Does a volunteer based club look suspicious on college applications?Answered
I was doing research into good extracurriculars on the collegevine program guide and one line that particularly worried me was "Both parties [school and university] are naturally suspicious that you are founding the club exclusively for the purposes of improving your college application...clubs that invite the most scrutiny typically involve community service or volunteering." I founded a club a couple years ago that is dedicated to helping local animal shelters. We volunteer at local shelters, raise funds, and host toy drives. We also boast an impressive 100+ members. I started this club with good intentions and I love being president but I'm still afraid that this so called "stigma" collegevine talks of is true. I was hoping anyone could give another perspective on this. Thank you!
Earn karma by helping others:
2 answers
As a rule of thumb that online statement is kinda true especially for top 50 schools but for top public schools EX Iowa Oregon Virginia Tech they will probably accept it. A youtube koodoos did a video where s/he essentially google the club and then looked on social media to see any references. But if you don't have a website an essay detailing leading and planning events is a phenomenal essay.
Colleges are looking for leadership that you have a metropolis of and community involvement is looked on pretty highly s long as you are dedicated to it which you are especially since you grew it to 100 members. I would not be worried with your situation at all if for some reason you are ask a teacher to reference it in a rec letter
I think that this definitely depends on the situation. If you joined a club last-minute in senior year for the sake of making it look like you participated in extracurriculars in high school, then this stigma applies. However, it is definitely different since you founded the club. You also grew it a lot and it has been around for a long time.
In my opinion, colleges value this kind of leader, because you appear dedicated and motivated. If there is a space to explain why you may have done this/your role in the community, make sure you take that opportunity to explain why your club is so important to you & how you have led it over the years.
Your chance of acceptance
Your chancing factors
Community Guidelines
To keep this community safe and supportive:
- Be kind and respectful!
- Keep posts relevant to college admissions and high school.
- Don’t ask “chance-me” questions. Use CollegeVine’s chancing instead!
I don't think that it would count against you if you present it the right way. Essays are made to show a side to the applicant that statistics alone are unable to, so be sure to at least touch upon this. Talk about your love for animals, your genuine interest and investment, etc.--make sure that it doesn't come off as something organized purely for college apps, and you should be totally fine :)