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Did you know that every year the United States Government specially recognizes high school students for their community service contributions?

Each year the President’s Council awards the Presidential Volunteer Service Award.  This prestigious honor, which ranks high on college admissions officers’ radars, honors students who have devoted at least 100 hours in one calendar year to service.  There are three levels of recognition:

Bronze Level:  100-174 hours in one calendar year

Silver Level:  175-249 hours in one calendar year

Gold Level:  250+ hours in one calendar year

Your hours must be verified by a Certifying Organization – but almost any nonprofit or charity can become one if they are not already.  Here’s where to get info about becoming a Certifying Organization: www.presidentialservicesawards.gov.  All-in-One Academics is a Certifying Organization, and can verify hours of its students who have made the service hours requirements.

The second service award available is called The Congressional Service award and this one is additive, so you can start as early as 13 ½ years old and the hours will stack up on top of one another.  At each milestone, you’ll get a new award.  The awards come as certificates or as medals, and you can get a bronze, silver, or gold of each.  Medals require more hours than certificates.  Unlike the Presidential Volunteer Service Award, the Congressional Service Award considers four categories of accomplishment:

1. Volunteer Public Service:  community service hours
2. Personal Development:  something you to do improve yourself
3. Physical Fitness:  push yourself to go to the next level in a physical activity
4. Expedition/Exploration:  immerse yourself in an unfamiliar environment

To qualify for the Congressional Award, you’ll need an adult sponsor – anyone except a parent, relative, or friend.

These types of awards can make a huge impact on your college applications – so get out there and try to use your time wisely!  You’ll help your chances of getting into the college of your dreams AND you’ll be make a positive impact on the world.  Perfect!

One of the most popular pages on our old website was a list of volunteer opportunities that we’d pulled together from around the web. Volunteer work builds character, encourages leadership abilities and an outgoing attitude, and not only looks great on a college application, but also provides experience that can help you feel more fulfilled, happy, and productive throughout your life. Why not commit some of your time this summer to building a better you?

We’ve just refreshed all of the links and added a few more ideas to post to our blog. They are separated into three categories: volunteer organizations, local agencies you can work with around your schedule, and travel opportunities that accept volunteer applications.

We hope you find a worthwhile and enjoyable fit!

NATIONAL VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS & RESOURCES

Volunteer Match is one of the nation’s largest and most comprehensive volunteer organizations. Sit down and brainstorm about what you like to do, what you’d like to learn, or who you’d like to help, then type in your search terms, watch informational videos, and explore the database for opportunities you’ve never even thought of!
http://www.volunteermatch.org/volunteers/gettingstarted/

If you already have plans this summer or aren’t yet sure about your family’s plans, take a look at Volunteer Houston. The following link will lead you to more information about various ways for families to volunteer together and for teens to volunteer on their own. Volunteer Houston offers not only individual volunteer projects and programs, but also has commitment options for students who are pumped about getting involved in leadership. For instance, follow the link below to find out about the Volunteer Houston Youth Council, where high school students meet regularly and then advise the main agency on potential new volunteer programs.
http://www.volunteerhouston.org/involved/youth
When visiting the Volunteer Houston site, you’ll also learn more about The Commanders Program, a week-long meta-course on volunteering for students ages 13-17. In this program, participants learn communication skills, receive diversity training, become acquainted with the concept behind non-profit organizations, and get on the ground for in-service volunteer training. Upon successful completion of the $80 course, participants receive a 20-hour completion certificate. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis and is already in progress, so look into this opportunity a.s.a.p.!
Dates: June 20-24, July 11-15, August 1-5. All sessions are from 12-4 p.m.
Email: jenniferb@volunteerhouston.org
Full information at
http://www.volunteerhouston.org/images/stories/pdf/2011commandersflyer1.pdf

Generation On maintains a teen-friendly interactive volunteering website where young folks can find opportunities or plan their own projects.
http://www.generationon.org/teens

