What are the tiers/is the value for public speaking or giving a sermon/testimony? Answered
I am in the 10th grade. I have been volunteering (running and editing livestreams, setup and teardown, childcare, etc.) at a church plant since before it's first service in 2019 and I have spoken at it twice, the most recent time was in front of about 60 people, if that matters. I don't know exactly how valuable any of this is, and how valuable it would be (in college admissions) to do things related to a church like start an internal group, give another sermon, volunteer more often, etc. Also, if I am applying to a college or university that has a different established religion or political views or something that are different from the place I serve at, will that be against me in any major way or discredit the hours/service? That's all I want to know.
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Hi @studentuser!
Do you have any other public speaking experiences other than the two times you spoke at the church? If not, don't classify it as public speaking. Rather, include it as a part of volunteering. Volunteering of any kind and in any setting is a good addition to your application. If you're referring to the tiers in your CollegeVine profile, I don't see any specific to religious activities, so the closest thing would be Tier 3C. To go beyond that, you need to show a significant achievement.
Applying to a college with different religious/political views does not go against you or discredit your hours of service. However, when applying to such places, be careful about your essays. Refrain from introducing political/religious bias. You can write about how volunteering at the church has helped you improve but don't talk specifically about any aspect of religion that you think can conflict with other ideologies.
Hope this helps!
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I second this answer! Your church service will be valued by colleges for the impact and leadership you have demonstrated. As for your question about religious differences, colleges will often give you a slight boost for belonging to a religion or denomination that is outside their affiliation. Most applicants are either atheist/agnostic, have no affiliation, or share the same religious background as the schools they are applying to, so your deep involvement in another faith would enrich campus.