Volunteer Opportunities for High School Students: Why You Should Consider Volunteering
There are so many opportunities for students to volunteer.
Volunteering work looks great on college applications, but that shouldn’t be your only or main reason for getting involved.
Volunteering is an enriching experience that can help you grow.
Volunteer Opportunities for High School Students
Now that COVID-19 constraints have been lifted, there are countless opportunities to conduct volunteer work, both in person and virtually! Most importantly, volunteer work allows you to offer your time, skills, and care to causes and other people who could benefit from it. Colleges and universities are also looking to see volunteer work on applications, so seize online opportunities while you can, to help others and strengthen your experiences.
In this article, we’ll share some ideas on how to volunteer, why and how it matters to colleges, and why volunteering is so important.
Volunteering
Websites like Volunteermatch.org have volunteer pages (both virtual and in-person) absolutely full of various opportunities to get involved. Browse their pages and search for opportunities near you!
You can always talk to someone at school or reach out to your local elementary or middle schools to see if there is a need for tutoring or support for younger students. Parents and schools are overwhelmed with the task of catching younger children up from the pandemic, and chances are they are looking for volunteers like you to help younger students in their classes. You can also talk to your school counselor about other volunteer opportunities that they may be aware of and can refer you to.
Volunteer work and college admissions
Volunteer work absolutely matters to college admissions. They want to see that you are willing to dedicate your time and energy to other people and causes that are bigger than yourself. They’re looking to bring in students to their campus who want to get involved in things other than those that benefit just oneself. They want to know that you’ll be an active member of their community.
Choosing volunteer work or a cause that is genuinely important to you will also help to convey your personality and passions to admissions officers beyond what grades and transcripts can do. You’ll be able to talk about this work in potential interviews to better convey to the interviewer who you are and what matters to you. Additionally, volunteer work, particularly for an extended period of time, shows reliability and commitment. These qualities can be reflected through good grades, but are best conveyed through true work and volunteer experiences.
The importance of volunteer work
It is important to emphasize that the significance and importance of volunteer work is not solely because it matters in college admissions. Yes, it boosts your resume or application and gives you something to speak about in a potential interview. However, volunteer work is supposed to be coming from an honest and genuine place of wanting to help others or further a cause that is important to you. Thus I encourage you to make choices about volunteer work from that genuine and honest place that wants to help. Choose a cause or organization that you connect with or relate to. There are limitless opportunities in all fields and causes, so be diligent in looking for one that resonates with you.
Volunteer work gives you the chance to broaden and diversify your perspectives, so get out there and find something that matters to you. Get started as soon as today, there are opportunities waiting for you right now!
For more college tips and tricks, check out our article on how to create a college resume! Want to make money and improve your resume at the same time? See our list of jobs that look good on college applications!