At Red Cross, you’ll find all kinds of youth volunteer opportunities, including workshops, training courses (like C.P.R. and Babysitting), and more.
http://www.houstonredcross.org/en/cms/181/

Spending most of the summer away from Houston? The Youth Volunteer Corps of America is an umbrella organization that connects young people with a variety of opportunities through United Way, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Camp Fire, local Parks and Recreation departments, and more. This is also a helpful website to explore for ideas about who you might contact in Houston (though YVC doesn’t have a local division).
http://www.yvca.org/

United Way’s website has an informative “Tips for Volunteering” page as well as an extensive searchable database.
http://liveunited.org/take-action/tips-for-volunteering?gclid=CM306OfI96gCFQpm7AodClsxWg

Habitat for Humanity provides opportunities for volunteers of all ages. Whether you want to work locally or have a volunteer travel adventure, commit a few hours or a few weeks, Habitat has something for you.
http://www.habitat.org/youthprograms/

HOUSTON-AREA ORGANIZATIONS AND VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS

Love the Houston Zoo? Although their competitive 100-hour summer volunteer program deadline has passed, you can organize your own pack of friends or teammates (ages 13+) for Houston Zoo Group Volunteers projects. After completing a few sessions this summer, you’ll have a foot in the door to nab one of the highly-sought positions in the summer program next year, or even a semester-long internship if you plan to attend a local university. Once you’ve organized your group, including 1 adult per 5 teens, contact Rick Ellis at 713-533-6754 for more information.
http://www.houstonzoo.org/volunteer/

The Children’s Museum of Houston also has ample opportunities for group volunteer work for kids ages 14 and up. The museum’s intensive summer volunteer deadline has also passed, but consider starting small if you’d like to get in next year!
http://www.cmhouston.org/volunteers/

The Houston Museum of Natural Science is a world-renowned institution and an awesome place to spend your time. Volunteering at the HMNS yields extra benefits: free entry when wearing your volunteer badge, invitations to museum events and openings, and training by specialists and curators. The stated age minimum is 18, but exceptions are considered! Call (713) 639-4656 or e-mail volunteering@hmns.org to find out more.
http://www.hmns.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11&Itemid=11

At the Museum of Fine Art Houston, volunteer opportunities encompass a broad range of abilities and interests. Options include leading tours of the museum galleries, working at the information desk, helping in the gift shop, assisting with clerical duties, greeting guests, and facilitating children’s art projects. All prospective young adult volunteers must attend one of the special orientation sessions held in January, June, and September. http://www.mfah.org/about/volunteers/

Memorial Hermann Hospital offers a year-round teen volunteer program with exceptional benefits, including letters of recommendation after 100 hours are completed. This is a smart option for students who will be in town for most of the summer and want an ongoing volunteer opportunity and a better chance at one of MHH’s Teen Summer Volunteer positions in the future. The minimum requirement is 3 hours/week for 6 months.
http://www.memorialhermann.org/locations/texasmedicalcenter/content.aspx?id=2162
http://www.memorialhermann.org/locations/texasmedicalcenter/content.aspx?id=2186

Ronald McDonald House in Houston provides lodging for kids undergoing treatment or surgical procedures and their families. Service opportunities in the Family Activity Program are open-ended and focus on providing social interaction to kids who aren’t well enough to get out and play. Grab a few friends (age 16+) and brainstorm some arts and crafts projects, games, or fun lessons to share with the residents.
http://www.rmhhouston.org/Volunteer/Group+and+Teen+Volunteer+Opportunities/

Neighborhood Centers Inc. operates a network of 59 service sites with a mission of “bringing resources, education and connection to emerging neighborhoods.” We are well-known as one of the city’s major proponents of economic and social development, helping nearly 300,000 of our neighbors reach their full potential each year.They offer many different ways to volunteer.   http://www.neighborhood-centers.org/content/Ongoing+Opportunities.aspx

Urban Harvest is a non-profit organization dedicated to planting and maintaining urban gardens, farms, and orchards. For volunteer information, go to:
http://www.urbanharvest.org/involved/volunteer.html

Houston SPCA accepts volunteers as young as 15! Applications are processed throughout the year. Orientation sessions for May, June, and July are full, but there are sessions available in August or on a cancellation basis.
http://www.houstonspca.org/site/PageNavigator/getinvolved_volunteer

The Houston Public Library has opportunities for anyone over 14 years of age to help deliver services from the downtown library or one of 40 sites serving Houston Neighborhoods. http://houstonlibrary.org/volunteer-opportunities.

