Anonymous
Post 01/18/2024 14:58     Subject: Volunteering question
Anonymous wrote:My dd doesn't have a lot of extra curriculars. She did all her volunteer hours with a local charity over two years, and I currently still volunteer there. She comes along and helps me once in a blue moon when she has no commitments. I am pretty stressed out by it because I go regularly and it always ends up conflicting with something for dh or dss, meaning I have to miss out on other things, rush, do the volunteering, rush again, juggle something else, and I work full time. My reasoning for continuing even though it is stressful is that dd can then say she did it for all of high school, which is the truth since she still comes with me sometimes. If I stop, then they will give our responsibilities to someone else and she cannot go anymore, or put it as an EC for college. If you were me, would you continue, or just accept dd will have almost no ECs to list?


ECs don't really matter unless it is something the student has been doing for a while and is passionate about and hopefully led to a leadership/key role over that time. E.g. Science Olympiad or Robotics for 6 years, won awards, team captain, etc; Theater for 4 years, lead actor, thespian society officer; Baseketball for 6 years, travel team, team captain, won championships 2 out of 6 years; Beyond that, everything else is just noise.

Focus on GPA, rigor and test scores (yes, test scores). Matters waaaaayyy more than any EC.
Anonymous
Post 01/18/2024 14:23     Subject: Volunteering question
You are nuts to volunteer every week so that once every two months your DD can show up for an hour and then claim she volunteered all through HS. Let her plot her own course.
Anonymous
Post 01/18/2024 14:17     Subject: Volunteering question
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Common app asks how many hours per week and weeks per year she did the activity. If her answer is "1 hour per week, 2 weeks per year," it's not worth the stress for you.

Sure, schools like consistency in activities, but they care more about students' interest in their activities. It doesn't sound like this activity is important to your DD.


Right, it's not. Should she commit to it then over other things to have a solid activity on her app? Right now she has a fall and a spring sport, and one club (she is treasurer). That's it. Does she have chances anywhere with this little going on, very good great, mediocre SAT (I realize she has zero chances at top 50 or maybe even 100 colleges)


A volunteer role that means little to her and that she does "once in a blue moon" is not going to tip her into an acceptance ay any college.


I am asking if I should tell her to prioritize this over something else, then it would be a regular commitment.


No, she should focus on activities (volunteering or not) that mean something to her.
Anonymous
Post 01/18/2024 14:11     Subject: Re:Volunteering question
Ideally, volunteering would be something your student is interested in. One of the reasons I disliked the volunteering requirement for my student was it ended up just checking boxes to get hours and it wasn't until their last summer that they found things that they enjoyed. What our student did do was identify what it was about the particular organization they were volunteering for and included that as part of their broader "mission". If this is something you enjoy but just don't have the time right now, then don't do it. Honestly life is too short to try and fill in stuff "because". Wait until your student is off to college and re-invent yourself and your interests then.
Anonymous
Post 01/18/2024 14:08     Subject: Volunteering question
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Common app asks how many hours per week and weeks per year she did the activity. If her answer is "1 hour per week, 2 weeks per year," it's not worth the stress for you.

Sure, schools like consistency in activities, but they care more about students' interest in their activities. It doesn't sound like this activity is important to your DD.


Right, it's not. Should she commit to it then over other things to have a solid activity on her app? Right now she has a fall and a spring sport, and one club (she is treasurer). That's it. Does she have chances anywhere with this little going on, very good great, mediocre SAT (I realize she has zero chances at top 50 or maybe even 100 colleges)


Many colleges even in the Top 100 don't really care if you have done much of anything with respect to ECs. Her grades and SAT scores are perhaps a bigger concern.

A school like Michigan State has a 90% acceptance rate and is ranked 60th.
Anonymous
Post 01/18/2024 13:53     Subject: Volunteering question
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Common app asks how many hours per week and weeks per year she did the activity. If her answer is "1 hour per week, 2 weeks per year," it's not worth the stress for you.

Sure, schools like consistency in activities, but they care more about students' interest in their activities. It doesn't sound like this activity is important to your DD.


Right, it's not. Should she commit to it then over other things to have a solid activity on her app? Right now she has a fall and a spring sport, and one club (she is treasurer). That's it. Does she have chances anywhere with this little going on, very good great, mediocre SAT (I realize she has zero chances at top 50 or maybe even 100 colleges)


A volunteer role that means little to her and that she does "once in a blue moon" is not going to tip her into an acceptance ay any college.


I am asking if I should tell her to prioritize this over something else, then it would be a regular commitment.

an hour a month or whatever weak commitment really does nothing for the activity section of the college app
Anonymous
Post 01/18/2024 13:52     Subject: Volunteering question
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Common app asks how many hours per week and weeks per year she did the activity. If her answer is "1 hour per week, 2 weeks per year," it's not worth the stress for you.

Sure, schools like consistency in activities, but they care more about students' interest in their activities. It doesn't sound like this activity is important to your DD.


