community service college essays

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The impact of community service – a deep dive into the power of giving back to society.

Community service essays serve as a powerful tool for individuals to reflect on their experiences, values, and impact on the world around them. Through the process of writing about their volunteer work, students are able to articulate the positive changes they have made in their communities and explore the lessons they have learned along the way.

Community service essays also play a crucial role in highlighting the importance of giving back to society and fostering a sense of empathy and compassion in individuals. By sharing personal stories of service, students can inspire others to get involved and make a difference in their own communities.

Moreover, community service essays can help students gain valuable skills such as critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving, as they reflect on the challenges and successes of their volunteer experiences. By documenting their service work, students can also showcase their commitment to social responsibility and community engagement to colleges, scholarship committees, and potential employers.

Why Community Service Essays Matter

In today’s society, the importance of community service essays cannot be overstated. These essays serve as a platform for individuals to showcase their dedication to helping others and making a positive impact on their communities. Through these essays, individuals can share their experiences, insights, and perspectives on the value of giving back to society.

Community service essays also play a crucial role in raising awareness about different social issues and encouraging others to get involved in volunteer work. By sharing personal stories and reflections, individuals can inspire and motivate others to take action and contribute to the betterment of society.

Furthermore, community service essays provide an opportunity for individuals to reflect on their own values, beliefs, and goals. Through the process of writing these essays, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their place in the world, leading to personal growth and development.

In conclusion, community service essays matter because they have the power to inspire change, raise awareness, and promote personal growth. By sharing their stories and insights, individuals can make a difference in their communities and create a more compassionate and giving society.

The Impact of Community Service Essays

Community service essays have a profound impact on both the individuals writing them and the communities they serve. These essays serve as a platform for students to reflect on their experiences and articulate the lessons they have learned through their service work.

One of the primary impacts of community service essays is the opportunity for self-reflection. Students are encouraged to critically analyze their experiences, challenges, and accomplishments during their community service activities. This reflection helps students develop a deeper understanding of themselves, their values, and their role in the community.

Another significant impact of community service essays is the awareness they raise about social issues and community needs. By sharing their stories and insights, students can shed light on important issues and inspire others to get involved in community service. These essays can also help community organizations and stakeholders better understand the needs of their communities and how they can address them effectively.

Overall, community service essays play a vital role in promoting social responsibility, empathy, and civic engagement. They empower students to make a positive impact in their communities and contribute to creating a more compassionate and inclusive society.

Guidelines for Writing Community Service Essays

When writing a community service essay, it is important to follow certain guidelines to ensure that your message is clear and impactful. Here are some tips to help you craft a powerful and compelling essay:

• Start by brainstorming ideas and reflecting on your community service experiences.
• Clearly define the purpose of your essay and what you hope to convey to your readers.
• Organize your essay with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.
• Use specific examples and anecdotes to support your points and showcase your personal growth.
• Highlight the impact of your community service activities on both yourself and others.
• Showcase your passion and dedication to serving your community.
• Be authentic and honest in your writing, and avoid exaggerating or embellishing your experiences.
• Edit and proofread your essay carefully to ensure clarity, coherence, and proper grammar.

Examples of Effective Community Service Essays

Community service essays can have a powerful impact on the reader when they are well-written and thoughtful. Here are a few examples to inspire you:

1. A Well-Structured Essay:

This essay begins with a compelling introduction that clearly articulates the author’s motivation for engaging in community service. The body paragraphs provide specific examples of the author’s experiences and the impact they had on both the community and themselves. The conclusion ties everything together, reflecting on the lessons learned and the importance of giving back.

2. Personal Reflection:

This essay delves deep into the author’s personal experiences during their community service work. It explores the challenges they faced, the emotions they encountered, and the growth they underwent. By sharing vulnerable moments and candid reflections, the author creates a connection with the reader and demonstrates the transformational power of service.

3. Future Goals and Impact:

This essay not only discusses past community service experiences but also looks toward the future. The author shares their aspirations for continued service and outlines how they plan to make a difference in the world. By showcasing a sense of purpose and vision, this essay inspires the reader to consider their own potential for impact.

These examples illustrate how community service essays can be effective tools for conveying meaningful stories, inspiring others, and showcasing personal growth. By crafting a compelling narrative and reflecting on the significance of service, you can create an essay that leaves a lasting impression.

How Community Service Essays Empower Individuals

Community service essays provide individuals with a platform to express their thoughts, share their experiences, and make a meaningful impact on society. By writing about their volunteer work and the lessons they have learned, individuals can empower themselves to create positive change and inspire others to do the same.

• Through community service essays, individuals can reflect on the importance of giving back to their communities and the value of helping those in need.
• These essays can serve as a source of motivation and inspiration for individuals to continue their philanthropic efforts and make a difference in the world.
• By sharing their stories through community service essays, individuals can raise awareness about social issues and promote greater empathy and understanding among their peers.