The Houston Food Bank Keegan Kitchen prepares over 20,000 meals per month! Volunteers over age 14 are eligible to help on the weekends (must be 19+ during the week). A form is available to request specific dates to volunteer. http://houstonfoodbank.org/CurrentIndividualVolunteerOpportunities.aspx

VOLUNTEER ABROAD

Cross-Cultural Solutions offers a variety of overseas volunteer programs. The Teen Volunteer Abroad (for ages 15-17) option is a sweet compromise between what kids want (travelling independently to really cool places with their peers) with what parents need (assurance of full-time supervision, meals, travel medical insurance, knowledge that kids will be held accountable for their whereabouts and participation). Programs are either 1 or 2 weeks long and cost approximately $2,500-$3,500.  The organization offers scholarships and fundraising/sponsorship drives. Request more information or apply online. Follow the link below to view real-time information about current openings—there are quite a few!
http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org/programs/teen-volunteer-abroad/start-dates.aspx

As participants in the Amigos de las Americas program, students travel to and live in Latin American communities. Along with volunteer work, this experience is geared toward encouraging fluency in Spanish—participants live with Host Families and are immersed in the daily life and activities of life in another culture. The cost (including airfare and travel medical insurance) is $4,700. Applicants must have taken 2 years of high-school Spanish. According to Amigos Alumni, this is a well-loved and oft-repeated program.
http://www.amigoslink.org/

Adventures Cross-Country has all kinds of amazing Service Adventures, taking 7th-12th graders to the ends of the earth, from Africa to Australia, China to Costa Rica (and more!). Journeys average 2-4 weeks in duration. Check trip availability and register online:
http://www.adventurescrosscountry.com/program.cfm?TripCategoryID=1

Global Routes also encourages foreign-language fluency, but only requires one year of high-school Spanish for most programs (requirements vary). As participants in this organization, students live for two to three weeks with a host family in a small village, working on local projects with other volunteers and townspeople.
http://www.globalroutes.org/hs_main.htm

IFRE Volunteers Abroad organizes 4-week volunteer trips in all corners of the globe. Unlike some of the other travel volunteer organizations, fees for IFRE trips can be as low as $100.  Much of the Dallas-based nonprofit company’s work takes place in orphanages. Some destinations include Kenya, Thailand, Nepal, Peru, Costa Rica, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia.
http://www.ifrevolunteers.org/youth_summer_program.php

Please share other volunteer opportunities with us on Twitter at @allinonea!

I’ve read my fair share of college admissions books. Why? Well, because there are many knowledgeable people in this world, and I would be a narcissist to imagine I couldn’t learn from them. In some cases, I’ll take tidbits of information; in others, I’ll embrace the message as a whole. One of the books that deserve that holistic acceptance is Christine VanDeVelde’s and Robin Mamlet’s College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, Step-by-Step.

This book lives up to its title because it truly provides a solid walk-through of the college admissions process. I think every parent and student facing the application process should pick up a copy of this book, EVEN IF the family intends to hire admissions consultants, such as All-in-One Academics. It makes no sense to come to the table uneducated or ill-prepared. You need to know what’s facing you, and you need a reliable reference book to keep on your desk, in your briefcase, or by your bed.

We approached Ms. VanDeVelde and Ms. Mamlet with some pretty specific questions for this post because they’ve fielded every generic inquiry ten times over (if not a hundred). We wanted real, nitty-gritty information, stuff that parents and students don’t even realize they need to ask until it’s too late to make meaningful changes.

