good college essay about volunteering

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The impact of community service – a deep dive into the power of giving back to society.

Community service essays serve as a powerful tool for individuals to reflect on their experiences, values, and impact on the world around them. Through the process of writing about their volunteer work, students are able to articulate the positive changes they have made in their communities and explore the lessons they have learned along the way.

Community service essays also play a crucial role in highlighting the importance of giving back to society and fostering a sense of empathy and compassion in individuals. By sharing personal stories of service, students can inspire others to get involved and make a difference in their own communities.

Moreover, community service essays can help students gain valuable skills such as critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving, as they reflect on the challenges and successes of their volunteer experiences. By documenting their service work, students can also showcase their commitment to social responsibility and community engagement to colleges, scholarship committees, and potential employers.

Why Community Service Essays Matter

In today’s society, the importance of community service essays cannot be overstated. These essays serve as a platform for individuals to showcase their dedication to helping others and making a positive impact on their communities. Through these essays, individuals can share their experiences, insights, and perspectives on the value of giving back to society.

Community service essays also play a crucial role in raising awareness about different social issues and encouraging others to get involved in volunteer work. By sharing personal stories and reflections, individuals can inspire and motivate others to take action and contribute to the betterment of society.

Furthermore, community service essays provide an opportunity for individuals to reflect on their own values, beliefs, and goals. Through the process of writing these essays, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their place in the world, leading to personal growth and development.

In conclusion, community service essays matter because they have the power to inspire change, raise awareness, and promote personal growth. By sharing their stories and insights, individuals can make a difference in their communities and create a more compassionate and giving society.

The Impact of Community Service Essays

Community service essays have a profound impact on both the individuals writing them and the communities they serve. These essays serve as a platform for students to reflect on their experiences and articulate the lessons they have learned through their service work.

One of the primary impacts of community service essays is the opportunity for self-reflection. Students are encouraged to critically analyze their experiences, challenges, and accomplishments during their community service activities. This reflection helps students develop a deeper understanding of themselves, their values, and their role in the community.

Another significant impact of community service essays is the awareness they raise about social issues and community needs. By sharing their stories and insights, students can shed light on important issues and inspire others to get involved in community service. These essays can also help community organizations and stakeholders better understand the needs of their communities and how they can address them effectively.

Overall, community service essays play a vital role in promoting social responsibility, empathy, and civic engagement. They empower students to make a positive impact in their communities and contribute to creating a more compassionate and inclusive society.

Guidelines for Writing Community Service Essays

When writing a community service essay, it is important to follow certain guidelines to ensure that your message is clear and impactful. Here are some tips to help you craft a powerful and compelling essay:

Start by brainstorming ideas and reflecting on your community service experiences.
Clearly define the purpose of your essay and what you hope to convey to your readers.
Organize your essay with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.
Use specific examples and anecdotes to support your points and showcase your personal growth.
Highlight the impact of your community service activities on both yourself and others.
Showcase your passion and dedication to serving your community.
Be authentic and honest in your writing, and avoid exaggerating or embellishing your experiences.
Edit and proofread your essay carefully to ensure clarity, coherence, and proper grammar.

Examples of Effective Community Service Essays

Community service essays can have a powerful impact on the reader when they are well-written and thoughtful. Here are a few examples to inspire you:

1. A Well-Structured Essay:

This essay begins with a compelling introduction that clearly articulates the author’s motivation for engaging in community service. The body paragraphs provide specific examples of the author’s experiences and the impact they had on both the community and themselves. The conclusion ties everything together, reflecting on the lessons learned and the importance of giving back.

2. Personal Reflection:

This essay delves deep into the author’s personal experiences during their community service work. It explores the challenges they faced, the emotions they encountered, and the growth they underwent. By sharing vulnerable moments and candid reflections, the author creates a connection with the reader and demonstrates the transformational power of service.

3. Future Goals and Impact:

This essay not only discusses past community service experiences but also looks toward the future. The author shares their aspirations for continued service and outlines how they plan to make a difference in the world. By showcasing a sense of purpose and vision, this essay inspires the reader to consider their own potential for impact.

