For those of you who want to go to college, the competition has never been more fierce.  For that, we heartily apologize—there are some scary statistics out there. This article, “Why Has College Admissions Become So Competitive” illuminates what’s going on. In 2008, Harvard’s admission rate for the Class of 2012 was just 7.1% and for UCLA, the admission rate was less than 23%.  These are not inspiring statistics for the millions of students who are applying for University admissions each year.  If you are feeling a little daunted by the whole process, we don’t blame you.

One thing that can help to improve your college application, and your life in general, is to become a volunteer.  If you start volunteering now, you can use those hours to expose yourself to real world situations. Not only will you be helping others, you will be receiving an education that can’t be provided in the classroom.

3 Things To Ask Yourself Before Becoming a Volunteer.

1.  Am I a People Person or Not?  

Some of the most common volunteer work that is done by high school students involves helping other people.  Things like Meals on Wheels, Boys & Girls Club, or Habitat for Humanity are all examples of those.  But not everyone is a “people person.”  Perhaps you are shy, you love hard physical labor, or you enjoy being outdoors in the summertime.  There are great opportunities for you to volunteer as well.  The National Parks Service, state and county parks, are always looking for volunteers.  Your local library or museum is probably looking for summer volunteers.  There are all kinds of ways to volunteer behind the scenes and out of the public eye.

2. Do I Want To Travel?

Do you love to travel? Have you always wanted to do it? There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer abroad as well. Traveling abroad can help you to learn another language—another major bonus in the university application department.  It also exposes you to all kinds of new places, people, and experiences.  You will never be the same once you have spent time in a foreign country.  Your life will be enriched, and that enrichment will be reflected in your future academic endeavors.

Check out these websites:
Volunteer Abroad – Community Service Trips for Teens
Projects Abroad
Summer Abroad Programs For High School Kids

3.  What Do I Like To Do?

This is a great question in general.  What do you truly enjoy doing? Think about what really makes you happy and then try to find volunteer work in that field.  Not only will this give you those much needed volunteer hours, it also puts you to work in a potential career field.  It might help you determine what you do and do not want to major in once you get to college.

We tried searching a variety of “things to do” and how one could go about getting volunteer work in those areas—check this out:

“Volunteer Work Playing Video Games”
“Volunteer Work Going Shopping”
“Volunteer Dog Walking”

Granted, these particular volunteer opportunities for teens might not be in your location, but the point is that the volunteer work is out there.  Keep looking and searching for things that would be up your alley, and you will be rewarded.

College application competition has never been greater. But the more you know who you are and what you want out of life, the better chance you have of getting into the university that offers programs geared towards you.  Volunteer work can be a great way to learn what it is you like to do and give you the experience you need to take it to the next level.