Benefits of Volunteerism in High School

Summer is the perfect time to volunteer or establish a long-term relationship with an area nonprofit. All high school students can benefit from getting involved throughout their years in high school as opposed to waiting to pad their college applications in their senior year. May is the ideal month to line up volunteer relationships. Learn more about the how’s and why’s of volunteering throughout high school.

Benefits of Volunteerism in High School

Those four years in high school are the perfect time to volunteer. Although it may seem difficult to find the time to volunteer toward a cause that offers no (monetary) payment in return, the benefits drawn from the experience may end up being worth more than what students make working that part-time job. Whether a freshman or senior, it’s never too late to investigate volunteering. If you’d like to use your community service experience as leverage on a college application, the sooner the better! Here are some benefits of volunteerism in high school to assist students in considering the good things about volunteering that may not have been considered.

Impress Admissions Officials

There are a lot of high school students applying to college with impressive academic records. The GPAs and standardized test scores start to matter less especially when students are applying to the more selective schools that include cut-offs when it comes to their admissions requirements. Students are then up against thousands of applicants with the same academic credentials. How do students stand out? What youth choose to do outside of the classroom matters, whether it’s playing sports, working a part-time job, or volunteering their time in their community.

Volunteerism is a great way to show admissions officials that students not only care about the community but are able to manage their time well enough to balance volunteering with other commitments. This doesn’t mean applicants should volunteer all the time or spread oneself thin by volunteering for several different organizations. A sustained commitment to a cause throughout high school or a volunteer position that has been maintained for a longer period will look impressive to admission officials.

Get Involved Outside of School

Getting involved in some volunteer work may introduce students to people they wouldn’t have otherwise met. Lots of high school students focus on extracurricular activities related to their schools – sports, music, and after-school clubs make time management an art. There’s a lot of value in getting involved outside of your school. The more people one meets, especially while doing something worthwhile like volunteering, the more contacts students will have when they’re ready to move on from high school and apply to colleges, internships, and even jobs after you graduate from a university. If as a high school student, they already know their proposed field of study in college, they may try finding volunteer opportunities in those areas. There’s no reason volunteer experience shouldn’t help in future endeavors.

Earn Academic Credit and Scholarships

Some high schools, especially those with career-based curriculums or religious affiliations require that students fulfill a certain number of volunteer hours in order to graduate. Others reward students for choosing to do some volunteer work on their own with academic credit. If the school offers service-learning as a part of the curriculum, students could be eligible for some academic or extra credit if you volunteer your time or get involved with a community service project.

Community service scholarships are one of the more common scholarship categories available. Those awards are not reserved for college students. In fact, there are more community service scholarships available to high school students looking for funding to help pay for that first year on campus. If a student has a history of volunteerism, make sure to consider that in your scholarship search and scholarship application process. Admissions officials aren’t the only people you can impress with that kind of experience. Scholarship administrators like community service records as well.

The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley is a one-stop shop for volunteerism and service-learning. The VCCV represents over 165 nonprofit agencies with numerous volunteer opportunities. In addition, the VCCV offers service-learning in area schools, teaching a hands-on approach to volunteering. Students with an interest in volunteering should call (319) 272-2087, email, or visit www.vccv.org to get involved.