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Volunteering. Hot or Not?

Remember Paris Hilton’s stint in jail a few years ago?  After the fact, her first few interviews revealed that she had a new priority besides partying.  It was volunteering.  Whether or not she has fully exercised this endeavor since is debatable.  Plenty of other celebrities, however, have made a show for volunteering.  “That’s hot.”

As students begin preparing for college and scholarship applications, you’ll find that almost all will ask about volunteer experience.  For college, it is a top priority.

However, there are still many students out there who may have the heart but don’t put it into volunteering.  That’s not hot.

It’s time for you to turn over a new leaf.  And get this…you can actually help yourself while helping others.

Pursue a passion.  So what if your passion is Guitar Hero?  Become a Big Brother or Sister and provide some musical entertainment and engagement for an underprivileged child once or twice a month.  Or if you enjoy cooking, work at a Soup Kitchen.  It is so simple to find volunteering activities that actually interest you on a personal level.

Financial Benefits.  Just like you got an after-school job to finance your personal life, volunteer experience can help subsidize your education as well.  Many scholarship essay questions are volunteer-based.  Some scholarships are even exclusive to those students who have helped out others in their spare time.  Essentially, volunteering now can have a huge financial payoff later.  

Get results.  College admission is sometimes a game.  Like any other game, the individual or team with the most points is the winner.  If an admission officer is deciding between you and another student for admission, every point counts.  With volunteer experience, you have a slight edge on the competition.