According to experts from College Solutions and the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, meaningful community service in college admissions is less about accumulating hours and more about demonstrating empathy, discovering a genuine passion through exposure, and committing long-term to solving a real community need.
Building Empathy
Some soft skills can only be learned by doing. Margaret Bolton Baudinet shares how community service helps teens develop empathy and how empathy shines through on their college applications.
Getting Started
The first step to finding meaningful community service activities is exposure. In this clip, Margaret Bolton Baudinet highlights ways for parents to help their children find opportunities that interest them.
Finding Need & Fostering a Sustained Commitment
Anna Brown explains how finding a need and matching it with a student’s skills and interests can help get their involvement in community service off the ground. She also shares how students can maximize their growth and impact through a sustained commitment to their cause of choice.
Highlighting Community Service on College Applications
A former admissions representative herself, Anna Brown knows what stands out to application readers. Here, she gives some tips on how to best highlight a commitment to community service on a college application, while Jane Hale Paulsen dives deeper into what the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation looks for.
As the 37th class of Coca-Cola Scholars prepares to meet in Atlanta later this week, we congratulate them and applaud the work that the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation does to inspire young leaders and make a difference in their communities and the world.
