Does forcing kids to "brag" about community service on apps make anyone else cringe?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It isn't bragging anymore than putting your participation in clubs and sports is bragging. Your volunteer work tells the admissions people something about you and how you spend your time helping your community.

Your GPA and your awesome tests scores aren't bragging, either.

+1- it's not bragging, it's explaining that the student contributes to society.

[Anonymous]

Agree. I think we’d all be better off if we went straight to standardized test scores: SAT scores and subject tests, that’s it.

You get a # and nothing else is known about you: race, gender, school, location, gpa.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree OP. There is a whole industry built around kids having to pay to do really cool community service projects. Volunteering at an old folks home isn't good enough. It has to be a paid trip to Africa or something like that

I thought schools don’t like this anymore - smacks of poverty tourism.

[Anonymous]

My kid didn't Braganza the apps, He stated what he did, which was a sustained involvement in training little kids in sports.

You wouldn't cringe because we wouldn't share the info with you.

[Anonymous]

I think the colleges are looking at who can come up with creative ideas and carry them out. Doesn't have to be altruistic but that's most likely scenario for a teen. So participating in something is nice. Recognizing a problem, finding a solution or treatment, and carrying that out in a sustainable way, that's an indicator for future success.

[Anonymous]

My child just said he had over 300 hours of documented community service hours. None involved school building in Africa. Most were associated with boy scouts and local.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the colleges are looking at who can come up with creative ideas and carry them out. Doesn't have to be altruistic but that's most likely scenario for a teen. So participating in something is nice. Recognizing a problem, finding a solution or treatment, and carrying that out in a sustainable way, that's an indicator for future success.

I've personally witnessed those "creative ideas" and they're such bullshit. It's all about how much the helicopter parents or consultant stretches (I mean "sells") the involvement. Aggressive kids are shameless and spin the most minor self-serving shit into the most impactful community changing involvement. lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree. I think we’d all be better off if we went straight to standardized test scores: SAT scores and subject tests, that’s it.

You get a # and nothing else is known about you: race, gender, school, location, gpa.

Yes, we should base college admissions entirely on multiple choice tests...with SAT math questions at the algebra/geometry level.

[Anonymous]

I hate it.

My kids have independently been doing service that they wanted to do since 4th grade.

The day we had to sit down and document it felt "dirty". Like we did it for college apps instead of because we wanted to do it.

It was interesting because when my son was asked about his community service in an "interview"you could see the genuine desire for his community service.

When asked about "other" community service it was so honest.., I did that because our team did it, we did that because it was required... but his real community service was different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It isn't bragging anymore than putting your participation in clubs and sports is bragging. Your volunteer work tells the admissions people something about you and how you spend your time helping your community.

Your GPA and your awesome tests scores aren't bragging, either.

+1- it's not bragging, it's explaining that the student contributes to society.

This.
99% of students do sports or theater or art. My kid doesn't. Community service and volunteering is her passion. She spends 8 hours a week volunteering at the local hospital and 4 hours tutoring for an organization in a low income area. She has been mentoring the same two kids for three years and she is 100% committed to them. She manages a community garden that grows food for a local food pantry. She makes soap for a local homeless shelter. This is what she loves, and even though most of her friends don't even know half the things she does, I'm sorry if you feel like it's bragging.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It isn't bragging anymore than putting your participation in clubs and sports is bragging. Your volunteer work tells the admissions people something about you and how you spend your time helping your community.

Your GPA and your awesome tests scores aren't bragging, either.

+1- it's not bragging, it's explaining that the student contributes to society.

This.
99% of students do sports or theater or art. My kid doesn't. Community service and volunteering is her passion. She spends 8 hours a week volunteering at the local hospital and 4 hours tutoring for an organization in a low income area. She has been mentoring the same two kids for three years and she is 100% committed to them. She manages a community garden that grows food for a local food pantry. She makes soap for a local homeless shelter. This is what she loves, and even though most of her friends don't even know half the things she does, I'm sorry if you feel like it's bragging.

Making soap for homeless... hi helicopter mom bragging about obscure volunteer efforts!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It isn't bragging anymore than putting your participation in clubs and sports is bragging. Your volunteer work tells the admissions people something about you and how you spend your time helping your community.

Your GPA and your awesome tests scores aren't bragging, either.

+1- it's not bragging, it's explaining that the student contributes to society.

This.
99% of students do sports or theater or art. My kid doesn't. Community service and volunteering is her passion. She spends 8 hours a week volunteering at the local hospital and 4 hours tutoring for an organization in a low income area. She has been mentoring the same two kids for three years and she is 100% committed to them. She manages a community garden that grows food for a local food pantry. She makes soap for a local homeless shelter. This is what she loves, and even though most of her friends don't even know half the things she does, I'm sorry if you feel like it's bragging.

Making soap for homeless... hi helicopter mom bragging about obscure volunteer efforts!

Why are you so bitter that you can't see past your self-serving sport-blinded snowflakes? Some kids have their own ideas and do good things with their time. You wouldn't be so angry about it if it didn't make you feel bad about yourself.

[Anonymous]

DC did take a trip to an African country to help build a school and it was an amazing experience. Sure, if DC was just looking for community service credits, DC could have helped the neighbors, but DC also wants to be involved internationally and so has been all around the world in exchange and service programs. And has learned Swahili and other languages. Maybe that will be seen as "tourism" but it's been a very interesting and formative experience for DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The entire process encourages kids to be other than themselves and do things for the wrong reasons. They are not permitted to learn the extreme satisfaction anonymously helping someone because everything is about the app list or NHS or the Eagle project.. it's having the opposite of the intent.

+100
"Mandatory volunteerism" is quite the oxymoron. I absolutely hate the self-promotion and bragging that goes on in the college games race. Volunteering is a great thing - if it's genuinely altruistic. Nowadays, it's just the opposite. Gotta get those hours in, check those boxes, etc. to be competitive for this honor society or that, and especially for college admissions. It's really quite a crock, unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the colleges are looking at who can come up with creative ideas and carry them out. Doesn't have to be altruistic but that's most likely scenario for a teen. So participating in something is nice. Recognizing a problem, finding a solution or treatment, and carrying that out in a sustainable way, that's an indicator for future success.

I've personally witnessed those "creative ideas" and they're such bullshit. It's all about how much the helicopter parents or consultant stretches (I mean "sells") the involvement. Aggressive kids are shameless and spin the most minor self-serving shit into the most impactful community changing involvement. lol

Yep. Or they (or their parents) set up a "non-profit," complete with website, etc. But it's all just a fancy façade.