These examples illustrate how community service essays can be effective tools for conveying meaningful stories, inspiring others, and showcasing personal growth. By crafting a compelling narrative and reflecting on the significance of service, you can create an essay that leaves a lasting impression.

How Community Service Essays Empower Individuals

Community service essays provide individuals with a platform to express their thoughts, share their experiences, and make a meaningful impact on society. By writing about their volunteer work and the lessons they have learned, individuals can empower themselves to create positive change and inspire others to do the same.

Through community service essays, individuals can reflect on the importance of giving back to their communities and the value of helping those in need.
These essays can serve as a source of motivation and inspiration for individuals to continue their philanthropic efforts and make a difference in the world.
By sharing their stories through community service essays, individuals can raise awareness about social issues and promote greater empathy and understanding among their peers.

Overall, community service essays empower individuals to take action, advocate for change, and contribute to building a more compassionate and equitable society.

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Last updated June 13, 2023

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Blog > Application Strategy , Common App , Personal Statement > 4 Questions to Ask Before Writing a College Essay About Volunteering

4 Questions to Ask Before Writing a College Essay About Volunteering

Admissions officer reviewed by Ben Bousquet, M.Ed Former Vanderbilt University

Written by Alex McNeil, MA Admissions Consultant

Key Takeaway

You know that colleges are on the search for students who will be good community members, so writing about your volunteer work or community service probably seems like an obvious choice. But with a common topic like volunteering, it’s easy for your essay to fall flat.

If you’re thinking about writing your Common App essay about volunteering, you should consider asking yourself these five questions before making your final topic selection.

College Essays About Volunteering are Common

Let’s face it. Most high school students have done some kind of volunteer work. Many high schools even require students to complete volunteer hours before they can graduate.

Community service + college essay = home run, right?

Well, not necessarily.

Because volunteering is such a common experience, it’s not a particularly unique topic to write your college essay about. We explain in our guide to college essays that you don’t have to write about a unique topic to write a great college essay. But if you choose one of the really common topics—which volunteering is—then you’ll have a more challenging time writing an essay that stands out.

Questions to Ask Yourself

So, is volunteering the right topic for you? The following four questions will help you decide.

1. Is the experience I’m writing about one that genuinely changed my life in a tangible way that can be explained with specific examples?

The volunteer experience you write about shouldn’t be one-off or surface-level. If it’s important enough to write your college essay on, then it should have deeply impacted you.

You should also be able to draw out salient stories or examples.

2. Am I passionate about continuing to devote my time to this cause in the future?

A “yes” to this question ensures that you’re crafting a good cohesive application narrative . The cause you’re volunteering for should be one you’re passionate about.

3. Is this the best story I have to tell, and is it the one that will say the most about me to an admissions committee?

When coming up with a college essay topic, it’s always important to ask this question. If you have another topic that would better explain who you are and why to an admissions committee, then it’s worth re-considering.

4. Is the story I want to tell one that I can and should center myself in?

Finally, this last question is an important one. Sometimes college essays about volunteering come across as inauthentic when the writer comes in to save the day. Other essays focus too much on others or inappropriately center the writer. Make sure your volunteering experience lends itself to a personal statement.

If the answer to all of these questions is yes, then write on! If the answer to any of these questions is no, then consider alternative topics .

Good College Essays about Volunteering

Okay, with those questions out of the way, let’s take a look at two ways college essays about volunteering can stand out.

Passion and Community Fit

Community fit is why most applicants write about volunteering in the first place. You want to show admissions officers that you’re a good person who knows how to engage with your community. What better way to do that than by showing them your tangible actions?

When your volunteer experience speaks to a part of your application narrative , then it can work to strengthen how an admissions officer understands who you are.

Let’s say you’re an aspiring elementary education major who was deeply impacted by your volunteer work tutoring a second grader in your school’s mentorship program. Awesome! Your volunteer work aligns with a clear passion, and it makes sense in the broader scope of your application.

