about STEM, altar serving at church, teaching kids languages, etc). Is this a bad thing/ should I try to broaden the scope of my ECs (participate in more competitions, other pursuits)? If so, do you have any suggestions for what I can do? (For context, I plan to pursue CS or Business in college.)
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2 answers
Hi @rithi!
When it comes to extracurriculars, I'd say quality beats quantity. Once you have at least 10 activities ready for the Common App, you should prioritize so that each of those activies contains the most achievement possible.
It's fine if most of your list is service work, but you'll need to priroritize some CS or business-related activities. Remember, colleges are trying to construct a well-rounded class, so you're auditioning more for the role of "future software engineer" than "generic student." Having some achievement in your intended subject area will make admissions officers confident in your future career success.
I'd think about any awards or leadership positions you could achieve within your current extracurricular list and, if you can't come up with much, try expanding to newer ones. Junior year is a good time to start a club if nothing else. For more info on extracurriuclar tiers, check out this blog: https://blog.collegevine.com/breaking-down-the-4-tiers-of-extracurricular-activities/
Good luck! Let me know if you have any questions.
There's no such thing as too much volunteering, but you need to think about how it affects you. Ask yourself:
- Do you personally care about these projects?
- Do you feel like your time is better spent on something else?
- How much of a difference in your community are you making?
- Is volunteering preventing you from doing other things that are more important?
It is great that your service includes teacher underrepresented kids about STEM, that helps display your interests and need to give back to the community. That's the key, really, is showing your interest in a specific topic, (so all your ECs should be centered around STEM & CS if you plan on doing that).
Hope this helped!
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