In reading this, be prepared to sit down and take your time because these ladies provided far more than cursory responses. They gave serious thought to each aspect of the questions, and we can’t thank them enough. You should really get the book, if you haven’t already! Buy it here!

1. In your book, you discuss the importance of taking a rigorous curriculum, and we’ve definitely seen evidence that many students are heeding your advice. However, we’ve also seen – and we’re curious to hear if you’ve seen it, as well – a new trend: the development of easy, parallel science and math classes that help less motivated students fill a transcript with seemingly challenging courses. For instance, “Introductory Calculus” appears as a fourth year math option, or “Conceptual Physics” as a substitute for physics, or “Marine Biology” as an upper-level life science. We have also seen high school counselors advise students that college admissions committees do not recognize a difference between these courses and their traditional counterparts. What do you think?

It depends on the college. Any college that takes the time to look in detail at the transcript and has access to the school profile will be able to discern the difference between “introductory calculus” and Calculus A/B or B/C; likewise “conceptual physics” and honors or AP physics. And most colleges will do so.

When admission offices read applications, they usually read “in context”— with an awareness and understanding of the school a student attends and how that influences a student’s courses and transcript. They read applications from the same school year after year, and often visit those schools and talk with the college counselors and students there.

If they are unable to visit the schools, they use the information from the School Report and the high school profile. The School Report includes information about curriculum, the number of students attending four- year colleges, and average ACT and SAT scores, as well as a counselor recommendation that rates the rigor of a student’s coursework and academic achievement. Some schools also provide the college with a profile that describes the curriculum, student body characteristics such as size and ethnicity, class ranking policies, GPA ranges, awards, and even grade distributions for the class in every offered subject. Ultimately, if an admission officer still feels she doesn’t have enough information she may call the high school for further details.

Students and parents are often surprised to learn the lengths to which colleges go to understand the educational backgrounds of their applicants. High school education is vastly uneven across the country, and therefore colleges take into account disparities in course offerings, grade calculation, academic rigor, and competitiveness of the student body.

So, for example, an admission officer may know that a high school requires four years of physical education — resulting in a lower GPA since P.E. is  not an honors course — or which social studies teacher gives only one or two A’s every year. The courses you describe here such as “Introductory Calculus” as a fourth year math option can serve a valuable purpose, but they do not in any way substitute for the advanced courses and most colleges know this.

Students should remember that they are being evaluated to enter a learning community. First and foremost, what the colleges want to know about them is what they are like as learners. It’s important for students to take a strong academic course load and challenge themselves academically throughout high school.  So colleges pay attention to these distinctions and endeavor to never lose sight of the complex details of the young people whose lives are being assessed.

2. As you know, the Internet version of the Common Application has facilitated the application process and given students an envelope-free method of casting their lots with more schools than ever before, upping the numbers of applications colleges receive across the board. Consequently, admit rate has declined, making college admissions seem dramatically more competitive and, therefore, heightening the frenzy among parents and students. We’re not sure that the new numbers necessarily represent a radical change in selectivity… How do you see it?

Competition at the very most selective colleges and universities has in fact intensified – for a whole variety of reasons, the Common Application being just one of them. For the vast majority of selective colleges, however, it is not dramatically more competitive to get in than it was three years ago. Check the admit rate of each college or university you are applying to. You want to know your chances of getting in rather than how many applications a college has relative to seats in the class. (In our book, we discuss extensively how to understand where you fit in a college’s profile in order to gauge your admissibility.)

Overemphasizing aspects such as competition creates unnecessary pressure and anxiety. Students and families should keep their eye on the ball and try hard to resist becoming hijacked by the scare stories that appear all around them.