Or maybe you’re applying to a computer science program and volunteered your time to create a website for your local food bank. Amazing—an admissions officer will clearly see how your volunteer work coheres with your values and academic goals.

Exceptional Accomplishment

The other great reason to write about your volunteer work is if you have a related outstanding accomplishment. Remember: the key to writing about your extracurricular activities is showing your magnitude, reach, and impact . If you’ve had a significant effect on others through volunteering, then it can be a great way to show admissions officers the extent of your involvement.

So what might magnitude, reach, or impact in volunteering look like? Maybe you raised thousands of dollars for an organization. Maybe it was even an organization that you started. Or perhaps you spearheaded a massive initiative, coordinated hundreds of volunteers, or designed a new way of helping others. Maybe your work made it to the local or national media, or maybe you were awarded a leadership position for your efforts.

Tangible, actionable, and quantifiable accomplishments that go beyond the four walls of your school can help you stand out to the admissions committee.

Key Takeaways

At best, essays about volunteering can showcase your passion, compassion, and community fit for an institution. But they can also be generic essays that get lost in the crowd. At worst, they can be reductive in how they discuss complex social issues.

Writing about volunteering will be in your best interest when it is a core part of your application narrative or it demonstrates exceptional reach, magnitude, or impact. Otherwise, try brainstorming other college essay topics .

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Volunteering: How Helping Others Helps You

Find the right college for you., how volunteerism helps others and you.

Volunteering has a positive effect on your community—and it’s good for you too! Ben, a first-year college student who participated in volunteer fundraising, calls it, “a win-win situation.”

"You feel good because you're helping others,” he said, “Plus, the people you’re helping are getting their needs met.”

Reasons to Choose Volunteer Work as an Extracurricular Activity

Giving back to your community is valuable in itself. Helping others also offers you many benefits. For example, it can help you learn more about yourself while exploring new interests. Volunteering in your community can even put you on the path to a career . Read on to learn more reasons to volunteer.

Gain Valuable Life Experience and Skills

Whether you build houses for people with homes or mail flyers for a local politician, you’re gaining real-world experience. In addition, while volunteering in your community, you have the opportunity to explore college majors as well as career interests.

For example, as a first-year premed student, Gregory spent his summer volunteering at a local health clinic. He picked a clinic in a Spanish-speaking area so he could practice his language skills while observing medical professionals. He also took time to ask the doctors questions.

Meet Interesting People and Build Contacts

You receive valuable insights from the people you’re helping as well as your fellow volunteers. Also, you benefit from exposure to the different perspectives of the people you work with while volunteering.

Get Academic Credit

Some high schools offer academic credit for volunteer work through service learning. This is a program that offers hands-on learning through service to the community. To find out if your school offers service learning, talk to your school counselor.

Show Colleges That You’re Committed

Your volunteer work showcases your interests and character to college admissions officers. Listing your volunteer work on college applications conveys the leadership skills and value you’ll bring to their campus.

Make a Difference

It’s eye-opening to realize that doing even small things can have a big impact on others. Rhea, a college sophomore, remembers a visit she made to a senior home with her middle school’s choir.

“An elderly man in a wheelchair looked up at me after the last strains of ‘Frosty the Snowman’ and said in a gravelly voice, ‘You’ve made my day. This means so much.’” She recalls, “No one had ever thanked me in such a way for doing something so small, and a stranger no less!”

What to Do Before You Volunteer

To get the most out of your experience, ask yourself these questions before you get involved with an organization:

What have I done in the past that I’ve enjoyed?
What do I want to do as a volunteer?—And what would I rule out doing?
How much time can I commit?
What talents or skills can I offer?
What kinds of people do I want to work with?
What would I most like to learn by volunteering?
How can I help my community as a student?

