How Many Community Service Hours Do You Need for Scholarships?

Scholarship applicants all wonder the same thing… How can I make myself stand out as a student?

It can be hard to set yourself apart from other students when applying to college.

Sometimes an emphasis on community involvement can be a big boost to your scholarship application, especially if you don’t have a sterling GPA.

There are thousands of scholarships that look for community service hours.

Not only that but community service can be a great tool to help you learn more about yourself. And you’ll be doing some good work all at the same time.

How Many Community Service Hours Does It Take to Get a Scholarship?

The number of hours you need will depend on the scholarship.

Having a lot of hours is a good thing, but more important than the quantity is the quality. When choosing your community service, focus on showing leadership and in-depth involvement.

People may say it is important to have a lot of hours but it is more important to show initiative.

It looks good to show how you made a difference volunteering. Not only that but if you find your service more rewarding, you will probably be a lot happier doing it.  

Scholarships and Community Service

Community service will always help your scholarship application. Some scholarships are given out almost entirely based on your involvement with community service.

That being said, community service can still be helpful for more traditional scholarships too. Getting involved in your community is a great way to make yourself stand out on your application.

Community Service Benefits

Community service will improve your application but it will also help you in many other ways.  

Volunteering with a community can connect you with that community. Connection is what makes us human and it’s always nice to see the impact you are making in others’ lives.

Community service is also a great way to gain experience and build skill sets.

You will learn how to be a professional, take responsibility and initiative.

You will learn how to communicate effectively and manage your time. It will also be valuable experience you can put on your resume which might not have much experience on it yet.

Community Service Options

There are a wide variety of places to volunteer. In any community, organizations are looking for people to help. For students, this is a good thing because it means that you can pick your service based on your interests.

If you love animals you could work at an animal shelter and spend your time taking care of dogs and cats.

If you like to spend your free time outdoors surrounded by nature, you may want to volunteer at a national park.

For students who like to read, you could get community service hours working at the library.

If you are good at cooking, try volunteering at a soup kitchen to feed the homeless.

There are so many options for people with different interests.

The best way to go about service, is finding something you love and taking a leadership role in the organization.

Final Thoughts

Getting involved in your community takes time but comes with big potential payoffs.

Community service help you with scholarship applications. It will also feel good, give you valuable experience and help you build a strong skill set.

It is important to get a good amount of service hours, but the most important thing is to get in depth into something that interests you.

Try finding a passion through giving back, and you may get many scholarships along the way.

Getting involved and giving back is always a good idea.