Here are some facts:

• In UCLA’s most recent Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) annual survey of first-year students at four-year   colleges and universities, 79 percent reported being accepted to their “first-choice” college. 
• According to NACAC’s 2011 State of College Admission, 69 percent of students enroll in colleges that accept 50 percent or more of their applicants. 
• Only 25 percent of students submitted 7 or more applications, again according to NACAC’s 2011 State of College Admission.

Don’t confuse competition and selectivity with quality or fit. The place that is best for a student may not be the place that is the hardest to get into. The best educational and social experience awaits you at the school that is the best fit for you. And, in the end, it doesn’t matter where you go as much as what you do when you get there.

 3. Finally, we’d like to ask you to discuss your view of high school sports, which take up multiple hours each week, often to the detriment of grades and the exclusion of other meaningful activities. In many cases, those students dedicate their summers to playing in sports camps and traveling to tournaments, even if they are on a B-team. Students maintain that level of involvement because parents are under the impression that competitive college applicants need to play four years of a sport in order to show commitment. Do you believe that student-athletes who have no real chance of playing in college should survey the landscape and consider if there are more productive channels for their time and energy?

There are few aspects of applying to college that abound more in myth, rumor, and urban legend than the subject of extracurricular activities. There is no one activity — or list of activities — that will guarantee admission to college. Playing a sport in and of itself is no more valuable than any other activity unless the student will play for the college to which they are applying.

Colleges look at students’ extracurricular activities to help them put together a picture of who they are and what is important to them, as well as what the student will contribute once on campus. Some students will make that contribution through sports and others through any number of activities and dimensions.

In our book we address the wide range of extracurricular activities that is valued:  the arts, community service, hobbies, school clubs and organizations, intellectual pursuits,  jobs and work experience — and sports, whether or not a student plans to continue their involvement in college. There is no formula for how students should spend their time. They should simply follow their own interests and passions, figure out what activities they enjoy and then pursue them with commitment and gusto. That is what is important.

Huge thanks for Christine and Robin for taking the time to put together these thoughtful, informative answers to our questions – we hope you’ve enjoyed this post and that you’ll check out their book!

– Jessica

One of our favorite college admission industry blogs is The Neurotic Parent (http://neuroticparent.typepad.com/), and what we like best about it is the seemingly accidental nature of its existence. Ms. Rothman started her personal chronicle of the college admissions process as she helped her children navigate the gauntlet and recognized the increasing absurdity of its rigors.

Ms. Rothman is sort of a personal heroine for me because she has had the courage to call a spade a spade, while so many other rational people seem to have drunk the college admissions Kool-Aid. And, as it turns out, people have craved her wit and sarcasm to lighten the mood of such a serious topic – so much so that her book, The Neurotic Parent’s Guide to College Admissions, has become an LA Times Best Seller!

Recently, we got in touch with Ms. Rothman to get a little insight about what motivated her to start the blog and what has happened since. Below is our Q&A! 

You write an incredibly informative, but lighthearted blog about college admissions. What triggered the creation of your blog?

In 2008, a fellow soccer mom encouraged me to blog when she heard I had planned an eight-state, twelve-college, spring break college tour with my older son.  She assumed I would write about our insane itinerary. But on the road I discovered even better blogworthy material: a stressed out breed of neurotic parents who bragged obnoxiously about their children during information sessions.  Many had been prepping their kids for college since birth.  In horror, I realized that my kids, who were good students but normal teens, would be competing with applicants who had discovered new galaxies or founded Tanzanian orphanages.  The blog went viral and I continued it anonymously for three years because I was afraid that revealing my identity would affect my sons’ college chances.  I did not even use my name when the dean of admissions of Kenyon published an excerpt in her book, even though she assured me that admissions people loved the blog and even recommended it to panicked parents.  Finally, when I made a deal with publisher Colleen Bates of Prospect Park Media (who also was a neurotic parent), she convinced me to put my name on the book.

What is the real purpose of your work? Is it to help people maintain a rational perspective?

