Our Career Consultant tells you how important community service is for admissions to US universities

"How can I increase my chances of getting admission to a college?" is a commonly asked question by high school students. One of the ways you can score with the admission committee is by highlighting the community service you have done. Your excellent past academic performance, standardised test scores and extracurricular activities will certainly get your foot through the door butadding community service to your profile will increase your chances of getting into the college.

Many US colleges and universities now offer full scholarships for students who demonstrate exceptional community service. Admission officers are looking for students who have served their community and who will continue to do community service when they arrive on the college campus. According to ACT (American College Testing) chief executive officer, Richard L Ferguson,“When teachers get involved right away, students begin the process of cultivating relationships with faculty and other students. In doing this, students gain fundamental skills such as leadership and the importance of giving back to the community. This is why many high schools now require some form of service learning to graduate.”

Students wonder what community service has to do with admission decisions? Community service demonstrates to the admission committee that a student has a strong sense of responsibility and wants to give back to the community. By doing volunteer work, students interact with people from different backgrounds and hence their learning process in enriched. Often, students learn teamwork and leadership from the community service they have done.

Some of the organisations where you can do community service inMumbai are:
Akansha– caters to street children
Fellowship of the Physically Challenged
National Association of the Blind
Cancer hospitals
Old age homes