TIP OF THE WEEK - March 1

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF VOLUNTEER / COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS
 
One way to “beef up” your resume and to gain insight into possible majors and careers is to work in a volunteer or community service capacity over the summer.  Taking up a service project for a few hours, days or weeks will help you to get a feel for what a particular career involves and will also allow you to give back to your community.  

There are two degrees of volunteering which include Active and Passive types.

Active volunteering is when a student creates and leads a project and carries it through to the end. For example, a student from Minnesota started a nonprofit organization that collected used computers and refurbished them. The computers were then donated with internet access to economically disadvantaged families in the community. This experience required hours of investment and energy.

A Passive volunteer experience is donating time to different experiences on a smaller level. An example of this type of volunteering is a walk-a-thon where only a few hours are served. Helping in a hospital or summer school program, although possibly a passive volunteer experience will help students to understand the positions offered at these institutions and may influence their decision to pursue these types of careers.

Also, in addition to building character, on-going community service and volunteerism shows a commitment that many colleges value.  It could give your application the extra edge over competition that you may need to be admitted to the college of your choice.  There are also many scholarships available based on community service. 

Lastly, if you cannot find a way to volunteer in a setting of your choice, you should commit to spending a few hours chatting with someone in a position you are interested in.