My “day job” is as a children’s television writer, so for me, the original appeal of the blog was to write in my own voice without getting notes from dozens of network and studio executives.  But now that the book has become an LA Times bestseller, I realize that many parents are craving a little bit (okay, a lot) of levity to cope with the stress of the college admissions process.  I have done signings and panels all over the country, and many cities that we assumed were non-neurotic are actually filled with angst-ridden moms, dads and teens.  Parents contact me daily with “real” questions about which shoes their kids should wear to alumni interviews, how to get off waitlists or even whether their children should choose Tufts or Johns Hopkins.  I always preface my answers that I am really a comedy writer with no real credentials, but I now realize I am one of the few parent “experts” out there…someone who has been through the process twice with my kids.  And I do believe that laughter combined with real information does calm people down.

Do you ever see any backlash because people think you’re not serious enough? 

Although my book is primarily a humor book, many readers have told me thanked me for the laughs and also for providing them with a lot of real information about the process.  People want to laugh about the crazy state of affairs – kids with 12-page resumes, SAT tutors who earn more than top litigators, and Junior Kumon for 4-year olds.  I spoke at one packed event in the library of the East Bay suburb of Pleasanton, CA, a hotbed of neurosis. People were taking notes, even during my faux SAT, because as someone who has been on umpteen college tours, I do impart information that is not always available from counselors. Even the panicked parents on the anxiety-ridden website, collegeconfidential.com, have posted that they love the book.

How have you seen attitudes towards college admissions change since youstarted this blog?

The year my older son applied (’08-9) was supposed to be the Most Difficult Year to Get Into College in the History of the World because it was the peak of the baby boomlet.  But this year ended up even more competitive because students are now applying to 23 schools instead of 14.  (This is partly because of the ease of applying to multiple schools using the Common App, partly because students want to compare financial aid packages and partly because of the randomness of admission changes.) NYU said they had received a record-breaking 29,000 applications for the class of 2013, while this year, for the class of 2016, there were 44,000.

Another trend is that many of the Ivies are admitting fewer than 7% of applicants, when even five or six years ago their admission rates were 12% or greater.  So getting into the top schools has become a crapshoot – even for legacies, minorities and “development candidates.” And with the crash of the economy, I have heard of several cases this year of students turning down Ivies for schools that offer merit aid.  The other big trend is that graduates cannot find job, no matter which college they attend.  The final chapter of my book is called “Barista Readiness.”  The good news is that students can be successful baristas no matter where they go to school!  

You can probably see why this is one of our favorite blogs! A huge thanks to Ms. Rothman for her time and effort in answering our questions, we appreciate it greatly!

– Jessica

While most other SAT and ACT courses require enrollment in separate courses for each test, the All-in-One Academics SAT/ACT Foundations Course prepares students for both exams.  You will have 8 sessions of 3 hours each:  the first five sessions will be spent preparing for the SAT, and the last three sessions will be devoted to the ACT.

All-in-One’s innovative course materials were written by All-in-One founders Jamil Driscoll and Jessica Givens, and Director of Test Preparation, Errolynn Zetar.  Drawing upon a combined 20 years of test preparation experience, the All-in-One team has created materials that are different and better than any others available in the market.  While other test preparation companies strive to capitalize on differences between the SAT and ACT to secure enrollments in two separate courses, our course materials guide students to successful test performances by illuminating the overlap between the two exams, seamlessly transitioning students from preparing for the SAT into the ACT.

All-in-One’s course is also special because our instructors are private tutors, who also happen to have classroom experience.  Our instructors know how to teach each students as an individual, so even in a class of 12 students, we can zero in on each student’s strengths and potential areas of improvement.

Enrollment is now available for summer and fall sessions.  For additional information and enrollment details, please visit our website:  http://allinoneacademics.com/testprepfoundations/

You must remember that the first step in this process, the Common Application, has already streamlined the process for many, so completing the supplement simply takes the place of completing individual applications.  I’m not sure the supplement prevents students from applying, but I will say it becomes very apparent with the quality of the applicant’s responses on the supplement whether Rice is a top college choice for them.  Students who have done their research on Rice will be able to infuse specificity and personality into their responses, which often allows their application to stand out from the masses. 