Overall, community service essays empower individuals to take action, advocate for change, and contribute to building a more compassionate and equitable society.

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How to write the community service essay

Whether in an interview or an essay, all college applicants should be prepared to talk about the ways they have worked to improve their schools and communities. No college wants to admit a passive recipient of community, they would all much prefer to admit an active and engaged citizen who understands that community requires contribution. Use this essay to define a community (see the community essay for more examples of this) and then talk specifically about how you helped to make that community better. You have a lot of latitude here to define your terms and to define the boundaries of your engagement. Don’t pass up any opportunity to share your active citizenship. These essays will vary in length but are often a “mid-size” supplement of 250-350 words.

Example Community Service Questions:

• U of California: What have you done to make your school or community a better place?
• MIT: At MIT, we bring people together to better the lives of others. MIT students work to improve their communities in different ways, from tackling the world’s biggest challenges to being a good friend. Describe one way in which you have contributed to your community, whether in your family, the classroom, your neighborhood, etc.  
• Princeton: Princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. Tell us how your story intersects (or will intersect) with these ideals.

LET'S BREAK DOWN THE ESSENTIAL POINTS YOU NEED TO HIT WHEN RESPONDING TO THIS SUPPLEMENT:

This is an important question! If you have an option to select an essay question among several prompts, choose to write this essay! Why? Colleges want to know that you have made your community a better place. This makes you a compelling applicant. Why else? Because you have done something that can answer this question – even if to you, right now, it looks small in comparison to solving global challenges.

“Community” can be defined however you choose! Be sure to use a few words of this essay to outline the boundaries of the community you identify.

THINGS TO AVOID:

Additional tips and tricks:.

• Column 1: Identify the problem. Describe the challenge you were (or are currently) facing. The problem could be something global, like an environmental issue, or something more local, like a lack of creative opportunities in your high school.
• Column 2: Raise the stakes. Help us understand: Why was (or is) overcoming this challenge important? What might happen if this problem went (or goes) unchecked?  
• Column 3: Articulate the vision. What might the world look like if this problem were solved? Inspire us to dream with you.
• Column 4: Describe what you did. Tell us the specific things you (or you and your team) did to solve the problem.
• Column 5: Clarify your role.   Describe your particular involvement. Why were (or are) you crucial to the project’s or club’s success?
• Column 6: Share the impact you had, lessons you learned, or values you gained. Provide specific evidence that gives us a sense that your work mattered.

Don't forget to use active verbs! Additionally, you can absolutely re-use this essay (being mindful of word count) to respond to multiple community service prompts from different schools.

Elise holds a BA in Political Philosophy from Williams College and an MEd in Administration & Social Policy from Harvard. She has spent the past twenty years working in top-tier independent schools.

Related Content

Community Service on College Applications: Dos and Don’ts

In this article,  CollegeAdvisor.com  Admissions Expert Michael gives best practices for doing community service and including it in your college applications. For more guidance on the college applications process in general,  sign up for a monthly plan to work with an admissions coach 1-on-1.

As you look for ways to strengthen your extracurricular profile, you may find yourself interested in community service.

Community service can be incredibly meaningful for young people during the college process and beyond. However, many students engage in community service just to pad their résumés, gain references and recommendations, or have an easy topic for their college essays.

In this article, we’ll examine the ways that community service can be both helpful and harmful to you in the admissions process.

The Dos of Meaningful Community Service

If you choose to participate in community service, it should not just be for your college applications. It should be because you care about your community and the work you choose to do.

That being said, meaningful community service can strengthen your college applications. You just have to make sure that you choose the right projects and address them in the right ways.

Here are some tips to ensure that your involvement strengthens—rather than undermines—your college applications.

Find service opportunities that support your interests

When applying to colleges, you’ll create what we call your candidate profile: a cohesive application theme that showcases your academic, extracurricular, and personal interests and how they overlap. Your community service experiences should align with this profile.

Say you have an incredible passion for education and you want to become a teacher. You might find ways of tutoring your peers, or you could work with a company that provides educational resources to underserved communities. If you want to become a healthcare professional, you might volunteer at the Red Cross or your local hospital. And if you’re interested in environmental science, you could organize local gardening initiatives or participate in cleanups. No matter where your interests lie, the possibilities are endless!

Make an active effort to contribute to your community

Maybe you’re not thrilled with the service opportunities available in your community, but you still want to give back. In that case, consider creating your own club, organization, or initiative!

Admissions Officers love when students take their extracurriculars into their own hands and create their own opportunities. And this doesn’t have to be too official—grab some friends, brainstorm some ideas, and get to work.

Remember, of course, that no matter what you do, you should be passionate about your contributions to your community. You should also be able to clearly explain why you chose to pursue this specific service project.

Show a demonstrated interest in service

Maybe you’re just passionate about community service and contributing to social good overall! This might mean that you’d rather participate in many smaller projects than commit to larger, more specific initiatives. That’s all right, too! You can likely find many clubs—perhaps your school’s Key Club or National Honor Society—with this exact purpose.

