Volunteering has long been a pillar of college admissions, and for good reason. Colleges want students who give back, think beyond themselves, and care about making a difference. Indeed, many schools (such as Princeton University) consider service as one of their core values and missions. 

But not all volunteer work is viewed equally, and not all of it is worth writing your personal statement about. So, how do you choose the right volunteer activity? And how can you make it meaningful—both for you and your college application?

Let’s break it down.

Why Do Colleges Care About Volunteering?

Service work is a signal, not just of kindness, but of initiative, perspective, and impact. It can show:

• Commitment to a cause beyond yourself
• Willingness to engage with your community
• Leadership and follow-through over time
• Alignment with the college’s own values (many of which emphasize civic responsibility and community engagement)

In other words, colleges don’t just want good students—they want good citizens. And volunteering is often how they see that in action.

But don’t mistake service for box-checking. 10 hours of passionate, sustained involvement says more than 100 hours of disinterested labor. What matters is the why and how, not just the what.

How to Choose the Right Volunteer Activity for You

1. Start with What You Actually Care About

Passion makes impact possible. Ask yourself:

• What problems frustrate me the most?
• Where do I already spend my time?
• What populations or issues do I feel connected to?
• Is there something in my own experience that gives me perspective on a particular cause?

If you’ve grown up translating for your parents, you might volunteer with ESL learners. If you’ve struggled with food insecurity, maybe you’ll support a food pantry. The best volunteer experiences are personal.

One AtomicMind essay specialist who attended Johns Hopkins University designed her Girl Scout Gold Award around her main passion: playing the flute. She taught some underprivileged students in her mother’s hometown and they performed in a nursing home, which was particularly meaningful to her given how her great grandmother had spent the final years of her life in that same nursing home. In this way, the volunteer activity wasn’t just a requirement for her extracurricular activity (Girl Scouts), a nationally recognized award (The Gold Award), but also a deeply personal expression of the student’s passion (flute) and lived experience (caring for her elderly relative). 

2. Think Local and Long-Term

Forget about flying across the globe for a week to build a school you’ll never see again. Admissions officers have seen that story and they often view it with skepticism, because such opportunities are typically only available to students with great privilege and don’t leave the same lasting impact on the student. 

Instead, focus on your local community. Ask:

• Where are the needs in my town or neighborhood?
• How can I contribute over time, not just once?

Long-term commitment (e.g., every Saturday for two years) matters far more than glamorous one-offs. Look for organizations where you can grow into leadership roles or develop relationships.

3. Look for Roles That Match Your Strengths

Love writing? Offer to draft newsletters for a nonprofit.

Skilled with kids? Volunteer as a reading buddy.

Interested in healthcare? Help at a local hospital or eldercare home.

Volunteering is a two-way street. You bring something to the table—and you gain skills, too. Colleges will value both. 

And by the way, even volunteer activities can be added to your resume, which isn’t just useful for college applications. Indeed, if your volunteer opportunities make use of the same skills you are building for your future major or career, highlighting them on your resume will open doors for future internships, scholarships, and more. 

What Are Admissions Officers Really Looking For?

When they read your activities list, admissions officers want to see that:

• You made a consistent commitment
• You weren’t afraid to get your hands dirty
• You grew in your understanding of the world
• You didn’t just show up—you showed up with purpose

In short: they’re not impressed by the prestige of the nonprofit. They care about what you did and what you learned.

Should You Write About Volunteering in Your Personal Statement?

This is a big question for students, Here’s where things get nuanced.

Volunteering is important. But it’s often not the best personal statement topic. Why? Because:

• Many volunteer essays sound similar (“I learned how lucky I am…” “They taught me more than I taught them…” etc.)
• They can unintentionally center the writer as a “savior,” especially when working with marginalized communities
• They sometimes focus more on the act of volunteering than the student’s own growth or identity

This isn’t to say you can’t write about volunteering. But the best volunteer essays tend to:

• Focus on a relationship, not just the work
• Highlight a moment of emotional or ethical complexity
• Reflect on limitations or discomfort, not just impact
• Show humility, not heroism

One of our students once wrote a stunning essay about volunteering at a care home for Alzheimer’s patients. The essay wasn’t about the act of service—it was about his quiet bond with a woman who had forgotten how to speak, and what that taught him about connection, loss, and memory. That essay got him into Brown and waitlisted at Yale and was also linked to his future career goals (he wanted to study neuroscience and become a doctor specializing in these kinds of diseases) and personal story (his grandmother had suffered from Alzheimer’s).

The takeaway? Service can be part of your story—but it has to reveal something deeper than generosity. It needs to be about you, not just the people you helped.

Final Thoughts: Make It Count, Not Just Visible

Volunteer work can enrich your life and your college applications, but only if it’s real, thoughtful, and intentional. Don’t volunteer because you think you “should.” Volunteer because something calls you to show up and because you’re willing to show up consistently.

Remember: it’s not about finding the most impressive opportunity. It’s about making the opportunity you have meaningful.

Need Help Crafting a Strategic Activities List (and Knowing What to Write About)?

At AtomicMind, we help students identify meaningful activities, reflect on them authentically, and showcase them powerfully on your Common App, in your essays, and beyond.

Let us help you transform your volunteer work into a real story of growth and purpose…without the clichés.

About the Author: Dylan is a Head Advisor at AtomicMind based in Southern California. He graduated from Stanford University with a major in International Relations and a minor in French. His passion for learning and education shaped his current endeavor of helping students design their own unique path to college, which he does in addition to his hobbies of hiking, traveling, and reading.

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