I think students and parents are constantly focused on a perceived checklist of items colleges are seeking in their students, which includes certain classes, sports, music, community service, etc.  I always try to get them to focus on passion – it is important that students identify not only where their talents lie inside and outside of the classroom, but also what they love to do, so much so that they would spend hours doing it without complaint.  With Rice being a research university where experiential learning is emphasized, it truly helps if the student has found a way to pursue their intellectual passions outside of the classroom through research, internships, finding a mentor.  The summer months are a great time to find these type of opportunities.  Students can also find some experience which takes them outside of their comfort zone, and possibly allows interaction with people from different ethnic and social groups, such as a job or service trip to another region, or even another country.  

An important complement to passion is impact.  One of my favorite questions during an interview is this:  “What do you think your school will miss about you when you graduate?”  Getting involved in a variety of activities is a step in the right direction.  But making sure you have quality impact in at least one or two chosen activities is what will often make you more memorable.

The short answer to your question is yes – that is why we practice holistic admission, to get a full sense of the student’s talent, preparation, and fit.  However, I must stress that many students present excellent test scores, a compelling resume, a well-considered essay, strong recommendations, a challenging curriculum AND straight As – this is the reality of highly selective admission.  So, the fewer Bs in those rigorous courses, the better, but as a rule students are better served by the more rigorous coursework even if they end up with a slightly lower grade.

Embarking on a community service project can be the perfect way to spend some time over the summer that will do double-duty as college application gold.  Not only will you have something interesting and worthwhile to add to your resume, but your experience may experiences and insights you’ll turn to later in your college application essays.

College admissions officers have always looked favorably on students’ community service commitments and contributions, but as the applicant competition continues to stiffen, colleges are looking even more to the quality and creativity of an applicant’s community service.  Meaningful time spent, rather than a few hours here and there, can make a big impression.  But with school years packed with homework and extracurricular commitments, it can be difficult or impossible to find a significant chunk of time.  Summer, however, is three wide-open months and the perfect time to find a week or more to do a serious service project.

Increasingly, students are looking to service projects abroad.  This is a great way to see the world but keep in mind – community service should not feel like a luxury vacation! Seek out a program that is part of an established organization in the area you want to go and make sure that the program spends the majority of your time there on the service project.  It is also good to make sure they’ll immerse you in the local culture – that is part of the allure!  In fact, some schools, including selective Tulane University in New Orleans, specifically ask applicants whether they have done an international service project.

Students also frequently embark on mission trips through their church, mosque, or synagogue. These trips encourage kids to share with their neighbors to give back to those less fortunate and often include a lot of work. This is good! Mission trips often give students over a hundred hours of community service which can qualify for service awards and recognition. One way to make this even better:  try to obtain a leadership position on the trip – this can make an already great program even more significant.

Another option is to take the bull by the horns and start your own service organization. Come up with an idea, enlist some friends to help, and you’re off and running!  This may sound overwhelming but it can be easier and cheaper than going on a trip with an organization.  A run-down of steps to start a grassroots service group is outlined in our book – Get Your Summer Strategy On! It is available on Amazon.com or you can download it as an eBook from our website by clicking here.  This book will give you loads of ideas for turning your summertime into college admissions gold.

Summer is right around the corner. As high school students, or parents of high school students, now is the time to start thinking about productive ways to use the break. We’re all for some relaxation – but a summer job, volunteer position, or university summer program can be a huge help when it comes to college admissions time. We wanted to share some information about the different types of university programs for high school students to help you start planning.

