Anonymous
Post 01/03/2026 16:40     Subject: How do colleges verify activities

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Volunteering without impact will not have any weight in your application. Don’t worry about it.


He definitely has impact.


Then unless he's Batman, there will be another adult outside of this who could attest to this, and he could also document the impact. Should the activity get questioned, there would be evidence of it.


Well yes, obviously there are adults who know he does this. But there's no place on the app, as far as i can tell, to put a reference.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2026 16:39     Subject: How do colleges verify activities

Anonymous wrote:It can’t be that unique.

If he’s worried, have him write an essay about it.


It's not that it's unique, it's rare for a kid his age to do it with the intensity he does it.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2026 16:25     Subject: How do colleges verify activities

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Volunteering without impact will not have any weight in your application. Don’t worry about it.


He definitely has impact.


Then unless he's Batman, there will be another adult outside of this who could attest to this, and he could also document the impact. Should the activity get questioned, there would be evidence of it.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2026 16:24     Subject: Re:How do colleges verify activities

Yes good luck calling a public school with 600 kids in the graduating class. The counselors really get to know the kids!
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2026 16:03     Subject: How do colleges verify activities

Yale is checking by calling college counselors. UCLA is asking for random applicants to upload pdfs of W2 or paystubs to verify jobs. They are doing a lot more verifying this year
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2026 15:59     Subject: How do colleges verify activities

It can’t be that unique.

If he’s worried, have him write an essay about it.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2026 15:58     Subject: How do colleges verify activities

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Volunteering without impact will not have any weight in your application. Don’t worry about it.


He definitely has impact.


Well this year some top 20 started actively verifying applications. Just make sure you have it covered.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2026 15:53     Subject: How do colleges verify activities

Anonymous wrote:Volunteering without impact will not have any weight in your application. Don’t worry about it.


He definitely has impact.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2026 15:53     Subject: How do colleges verify activities

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Generally the first step is they call the school counselor to see what they know.


OP here,

The activity is totally outside of school. He submits it for service learning credit, but honestly that would be easy to forge. Would the counselor do some research?

If the school is accepting it for service learning, the school would vouch for it if asked.


OK fair.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2026 15:53     Subject: How do colleges verify activities

Volunteering without impact will not have any weight in your application. Don’t worry about it.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2026 15:45     Subject: How do colleges verify activities

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Generally the first step is they call the school counselor to see what they know.


OP here,

The activity is totally outside of school. He submits it for service learning credit, but honestly that would be easy to forge. Would the counselor do some research?

If the school is accepting it for service learning, the school would vouch for it if asked.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2026 15:39     Subject: How do colleges verify activities

Anonymous wrote:Generally the first step is they call the school counselor to see what they know.


OP here,

The activity is totally outside of school. He submits it for service learning credit, but honestly that would be easy to forge. Would the counselor do some research?
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2026 15:34     Subject: How do colleges verify activities

Follow up question from another poster: I assume they would only think of checking on it if the candidate was otherwise viable? If they had no chance of getting in, even if it checked out, they wouldn't bother?
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2026 15:30     Subject: How do colleges verify activities

Generally the first step is they call the school counselor to see what they know.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2026 15:27     Subject: How do colleges verify activities

One of my kids does a volunteer activity that, if I posted it here, people would tell me sounds made up. i totally understand why it would sound that way, but he loves it and really does do it.

How would a college know that he's telling the truth?