High School Volunteer/Service Hours question?

Question

Do you have to be in NHS or some type of club for Service hours to count. Like im not in any thing, but im starting to volunteer at an after school program for children, how do i get my hours to show up on college applications, or do they not- just the fact that i volunteered???, im soooo confused!!! thanks!!! Oh and also, im a junior this year and have played no sports and have been in no clubs, is there hope for me to squeeze a bunch of stuff in now, or does that look bad? THANKS a ton!!!!

Answer 1

Some applications have places to show how many hours others are more interested in what you did.   As far as activities pick one or two or three clubs or activities (school things or things in the community)  that are fun for you and relevant to things you enjoy doing rather than just throwing in a hodge podge of any and everything.   Quality counts as much or more than quantity.

Answer 2

Colleges and universities don't really care how many hours you spent volunteering. They want to know what you did as a volunteer, why you did it, what you feel you learned from doing so, why you think volunteering is important, how you balanced your volunteering and school work, etc. And at least one of your references should come from your volunteering experience. They want a sincere answer -- talk about what worked and what *didn't* work, how you were changed by the experience, etc.

Keep track yourself of your volunteering, just for your own records. You can simply buy a notebook and log your time and activities in there. Or you can do it on a computer, on a spreadsheet program. Probably no one will ever ask to see this -- it's just to help you remember what you did and where.