If this is your speed, make sure that you display a demonstrated commitment to these clubs or service projects. Participate in as many projects as possible, and help in any way you can. You may even look for leadership roles within these clubs to maximize your involvement.

Highlight your specific impact

When you write about your community service experience in your applications, be sure to highlight your specific contributions.

Let’s say you participated in a fundraising event that raised $5,000, and you personally brought in $2,000 of that through cold-calling potential donors. You would definitely want to highlight that achievement! This shows Admissions Officers your passion for your projects as well as your drive to make a tangible difference.

The Don’ts: Wrong Strategies for Approaching Community Service

While community service can strengthen an application, you want to be careful that it doesn’t seem like you’re doing it just to impress colleges. Here are some of the ways that community service can hurt you in the admissions process.

Participate in just a little of it

If you want to use community service as a part of your candidate profile, truly commit to it! Too often, applicants will focus on a community service experience where they went away for a week or so (Habitat for Humanity and Doctors Without Borders are great examples of this) and never thought about it again. While these organizations do meaningful work, a week-long service trip will not add to your profile or illustrate your passions.

If you choose to participate in a short-term service opportunity, brainstorm how you can supplement that experience once it has finished. Ask yourself what you liked about that experience and how you might continue doing similar work. See if there are other ways you can become involved in the organization, even if you can’t return to the “front lines.”

Additionally, be wary of entering other people’s communities. If you choose to go on a service trip to another country, do so with respect and self-awareness.

Write about how community service made you grateful

The whole point behind community service is to serve the community, and the whole point of your college essays is to show how your experiences have made you the person that you are. However, Admissions Officers have seen too many essays where students write about their gratitude after helping others in need. While this is a great takeaway, it is one that almost everybody who has done community service experiences!

When writing an essay about service, focus on how it has impacted your life and future. Did a project inspire you to continue doing similar work on your own? Did an initiative reveal to you your desired academic and professional path? Or did you make an active effort to recruit your family and friends because you felt so passionate about the cause?

Rely on passive actions

Passive actions (such as donations) can be deeply impactful for service organizations. However, in the admissions process, these passive actions do not add to your candidate profile. As with any extracurricular, you should be actively involved in your community service experiences.

For example, a monetary donation of any amount is a stellar way to support a cause, but someone can give money with a simple click of a button. It doesn’t take much thought, time, or real action. We’ll want to be sure to stay away from mentioning any actions that didn’t require you to specifically give your time and energy.

Additionally, some students will sign up to participate in community service clubs just to be a member. They’ll show up to a couple of meetings, but they’ll never actually go to any events or contribute in any meaningful way. If this sounds like you, you definitely don’t want to mention it in your applications.

Final Thoughts

As you can tell, community service can improve your college applications quite a bit—but only if you’re smart about it! Ultimately, Admissions Officers are looking to see that your extracurriculars support your candidate profile: that they make sense in relation to the interests that you have and the values that you hold.

Conduct some research to see what service opportunities are available to you, both in your school and in the community. Make sure that no matter what you decide to do, that you are making a demonstrated effort to positively and actively impact your cause.

This article on community service was written by Michael Miller, University of Pennsylvania ‘18. If you want to get help with your college applications from CollegeAdvisor.com  Admissions Experts ,  register with CollegeAdvisor.com today.

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Why Community Service Is So Important for College Admissions

By now, you probably know that community service can make your college applications more competitive. But just how important is community service for college admissions?

In a survey of 264 admissions officers at U.S. colleges, 58% of admissions officers agreed that community service has a positive impact on a student’s acceptance to their college or university. Even more importantly, 53% said that community service was a tie-breaker between equally qualified students.

This means that if a spot at your dream school comes down to you or another student — and your GPA, test scores, and strength of schedule are similar — it could be your community service experiences that give you the nod.

Why Is Community Service Important?

According to the survey, community service is important to colleges because it indicates that the student:

• Is likely to be active on campus outside of class.
• Is likely to contribute to the university’s mission.
• Shares the school’s values.

Of course, volunteering in your community also demonstrates a level of civic awareness and empathy for others, and it can reflect issues that you’re passionate about. Together, this helps form a complete (and positive) picture of who you are as an individual.

In this guide, we’ll examine what colleges consider important when it comes to community service, including how many service hours you need and how schools evaluate your community service experiences. Let’s get started!

How Many Hours of Community Service Do I Need?

Unless your high school has a community service requirement for graduation, the exact amount of time you spend doing community service is unimportant.

Of course, just a few hours over the course of four years wouldn’t suggest that you’re especially civic-minded. Generally, you should aim to complete at least 50-200 hours of community service during your high school career. (But keep in mind: There’s no need to exhaust yourself or fall behind in school because you’ve set a lofty goal of hundreds of community service hours.)

