SSL Hours question

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of kids do service, but don't bother turning in the SSL forms once they've hit the minimum.

They do not realize that this is a record of activities that gives them the opportunity to showcase their accomplishments in a college application or even an internship/apprenticeship opportunity. Not everyone has to be a top athlete, spelling bee champion or a musician. You can show your interest in any field by doing service and outreach.

In the end, it is difficult to help kids who do not want to help themselves.

That's BS. Just because you don't record your service hours above the min doesn't mean that they won't count on a college app where you list your activities.

Don't you agree that it is better to have official, written proof of the volunteer hours just in case? Anyone could say on their college applications "yeah, I have 500 hours of community service at x, y and z" but have no proof. Wouldn't it be better to say on your application "yeah, I have 500 hours of community service at x, y and z. I also earned the Superintendent's Award, special tassle and I earned the Silver Trefoil award from Girl Scouts (a volunteering award)"

NP here. I see your point, but I still come down on the side that the tassel and MCPS recognition of the hours doesn't mean much. It's fairly easy to rack up a lot of hours, for example my kid got about 105 hours for being a camp counselor for 3 weeks. That's almost halfway to the goal, and I don't think what she did was particularly meaningful, and certainly did not show dedication to a goal. So for some kids, a lot of service hours is in fact meaningful, but the way to tell that is from what their recommendations say and their essays explaining their actual work. If I were evaluating applicants for something, the recorded SSL hours would have minimal impact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of kids do service, but don't bother turning in the SSL forms once they've hit the minimum.

They do not realize that this is a record of activities that gives them the opportunity to showcase their accomplishments in a college application or even an internship/apprenticeship opportunity. Not everyone has to be a top athlete, spelling bee champion or a musician. You can show your interest in any field by doing service and outreach.

In the end, it is difficult to help kids who do not want to help themselves.

That's BS. Just because you don't record your service hours above the min doesn't mean that they won't count on a college app where you list your activities.

Don't you agree that it is better to have official, written proof of the volunteer hours just in case? Anyone could say on their college applications "yeah, I have 500 hours of community service at x, y and z" but have no proof. Wouldn't it be better to say on your application "yeah, I have 500 hours of community service at x, y and z. I also earned the Superintendent's Award, special tassle and I earned the Silver Trefoil award from Girl Scouts (a volunteering award)"

NP here. I see your point, but I still come down on the side that the tassel and MCPS recognition of the hours doesn't mean much. It's fairly easy to rack up a lot of hours, for example my kid got about 105 hours for being a camp counselor for 3 weeks. That's almost halfway to the goal, and I don't think what she did was particularly meaningful, and certainly did not show dedication to a goal. So for some kids, a lot of service hours is in fact meaningful, but the way to tell that is from what their recommendations say and their essays explaining their actual work. If I were evaluating applicants for something, the recorded SSL hours would have minimal impact.

SSL hours by themselves do not mean much. Documented SSL hours in HS, in positions of leadership, in areas of interest, in roles/action/scope that evolves/expands over time, can add significantly to the narrative of the motivations/growth/interest of the student in essays as well as interviews.

When organizations like National Honor Society ask for 40, 60, 100 hours of SSL hours from Juniors or Seniors with excellent GPA, they do not just need SSL hours, what they are signalling is that they want students who have deep, meaningful interests outside academics and they also have a social consciousness and desire to give back. This is precisely the thing that colleges want, this is precisely the stuff the National Merit Scholar finalist needs to provide.

Those who are aware and clued in or have outsourced their child's college admission to paid college counselors, know what this means. Not all SSL hours are the same in HS. Substantial number of documented SSL hours tied in with activities that you will expound on in your college essays trump SSL hours in one off service events. That is the reason I always advice people to make sure that their child does a lot of activities (a lot of small, one off events) and finish all of their SSL requirements in MS. In HS, they should concentrate on the activities that speaks deeply to them, so that they can talk about them in their college essays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of kids do service, but don't bother turning in the SSL forms once they've hit the minimum.

They do not realize that this is a record of activities that gives them the opportunity to showcase their accomplishments in a college application or even an internship/apprenticeship opportunity. Not everyone has to be a top athlete, spelling bee champion or a musician. You can show your interest in any field by doing service and outreach.

In the end, it is difficult to help kids who do not want to help themselves.

That's BS. Just because you don't record your service hours above the min doesn't mean that they won't count on a college app where you list your activities.

Don't you agree that it is better to have official, written proof of the volunteer hours just in case? Anyone could say on their college applications "yeah, I have 500 hours of community service at x, y and z" but have no proof. Wouldn't it be better to say on your application "yeah, I have 500 hours of community service at x, y and z. I also earned the Superintendent's Award, special tassle and I earned the Silver Trefoil award from Girl Scouts (a volunteering award)"

NP here. I see your point, but I still come down on the side that the tassel and MCPS recognition of the hours doesn't mean much. It's fairly easy to rack up a lot of hours, for example my kid got about 105 hours for being a camp counselor for 3 weeks. That's almost halfway to the goal, and I don't think what she did was particularly meaningful, and certainly did not show dedication to a goal. So for some kids, a lot of service hours is in fact meaningful, but the way to tell that is from what their recommendations say and their essays explaining their actual work. If I were evaluating applicants for something, the recorded SSL hours would have minimal impact.

SSL hours by themselves do not mean much. Documented SSL hours in HS, in positions of leadership, in areas of interest, in roles/action/scope that evolves/expands over time, can add significantly to the narrative of the motivations/growth/interest of the student in essays as well as interviews.

