Students often feel the need to do charity work for their US uni applications. At Vela Education, we do recommend students have robust extracurricular profiles if they want to attend a selective US university. Charity work and community service are just a few ways to demonstrate your values and commitments to admissions committees. If you are someone with a passion for social justice and giving back to the community, then doing charity work and community services are natural choices as you decide how to invest your time outside of the classroom. However, if you have other concerns and interests, that is OK, too! Community service and charity work are not requirements and strong students who perform well in other extracurricular activities will still be promising candidates to top US universities.

At Vela education, we want students to commit to extracurriculars activities that are authentically meaningful to them. If you want to do charity work and community service, we recommend the following:

• Depth over Breadth: Admissions committees are looking for sustained commitment as a way to measure your values. Thus, rather than do an occasional activity for multiple organisations, it is advisable to choose one organisation whose mission aligns with your values. Community service and charity work make the most impact on the community, and your university applications, if the work is sustained and focused. Effecting change takes time! Focus your efforts on one cause and organisation, ensuring you have a multiyear commitment and can point to tangible outcomes from your work.

• Be Authentic: US universities are interested in learning what you sincerely care about. Choose a community service project and/or charity whose mission and values align with your goals and concerns. Schools want to see a personal connection between you and the charity you choose. Also, being passionate about the cause will help you stay committed as you juggle schoolwork, test prep, and other extracurricular activities.

• Make an Impact: By choosing one charity to focus on, you will be able to make an impact. You should take ownership of a project within the organisation and work towards outcomes that will better others’ lives. Volunteering for another’s community service project is good! But planning your own initiative and executing that plan to make your community a better place will have more impact on those around you and on your university applications.  

If you have any questions about how community service and charity work impact your US university applications, please consider scheduling a strategic consultation. This is the best way to begin the US university admissions process.