As you’ll see in the next section, colleges look not at the quantity of community service you complete, but at the quality of the work you do.

How Will Colleges Evaluate My Community Service?

Colleges want students to participate in authentic, meaningful community service that deepens their sense of gratitude, responsibility for the future, and appreciation of diversity.

In a 2016 report published by Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, a coalition of college admissions officers joined together to create and endorse recommendations related to community service and ethical engagement, among other topics.

In summary, the report recommended the following:

• Students should engage in authentically chosen community service. This means that the volunteer opportunities you choose should emerge from your interests and passions.
• Ideally, students should spend at least a year on sustained service or community engagement . Community engagement refers to working in groups on community problems, like beautifying a local park or participating in an environmental initiative. The report states that individual service is also valuable, but community engagement develops problem-solving skills, group awareness, and an understanding of and investment in the common good. This also means consistency and commitment are important. Working on one project over a long period of time is better than working on twelve different projects to “collect” hours.
• Students should also work on community service projects that deepen their understanding of diversity. The report specifies that this should not be a patronizing act of “doing for” students from different backgrounds. Instead, students should “do with,” collaborating with diverse groups on school and community issues.
• The report explains that there is no need to “game” community service by seeking high-profile or exotic service opportunities in faraway places. The emotional and ethical awareness and skills generated by community service experiences are far more important.

So, it’s not about how much community service you do, and it’s not about serving your community in ways that no applicant has ever served their community before.

Colleges value community service that you’re passionate about, that you’re committed to, that betters your community or school, and that builds skills and deepens your understanding of diversity and ethics.

Writing About Community Service on College Applications

On your college applications, you’ll list your community service along with your other extracurricular activities . The essay and/or personal statement provides another opportunity to share your community service experiences with admissions officers. So, how can you write about your community service hours in a compelling way?

First, a word of caution: Community service essays are common, and many share similar themes and ideas (e.g. helping the less fortunate, gaining a new perspective and learning to appreciate what you have, developing a passion for helping others, etc.). If you choose to write about community service, try to take a unique approach.

Share a very specific experience , perhaps occurring in just one day, one hour, or even less. Avoid a “big-picture” essay about a project or generalizations about how community service changed your life. Home in on one significant moment and explain why it was meaningful to you and what you learned as a result.

If you do write about community service in response to short answer questions, a personal statement, or an essay, remember these principles:

• Be reflective. Explain what you learned and how you grew from the experience.
• At the same time, be honest and specific. Avoid generic or cliché statements about how community service made you a better person or taught you to appreciate what you have. Think deeply about what you’ve really learned through community service.
• Focus on one anecdote or experience . This will make it easier to get specific and develop a more personal reflection about how your community service experiences have impacted you and your perspective.
• Remember what colleges consider important when it comes to community service: authentic passion, sustained commitment, community engagement, diversity, ethical and emotional awareness, and skills developed. If you have a genuine story related to one or more of these principles, share it.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to write about community service (unless a college asks a question prompting you to do so). And if you don’t have a compelling story to share that fits the guidelines above, it’s probably best to avoid this topic.

If, however, you can think of a meaningful experience that genuinely impacted you, a reflective essay about community service may be the way to go.

Final Thoughts: Importance of Community Service for College Admissions

Not only is community service important for personal development and for our society, but it can also be the deciding factor in a college admissions tiebreaker scenario. With more students competing for fewer spots, that makes community service a very valuable component of your college applications.

Make the most of your community service experiences by:

• Choosing projects that relate to your passions and interests
• Committing to one or two meaningful projects for a sustained length of time, rather than racing to complete the most volunteer hours
• Prioritizing projects related to community engagement and diversity (“doing with” rather than “doing for” diverse groups)

And if you write about community service on your college applications, focus on a specific experience, reflecting on why it was meaningful to you and how it impacted you.

Ironically, if you really want to impress colleges with your community service, you need to stop thinking about impressing colleges. Find service projects that you enjoy and consider important, commit to working on them, and you’re sure to have the exact sort of meaningful and enlightening community service experiences that admissions officers value.

Author: Jason Patel

Jason Patel is the founder of Transizion, a college counseling and career services company that provides mentorship and consulting on college applications, college essays, resumes, cover letters, interviews, and finding jobs and internships. Jason’s work has been cited in The Washington Post, BBC, NBC News, Forbes, Fast Company, Bustle, Inc., Fox Business, and other great outlets. Transizion donates a portion of profits to underserved students and veterans in of college prep and career development assistance.

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Essays About Community Service: Top 5 Examples Plus Prompts

If you are looking for your next writing topic, discover top examples of essays about community service and helpful writing prompts in our guide.

Community service refers to an individual or a group’s volunteer work dedicated to improving the community and its people. In America, Benjamin Franklin introduced community service in the 18th century by developing the idea of ​​the first volunteer firehouse in Philadelphia . Since then, stepping up has become a norm, with more people encouraged to participate.