When organizations like National Honor Society ask for 40, 60, 100 hours of SSL hours from Juniors or Seniors with excellent GPA, they do not just need SSL hours, what they are signalling is that they want students who have deep, meaningful interests outside academics and they also have a social consciousness and desire to give back. This is precisely the thing that colleges want, this is precisely the stuff the National Merit Scholar finalist needs to provide.

Those who are aware and clued in or have outsourced their child's college admission to paid college counselors, know what this means. Not all SSL hours are the same in HS. Substantial number of documented SSL hours tied in with activities that you will expound on in your college essays trump SSL hours in one off service events. That is the reason I always advice people to make sure that their child does a lot of activities (a lot of small, one off events) and finish all of their SSL requirements in MS. In HS, they should concentrate on the activities that speaks deeply to them, so that they can talk about them in their college essays.

thats a bit boring and predictable. I'd much rather read a college essay that was not about service.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just looked--our high school says 45 hours for NHS.

Wow. A 2017 Blair application I see online says 120 hours...
Service Hour Requirement (at least 120 SSL hours)

[Anonymous]

Yes, Blair you need 120hours.and leadership position. All schools are different, which is weird.

[Anonymous]

Is there any award for getting SSL hours in MCPS other than the 260 hours?

[Anonymous]

My DD is a senior and has racked up about 800 documented SSL hours. She is also involved in community activities that are not MCPS SSL certified. What is the maximum SSL hours someone has accumulated in MCPS?

[Anonymous]

My sophomore has 310 hours. I want to say they did the majority of the hours while in middle school. She really hasn't done much since entering high school.

It's easy to rack up the points. Find something your child is interested in and volunteer with that or just do summer camps. My eighth grader did two summer camps this past summer and that pushed her well over the edge of the 75 hours.

Thank you for the tip about SSL hours for NHS! I didn't even think of that. Off to find my daughter's high school's requirement.

[Anonymous]

over 100 hours by 7th grade

[Anonymous]

Many states in the US do not require service hours so many of the colleges are going to be less focused on them than you'd hope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of kids do service, but don't bother turning in the SSL forms once they've hit the minimum.

They do not realize that this is a record of activities that gives them the opportunity to showcase their accomplishments in a college application or even an internship/apprenticeship opportunity. Not everyone has to be a top athlete, spelling bee champion or a musician. You can show your interest in any field by doing service and outreach.

In the end, it is difficult to help kids who do not want to help themselves.

That's BS. Just because you don't record your service hours above the min doesn't mean that they won't count on a college app where you list your activities.

Don't you agree that it is better to have official, written proof of the volunteer hours just in case? Anyone could say on their college applications "yeah, I have 500 hours of community service at x, y and z" but have no proof. Wouldn't it be better to say on your application "yeah, I have 500 hours of community service at x, y and z. I also earned the Superintendent's Award, special tassle and I earned the Silver Trefoil award from Girl Scouts (a volunteering award)"

NP here. I see your point, but I still come down on the side that the tassel and MCPS recognition of the hours doesn't mean much. It's fairly easy to rack up a lot of hours, for example my kid got about 105 hours for being a camp counselor for 3 weeks. That's almost halfway to the goal, and I don't think what she did was particularly meaningful, and certainly did not show dedication to a goal. So for some kids, a lot of service hours is in fact meaningful, but the way to tell that is from what their recommendations say and their essays explaining their actual work. If I were evaluating applicants for something, the recorded SSL hours would have minimal impact.

DP

I agree. Not to mention that some of the SSL hours are just straight up bogus. You can pay for your kids to attend a camp and rack up hours.

My neighbor’s kid is a ‘chief intern’ for an organization and gets TONS of hours. Guess who does most of the work? Her mom, lol.

[Anonymous]

The real trick for SSL is to actually learn something that changes your perspective on the world.

Unfortunately, most SSL projects are scut work with only tangential meaning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of kids do service, but don't bother turning in the SSL forms once they've hit the minimum.

They do not realize that this is a record of activities that gives them the opportunity to showcase their accomplishments in a college application or even an internship/apprenticeship opportunity. Not everyone has to be a top athlete, spelling bee champion or a musician. You can show your interest in any field by doing service and outreach.

In the end, it is difficult to help kids who do not want to help themselves.

That's BS. Just because you don't record your service hours above the min doesn't mean that they won't count on a college app where you list your activities.

Don't you agree that it is better to have official, written proof of the volunteer hours just in case? Anyone could say on their college applications "yeah, I have 500 hours of community service at x, y and z" but have no proof. Wouldn't it be better to say on your application "yeah, I have 500 hours of community service at x, y and z. I also earned the Superintendent's Award, special tassle and I earned the Silver Trefoil award from Girl Scouts (a volunteering award)"

Hahaha. A girl scout award? On a college application? No. That’s not better than describing the service itself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of kids do service, but don't bother turning in the SSL forms once they've hit the minimum.

They do not realize that this is a record of activities that gives them the opportunity to showcase their accomplishments in a college application or even an internship/apprenticeship opportunity. Not everyone has to be a top athlete, spelling bee champion or a musician. You can show your interest in any field by doing service and outreach.

In the end, it is difficult to help kids who do not want to help themselves.

That's BS. Just because you don't record your service hours above the min doesn't mean that they won't count on a college app where you list your activities.

For MCPS, the hours are listed on the student's copy of their transcript. I am not sure, but if they are listed on the Official Transcript, I would not want to be putting a different figure on my kid's Common App.

[Anonymous]

YMCA CIT summer camp. DS attended there since K, and then wanted to spend two summers as an LIT and CIT. He so enjoyed being a camper that he wanted to "give back" beyond the 75 hours (as many kids did the minimum) .