• For Credit: some programs actually enroll students in courses for college credit.
• Not For Credit: these programs serve as previews into the possibilities of college. They allow students to relax and enjoy the experience of the college campus, as well as have a good time studying fun subject matter.
• Free Programs to Qualified Candidates: some universities offer free summer opportunities for enrichment, understanding that the financial burden of most summer programs eliminates all but the wealthiest applicants. These programs are generally targeted toward minority students, including racial minorities and women.
• Residential Programs: students stay on campus for the duration of the program. This can be intimidating but extremely rewarding as students can focus on their projects and bond with other participants.
• Commuter Programs: many programs offer a commuter option for students who live nearby. These options can save money and it’s a good starter program.
• Longer Programs (more than 3 weeks): these programs require a student to commit to multiple weeks on campus but they are great for students who are entering their junior or senior year and want to show dedication to a subject.
• Shorter Programs (less than 3 weeks, sometimes as little as 1 day): very targeted and very specific programs focused more about giving information on one topic than giving exposure to college realities.

Within all these categories, the main point is to look for programs that actually interest you. There are more options than you can imagine – it may just take some time with Google to find the right program for you.

For more information on the types of programs listed above as well as some examples of subject-specific programs, think about purchasing the 2012 edition of our book, Get Your Summer Strategy On. It’s available on Amazon here.

Have you participated in any great summer programs that you’d like to share? Please comment below!

For a long time, I have wondered about college rankings. I mean, what group of individuals in America is so august that it has the audacity to gaze down from the mountaintop and pass judgment on so many institutions of higher learning? Personally, I attended Southwestern University and the University of Houston, neither of which garners astronomical scores on the most esteemed of American college rankings… Yet, my professors were excellent, all of them extremely accomplished, published researchers who were scholars first, humans second. There was not one moment with a tenured professor at either one of my universities when I doubted whether a professor had meaningful lessons to teach me, no less meaningful than I might have received at a school with higher rankings.

Recently, I met a girl, Ming, when I was volunteering at a college admissions event with the Houston Mayor’s Office. She was outstanding in every way: excellent grades, incredible test scores, published research, work experience. She was also an immigrant whose parents’ only gauge to measure colleges was the US News and World ranking system. They were very well educated, but not in the United States, so they assumed that those rankings were based on clear-cut facts, besides selectivity and dollar signs. Ming’s family was convinced by the rankings that if she did not attend a top-ranked college, then she could never get into a renowned graduate program in genetics – a terrible misconception, one that is all too common.

In fact, I thought she should consider our local university, the University of Houston, which has an incredible honors program with terrific professors and exceptional research opportunities. Those instructors are connected with every institution in the world and are involved in projects with NASA, ExxonMobil, the Texas Medical Center, etc… If she works hard at UH, the grad school world is her oyster.

People from all sorts of undergraduate programs get into avant garde graduate programs. When you’re applying to graduate programs, the admissions directors are more interested in what you’ve done than where you went to school. That means you need to work hard in college – do research, write articles, pioneer something. Don’t be fooled into thinking your university alma mater can win you acceptance ANYWHERE.

Wherever you go to college, it’s what you do with your time that matters, and you might even find that lower-ranked colleges are more interested in helping you succeed, more invested in preparing you as an individual to pursue your goals.

Defiance College

For instance, in a recent article on the Washington Post blog explained how much more deeply a small university may commit itself to student success than its larger, more glamorous counterparts. In it, Mark Gordon, the president of Defiance College, a liberal arts college in Ohio, illustrates the absurdity of college rankings by explaining that they are based on nothing more than student entry qualifications; rankings tell you nothing of student success.

Rankings are based on reputation, which is based on past rankings, which may have been skewed from the start. It’s certainly not a reliable measure to use for picking a match school. Instead, you should consider the uniqueness of a school’s program and find the approach that best matches your personality. Before reading Gordon’s article, I had never heard of Defiance, but now I am intrigued and believe its hands-on format may offer the perfect amount of guidance for some of our students.

Defiance may not have high rankings, but the school lives up to its name and refuses to follow the pack. A student who goes there is likely to walk away ready to work in the world. Can all of those top schools say the same?

– Jessica Givens