Volunteering helps individuals gain experience, improve self-esteem, expand knowledge, and promote healthy goals. In addition, choosing community service as a topic in your essay allows you to explain its significance to entice your readers to get involved. To give you an idea of ​​how to write essays about community service, here are five examples that will help you.

5 Top Examples On Essays About Community Service

1. essay on community service and its importance by joni kim, 2. community service experience: essay on what i learned by anonymous on gradesfixer.com, 3. why is community service important by perry mullins, 4. concept of the community services in modern society essay by anonymous on ivypanda.com, 5. community service experience essay by writer molly, 1. community service vs. volunteering, 2. community service: then and now, 3. why we should volunteer, 4. community service in schools: mandatory or voluntary, 5. community service and its influences, 6. types of community service, 7. my community service experience, 8. donation or service: what’s better to give.

“The service helps the group of people in need, for example, senior citizens, children, people with disability and the likes. Sometimes community service is geared towards solving problems related to the needs of community members, especially low-income earners.”

Kim explains that community service is a voluntary action done through various means. It includes health and child care services, education, housing, and other improvements to aid and support the community members who need the most assistance. Then, Kim focuses on its importance to individuals, the community, and the country. The essay showcases how community service improves social, interpersonal, and decision-making skills. It also allows students to explore and find their interests. Ultimately, Kim believes that the real-life experience of volunteering assists in determining one’s career path, providing advantages when applying for a job.

“This experience has helped me to cherish my ability to influence and impact others in a positive way, and it helped me to look at community service as a benefit for myself, instead of just another obligation to fit into my schedule.”

In this essay, the writer reflects on their community service experience, sharing the gains they reaped from the program. They discuss how their undying love for animals and tight-knit communities made them realize the gravity of sharing. They also had the opportunity to strengthen and develop a new set of talents and skills from the encounter. However, the author also mentions that when the desire to do good morphs into a forced responsibility, it leads to failure. The writer says they often receive more benefits than the people and animals they help, as the experience makes them more patient, flexible, and responsible.

“True volunteering lies in an individual’s will and drives to help other and enforcing it eliminates that drive.”

Mullins focuses his essay on explaining why it should not be mandatory for students to do community service. For him, mandatory volunteering takes away the true meaning of volunteerism. Students only view it as additional work – an obligatory criterion they must check off their list to graduate. He claims that students will gain nothing but stress instead of new skills and knowledge when compulsory community services are in place.

“As for me, I consider community work as a good opportunity to get the main idea of some particular services, still, I would not have the same great desire to participate in social life if the services would become obligatory for graduation.”

In modern society, volunteering is becoming a necessary factor in many organizations. People with experience in community service have more opportunities to get a job. The author delves into community service’s importance but also criticizes that making it a requisite takes away its value. With various arguments from professionals like Alina Tugend , the essay further argues that no one would want to receive help from people who consider it an obligation.

“The community service project is different from other school educations the community service can teach us how to love others and how to fulfill our heart with joy.”

Molly dislikes homeless people because of their appearance and smell, but this all changes when cleaning and selling preloved items to homeless people becomes the best experience of her life. Community service taught her that the homeless are no different from her. She also learned to be thankful for her situation. She concludes that after the program, she became more respectful, responsible, and caring to other people.

Do you want to secure that A+ Grade? Check out our round-up of the best essay writing apps for students and academics.

8 Helpful Prompts on Essays About Community Service

If you’re still confused about the topic and can’t choose what to talk about, you can use the prompts below:

To write this prompt, the first part of your essay should discuss the meaning of community service and volunteering. Next, identify and examine the different characteristics of a community service worker and volunteer to clearly explain their similarities and differences. Then finish your essay with your opinion on the matter or look for more information you can expound on in your own words. 

This prompt shows how people’s definitions, processes, and perceptions of community service changed over time. Research and write down how community service started in your country or area to make it more relatable. Include examples of community services that made a big difference for the community and consider how these services impacted people’s lives.

Explain to your readers what voluntary work means and why exposure to it is crucial. Next, write the advantages and disadvantages of volunteering and what they should expect if they decide to be a volunteer. Finally, share your experience to clarify your comments, suggestions, and other points.

The decision to make community service mandatory in every school is still up for debate. First, pen your opinion on this topic and whether or not you agree with compulsory community service. Then, discuss your reasons and provide examples or factual evidence to support your arguments.

Identify and scrutinize the positive and negative effects of community service. Find news articles where one type of community service impacted its volunteers, community, and people differently. Write down how the organizer dealt with different situations and if it affected the program’s outcome.

There are three kinds of community service: direct, indirect, and advocacy. First, discuss and give examples for each one. Then, explain how these services differ from programs under service-learning. For example, direct community service includes directly serving homeless people food and clothes, while in service-learning, volunteers will teach people to garden and earn income. 