Right, it's not. Should she commit to it then over other things to have a solid activity on her app? Right now she has a fall and a spring sport, and one club (she is treasurer). That's it. Does she have chances anywhere with this little going on, very good great, mediocre SAT (I realize she has zero chances at top 50 or maybe even 100 colleges)


The majority of schools accept almost all applicants. There is a school for everyone, even if she stops pretending to be someone that she's not. She isn't meaningfully participating in this activity regardless of how much you try. Do it or not based on whether it's important to you, not for any other reason.



I actually really love it, but I am only continuing because of her at this point because the scheduling stress is getting to me.
Anonymous
Post 01/18/2024 13:51     Subject: Volunteering question
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Common app asks how many hours per week and weeks per year she did the activity. If her answer is "1 hour per week, 2 weeks per year," it's not worth the stress for you.

Sure, schools like consistency in activities, but they care more about students' interest in their activities. It doesn't sound like this activity is important to your DD.


Right, it's not. Should she commit to it then over other things to have a solid activity on her app? Right now she has a fall and a spring sport, and one club (she is treasurer). That's it. Does she have chances anywhere with this little going on, very good great, mediocre SAT (I realize she has zero chances at top 50 or maybe even 100 colleges)


A volunteer role that means little to her and that she does "once in a blue moon" is not going to tip her into an acceptance ay any college.


I am asking if I should tell her to prioritize this over something else, then it would be a regular commitment.
Anonymous
Post 01/18/2024 13:49     Subject: Volunteering question
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Common app asks how many hours per week and weeks per year she did the activity. If her answer is "1 hour per week, 2 weeks per year," it's not worth the stress for you.

Sure, schools like consistency in activities, but they care more about students' interest in their activities. It doesn't sound like this activity is important to your DD.


Right, it's not. Should she commit to it then over other things to have a solid activity on her app? Right now she has a fall and a spring sport, and one club (she is treasurer). That's it. Does she have chances anywhere with this little going on, very good great, mediocre SAT (I realize she has zero chances at top 50 or maybe even 100 colleges)


The majority of schools accept almost all applicants. There is a school for everyone, even if she stops pretending to be someone that she's not. She isn't meaningfully participating in this activity regardless of how much you try. Do it or not based on whether it's important to you, not for any other reason.
Anonymous
Post 01/18/2024 13:48     Subject: Volunteering question
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Common app asks how many hours per week and weeks per year she did the activity. If her answer is "1 hour per week, 2 weeks per year," it's not worth the stress for you.

Sure, schools like consistency in activities, but they care more about students' interest in their activities. It doesn't sound like this activity is important to your DD.


Right, it's not. Should she commit to it then over other things to have a solid activity on her app? Right now she has a fall and a spring sport, and one club (she is treasurer). That's it. Does she have chances anywhere with this little going on, very good great, mediocre SAT (I realize she has zero chances at top 50 or maybe even 100 colleges)


A volunteer role that means little to her and that she does "once in a blue moon" is not going to tip her into an acceptance ay any college.
Anonymous
Post 01/18/2024 13:45     Subject: Volunteering question
Anonymous wrote:Common app asks how many hours per week and weeks per year she did the activity. If her answer is "1 hour per week, 2 weeks per year," it's not worth the stress for you.

Sure, schools like consistency in activities, but they care more about students' interest in their activities. It doesn't sound like this activity is important to your DD.


Right, it's not. Should she commit to it then over other things to have a solid activity on her app? Right now she has a fall and a spring sport, and one club (she is treasurer). That's it. Does she have chances anywhere with this little going on, very good great, mediocre SAT (I realize she has zero chances at top 50 or maybe even 100 colleges)
Anonymous
Post 01/18/2024 13:44     Subject: Volunteering question
most ppl make this one up
Anonymous
Post 01/18/2024 13:43     Subject: Volunteering question
Common app asks how many hours per week and weeks per year she did the activity. If her answer is "1 hour per week, 2 weeks per year," it's not worth the stress for you.

Sure, schools like consistency in activities, but they care more about students' interest in their activities. It doesn't sound like this activity is important to your DD.
Anonymous
Post 01/18/2024 13:37     Subject: Volunteering question
Just accept it. Her choice. You don't need to run yourself ragged for something so minor.
Anonymous
Post 01/18/2024 13:35     Subject: Volunteering question
My dd doesn't have a lot of extra curriculars. She did all her volunteer hours with a local charity over two years, and I currently still volunteer there. She comes along and helps me once in a blue moon when she has no commitments. I am pretty stressed out by it because I go regularly and it always ends up conflicting with something for dh or dss, meaning I have to miss out on other things, rush, do the volunteering, rush again, juggle something else, and I work full time. My reasoning for continuing even though it is stressful is that dd can then say she did it for all of high school, which is the truth since she still comes with me sometimes. If I stop, then they will give our responsibilities to someone else and she cannot go anymore, or put it as an EC for college. If you were me, would you continue, or just accept dd will have almost no ECs to list?