How to Get Involved in Volunteering

Here are some ways to get started:

Visit the websites of service organizations in your area to see what opportunities/needs they have for volunteers. Or call programs based in your community to ask if they need help.
Visit your town’s website. It may list volunteer opportunities in your area and offer inspiration on how to help others in your community.
Contact a local museum or other types of cultural institutions that can point you in the right direction.
Ask libraries, religious organizations, hospitals, and community colleges if they sponsor any volunteer groups.

Check out these websites to learn more about causes and to find volunteer opportunities near you:

United We Serve
Network for Good
VolunteerMatch
DoSomething.org

What kind of volunteering looks good on college applications?

Volunteer work that centers on helping your community looks good on college applications. It’s a good idea to think about how to help others in your community while considering your own interests. If you like to work with animals, volunteering at your local animal shelter is a great idea. If you want to learn more about the medical field, volunteer in a local hospital or medical clinic.

Do colleges check if you actually volunteered?

Some college admissions officers are more diligent than others about confirming volunteer work on student applications. But if you list volunteer activities you didn’t participate in, you’re running the risk of being caught in a lie. If this happens, college admissions officers are going to wonder whether you have any other false information on your application. A great way to show that your claims are genuine is to write about your volunteering experiences in your college essay.

What age group is most likely to volunteer?

According to a 2015 Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, the group most likely to volunteer are people aged 65 and older. People aged 15–24, which includes most high schoolers, volunteer about half as often as their 65 and older counterparts. By volunteering and helping others while in high school, you're showing a willingness to stand out, both statistically and otherwise, from your peers.

What does volunteering teach you?

Volunteering can teach you empathy for others and how your unique skills and talents can really help your community. Volunteering also gives you the opportunity to explore your interests and potential careers, as well as learning from professionals in the field. From picking up roadside litter to walking a dog at the animal shelter, your time volunteering can make a difference!

Home / Essay Samples / Life / Experience / Volunteering

Volunteering Essay Examples

An essay on volunteering serves as a platform to explore the selfless act of contributing time, skills, and effort for the betterment of others and the community. The purpose of such an essay is to highlight the meaningful impact of volunteering, showcase the values it fosters, and inspire readers to engage in acts of service. Essays on volunteering emphasize the importance of empathy, compassion, and social responsibility, while also addressing the personal growth and fulfillment that volunteers experience. Promotion of Social Good One of the primary goals of an essay on volunteering is to promote the concept of social good and community welfare. These essays shed light on the positive change that volunteers bring to various social, environmental, and humanitarian causes, showcasing the power of collective action. Essays about volunteering emphasize the values of empathy and compassion that underlie acts of service. They encourage readers to step into the shoes of others, understand their challenges, and offer assistance to alleviate their hardships. Volunteering essay examples aim to inspire readers to take action and become active participants in their communities. These essays showcase how even small contributions can make a significant difference, encouraging readers to get involved and contribute their skills and time to causes they care about. Structure of an Essay on Volunteering:

Introduction: Begin with an engaging introduction that introduces the topic of volunteering and provides context for its significance. Thesis Statement: Include a clear thesis statement that outlines the main points you will address in the essay. Body Paragraphs: Divide the body of the essay into paragraphs that discuss different aspects of volunteering. This could include personal experiences, benefits of volunteering, impact on the community, and the values it fosters. Real-Life Examples: Include specific examples of volunteer work or organizations to illustrate your points. Personal Reflection: Share your personal reflections on the impact of volunteering, whether you’ve volunteered yourself or witnessed its effects. Encouragement and Call to Action: Conclude the essay by encouraging readers to consider volunteering and offering suggestions for getting involved.

An essay about volunteering serves as a reminder of the positive impact that individuals can have on society by giving back. By discussing the values, benefits, and personal growth associated with volunteering, these essays motivate readers to engage in acts of service that contribute to a more compassionate and harmonious world.

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About Volunteering

A volunteer is someone who does work without being paid for it, because they want to do it. Volunteering is an act of an individual or group freely giving time and labour for community service.

Formal. Governance. Non-formal. Social action. Project based.

Volunteering is important as it offers essential help to worthwhile causes, people in need, and the wider community. Volunteering combats depression, and helps stay physically healthy.

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