Use this prompt to share your memorable experience while doing community service and what you learned from it. It doesn’t matter if it’s a short program at your school, work, or organization. The important thing is that you have experience in community service. Include your initial reaction and if it changed over time while you were doing the service.

Some choose to donate money to various organizations that perform community service. Others join the program and personally help other people. In this prompt, share your opinion on the topic and whether you consider donating as community service. To make your essay more intriguing, look for prominent personalities who consistently contribute or engage in community service versus those who only present monetary assistance. 

AI grammar checkers are powerful resources that can help you improve your writing. See our guide on how to use an AI grammar checker. For help with this topic, read our guide explaining what is persuasive writing ?

Maria Caballero is a freelance writer who has been writing since high school. She believes that to be a writer doesn't only refer to excellent syntax and semantics but also knowing how to weave words together to communicate to any reader effectively.

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Why is Community Service Important?

This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by Christopher Kilner in a CollegeVine livestream. You can watch the full livestream for more info.

What’s Covered: 

What is community service, why do colleges value community service, community service in college.

Creating engaged, generous students is a goal of any school. By participating in community service, young people can learn more about the needs of their community and how they can contribute in a beneficial way. This article will take you through the basics of community service, and demonstrate how it can benefit you and the people around you. 

The most basic definition of community service is that it is volunteer work that helps others. In performing community service, you provide your skills and work to a cause you care about, without getting any kind of immediate material reward, like compensation. Instead, you can feel proud and content, as you know that you’re doing something that will help other people.

There are a variety of ways that you can perform community service. It’s very important that you find something you truly care about. If you enjoy doing this kind of work, you’ll feel much more motivated to keep going with it, and you’ll also learn more about your own passions and interests.

By volunteering, you can help to make positive changes in your community. You’ll also begin to stand out as a college applicant, and later in the job market, as universities care about what you do beyond the classroom, too.

When applying to college, admissions officers obviously want to see that you’re qualified academically, but they also want to find the most committed, thoughtful, and generous students, too. Performing community service as a young person will show that you’re maturing, and that you’re invested in the world around you. 

Universities want to find students who will go on to be giving and selfless alumni. All colleges hope to produce people who use their education to make a difference in the world around them.

In your college application, it helps to show that you have experience with community service , as it demonstrates that you’re already committed to helping those around you. It also proves that you take initiative and participate in meaningful activities outside of school.

Moreover, in your college applications, you’ll need to describe the various extracurricular activities that you’ve pursued in high school. If you’ve already done something that’s benefited others, and not just yourself, admissions committees will see that you can continue on this path and contribute to their college community, too.

Most universities will provide opportunities for you to continue your service work in college. In fact, there are many colleges that take pride in how much their students do for the community.

Tulane University, for example, bears the motto, “Non sibi, sed suis,” or “Not for oneself, but for one’s own.” They are ranked highly by the Princeton Review for their involvement with community service. In fact, they even have a Center for Public Service, which was founded on the belief that public service, originally rooted in academic work, enables students to develop the skills necessary for civic engagement and leadership. 

Similarly, the University of Scranton has the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, which gives students the opportunity to tutor others. There is also the Center for Service and Social Justice, which gets students out into the city of Scranton, where they can serve the homeless, clean up public parks, and engage with the community in other ways.

Tufts University, too, emphasizes community service as one of their key values and defining characteristics. Though they do not require community service of high school applicants, it is a key tenet of their college life, and would only benefit your application.

Universities take pride in the accomplishments of their graduates. By learning the value of community service at a young age, students will go on to make the world a better place. This reflects well on your college, and it will make you feel pretty good about all that you’ve done, too.

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The Importance of Community Service for College Students

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Published: Mar 6, 2024

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 129 great examples of community service projects.

Extracurriculars

Are you interested in performing community service? Do you want examples of service projects you can do? Community service is a great way to help others and improve your community, and it can also help you gain skills and experience to include on your resume and college applications.

Read on for dozens of community service ideas to help you get started volunteering.

What Is Community Service?

Community service is work done by a person or group of people that benefits others. It is often done near the area where you live, so your own community reaps the benefits of your work. You do not get paid to perform community service, but volunteer your time.

Community service can help many different groups of people: children, senior citizens, people with disabilities, even animals and the environment. Community service is often organized through a local group, such as a place of worship, school, or non-profit organization, but you can also start your own community service projects.

Many people participate in community service because they enjoy helping others and improving their community. Some students are required to do community service in order to graduate high school or to receive certain honors. Some adults are also ordered by a judge to complete a certain number of community service hours.

Why Should You Participate in Community Service?

There are numerous benefits to participating in community service, both for yourself and others. Below are some of the most important benefits of volunteering:

• Gives you a way to help others
• Helps improve your community
• Can help strengthen your resume and college applications
• Can be a way to meet new friends
• Often results in personal growth
• Gives you a way to gain work experience and learn more about certain jobs

How Should You Use This List?

This list of over one hundred community service examples is organized by category , so if you're particularly interested in working with, say, children or animals, you can easily find community service activities more related to your interests.

