Volunteering is a wonderful way to get out of your house and be more involved in your community. Having community service hours can be exceptionally helpful for getting into college and there are so many ways you can volunteer.

When looking for ideas for volunteering, the Vice President of Key Club, Maddie Simmons (11) said, “I think the best thing to do is join a club. There are tons of clubs that students can be involved in both in and outside of school. Another thing I always recommend is to make your hobby your volunteer opportunity. Checking out what opportunities the public library is offering is always a great way to go too.” As you can see you have countless options.

Many students intend to go to college (including some competitive universities) after high school, and volunteering can be important. According to the Forbes website’s article New Survey Shows Value Of Community Service In College Admissions, “According to a professionally executed survey of 264 admissions leaders at U.S. colleges done by IESD for x2VOL, the tracking and reporting platform for student service hours used by private and public schools and districts nationwide, 58% of college admissions personnel said they agreed that, ‘A student’s community service experience has a positive impact on his or her acceptance to our higher education institution.’ Only 16% disagreed.” The competition of being accepted into a college can be hard, but by being active in your community you can increase your chances remarkably, because it shows that you are a well-rounded person.

For some people volunteering is a way to give back to their community. “It’s beneficial because the community needs a lot of help in many different areas,” Abby Fossett (11) stated. When volunteering at local events you work alongside with other volunteers all trying to achieve the same goal.