In order to use this list most effectively, read through it and make note of any community service ideas that match your interests and that you may want to participate in. Some considerations to keep in mind are:

Is there a specific group of people or cause you are passionate about? Look for projects that relate to your passion and interests. You may also just want to perform particular community service activities that allow you to do hobbies you enjoy, like baking or acting, and that's fine too.

Perhaps you don't have enough time to regularly devote to community service. In that case, it may be better to look for opportunities that only occur once or sporadically, such as planning special events or helping build a house.

Some people prefer to participate in community service activities that have a quantifiable impact, for example, activities where you know the specific number of kids you tutored, dollars you raised, or cans of food you collected. This is in contrast to activities that don't have such clear numbers, such as creating a garden or serving as a volunteer lifeguard. Some people prefer quantifiable activities because they feel they look stronger on college applications, or because they simply enjoy knowing their exact impact on the community.

Many community service activities can help you gain skills. These skills can range from teaching to medicine to construction and more. If there is a particular skill you'd like to learn for future classes, jobs, or just out of personal interest, you may want to see if there is a community service activity that helps you learn that skill.

List of Community Service Examples

Below I've listed over 100 community service ideas to get you started with brainstorming.

General Ideas

Donate or raise money for your local Red Cross

Organize a community blood drive

Send cards to soldiers serving overseas

For your next birthday, ask for charitable donations instead of gifts

Hold a bake sale for your favorite charity

Read books or letters to a person who is visually impaired

Organize a wheelchair basketball team

Participate in a charity race

Organize an event or parade for Memorial Day

Volunteer to help at a charity auction

Participate in National Youth Service Day in April

Contact a tree farm about donating Christmas trees to nursing homes, hospitals, or to families who can't afford to buy their own

Collect unused makeup and perfume to donate to a center for abused women

Help register people to vote

Organize a car wash and donate the profits to charity

• Help deliver meals and gifts to patients at a local hospital
• Write articles / give speeches advocating financial literarcy. First you should learn about the topics themselves, like calculating housing costs, or understanding personal loans, and then give presentations on these topics.

Helping Children and Schools

Tutor children during or after school

Donate stuffed animals to children in hospitals

Organize games and activities for children in hospitals or who are visiting hospitalized relatives

Knit or crochet baby blankets to be donated to hospitals or homeless shelters

Collect baby clothes and supplies to donate to new parents

Organize a Special Olympics event for children and teenagers

Sponsor a bike-a-thon and give away bike safety gear, like helmets and knee pads , as prizes

Collect used sports equipment to donate to families and after-school programs

Volunteer at a summer camp for children who have lost a parent

Sponsor a child living in a foreign country, either on your own or as part of a group

Coach a youth sports team

Put on performances for children in hospitals

Give free music lessons to schoolchildren

Become a volunteer teen crisis counselor

Organize a summer reading program to encourage kids to read

Organize an Easter egg hunt for neighborhood children

Create a new game for children to play

Organize events to help new students make friends

Babysit children during a PTA meeting

Organize a reading hour for children at a local school or library

Donate used children's books to a school library

Work with the local health department to set up an immunization day or clinic to immunize children against childhood diseases

• Volunteer to help with Vacation Bible School or other religious camps

Helping Senior Citizens

Read to residents at a nursing home

Deliver groceries and meals to elderly neighbors

Teach computer skills to the elderly

Drive seniors to doctor appointments

Mow an elderly neighbor's lawn

Host a bingo night for nursing home residents

Host a holiday meal for senior citizens

Make birthday cards for the elderly

Donate and decorate a Christmas tree at a nursing home

Organize a family day for residents of a retirement home and relatives to play games together

Ask residents of a retirement home to tell you about their lives

Pick up medicine for an elderly neighbor

Perform a concert or play at a senior center

Help elderly neighbors clean their homes and organize their belongings

Rake leaves, shovel snow, or wash windows for a senior citizen

• Deliver cookies to a homebound senior citizen

Helping Animals and the Environment

Take care of cats and dogs at an animal shelter

Clean up a local park

Raise money to provide a bulletproof vest for a police dog

Plant a tree for Arbor Day

Place a bird feeder and bird fountain in your backyard

Start a butterfly garden in your community

Sponsor a recycling contest

Grow flowers in your backyard then give bouquets to hospital patients or people who are housebound

Help create a new walking trail at a nature center or park

Update the signs along a nature trail

Adopt an acre of rainforest

Help train service dogs

Participate in the cleanup of a local river, pond, or lake

Foster animals that shelters don't have space for

Organize a spay and neuter your pet program

Care for a neighbor's pet while they are away

Sponsor an animal at your local zoo

Train your pet to be a therapy animal and bring it to hospitals or nursing homes

Build and set up a bird house

Organize a carpool to reduce car emissions

Campaign for more bike lanes in your town

Volunteer at a nature camp and teach kids about the environment

Test the water quality of a lake or river near you

• Plant native flowers or plants along highways

Helping the Hungry and/or Homeless

Build a house with Habitat for Humanity

Donate your old clothes

Volunteer at a soup kitchen

Donate old eyeglasses to an organization that collects that and distributes them to people in need

Donate non-perishable food to a food bank

Donate blankets to a homeless shelter

Host a Thanksgiving dinner for people who may not be able to afford their own

Offer to babysit or nanny for a family in need

Make "care kits" with shampoo , toothbrushes , combs , etc. to donate to homeless shelters

Prepare a home-cooked meal for the residents of a nearby homeless shelter

Collect grocery coupons to give to a local food bank

Help repair or paint a local homeless shelter

Donate art supplies to kids in a homeless shelter

Help organize and sort donations at a homeless shelter

Babysit children while their parents look for jobs

Become a Big Buddy for children at a homeless shelter

Take homeless children on outings

Bake a batch of cookies or loaf of bread and deliver it to a soup kitchen

Build flower boxes for Habitat for Humanity houses

Organize a winter clothes drive to collect coats, hats, scarves, and gloves to be donated

Make first aid kits for homeless shelters

Reducing Crime and Promoting Safety

Volunteer at a police station or firehouse

Become a certified lifeguard and volunteer at a local pool or beach

Paint over graffiti in your neighborhood

Organize a self-defense workshop

Organize a drug-free campaign

Sponsor a drug-free post-prom event

Start or join a neighborhood watch program

Create and distribute a list of hotlines for people who might need help

Teach a home-alone safety class for children

Create a TV or radio public service announcement against drug and alcohol use

Become CPR certified

• Volunteer as a crossing guard for an elementary school

Promoting Community Enhancement

Paint park benches

Donate used books to your local library

Become a tour guide at your local museum

Repaint community fences

Plant flowers in bare public areas

Organize a campaign to raise money to buy and install new playground equipment for a park

Participate in or help organize a community parade

Clean up vacant lot

Produce a neighborhood newspaper

Campaign for more lighting along poorly lit streets

Create a newcomers group in your neighborhood to help welcome new families

Petition your town leaders to build more drinking fountains and public restrooms

Volunteer to clean up trash at a community event

Adopt a local highway or road and clean up trash along it

Help fix or raise funds to repair a run-down playground

Clean up after a natural disaster

Now that you know what your options are for community service, you can take the following steps to start getting involved:

#1: Look over your interests: Which activities seem most appealing to you? Were they mostly in one particular category, like children or the environment? If so, that's a good starting place for choosing specific organizations to contact.

#2: Figure out how much time you can devote to community service: Are you available for two hours every week? Are you not free on a regular basis but can volunteer for an entire weekend now and then?

Think about transportation as well and how you'll be able to get to different locations. Knowing this information will help you choose which community service projects to pursue, and it's helpful information for volunteer coordinators to know.

#3: Do some research to see what projects you can do in your community: Check at your school, place of worship, or town hall for more information on volunteering. You can also contact the place where you'd like to perform your community service, such as a particular animal shelter or nursing home, and ask if they take volunteers.

#4: Start volunteering! This list ranges from small projects that you can complete on your own in a few hours, to much larger projects that will take more time and people. If you find a project you can start on your own, do it!

If you want to do a project where you'll need more resources or people, check around your community to see if a similar program already exists that you can join. If not, don't be afraid to start your own! Many organizations welcome new volunteers and community service projects.

Additional Information

Considering doing volunteer work in another country? Read our guide on volunteer abroad programs and learn whether or not you should participate in one.

Are you in college or will be starting soon? Extracurriculars are one of the best parts of college! Check out our guide to learn which extracurricular activities you should consider in college .

Did you know that you can use your community service work to help pay for college? Check out our step-by-step guide on how to win community service scholarships.

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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20 Great Community Service Examples for College Applications

November 19, 2019

Posted In: College Applications

If you’re wondering what community service projects look best for your college applications, try one of these ideas!

Community service is key to a well-rounded college application, and the type of community service can say a lot to school admissions offices. Not only does community service show you care about helping others, it also builds skills, shows your passion, and can even provide networking opportunities. The key to choosing a community service project is always to consider those which relate to an interest of yours – for example, future doctors will want to choose one connected to hospitals and health. Pick a cause you support and find an organization that works to promote that cause.

1. Volunteer Teen Crisis Counselor

Teens currently have more stress than other generations in the past, as academic standards have risen. In addition, difficulty fitting in socially, trouble with family, and other issues can all do damage to mental health. By volunteering as a crisis counselor, you can provide a sounding board for troubled teens to express their concerns and stress, often providing relief for them to reapproach their situations with a clearer, calmer mind.

2. Volunteer With An Animal Rescue

If you’re an animal lover, volunteer with your local rescue. Animal shelters are always looking for people to walk dogs, clean cages, and volunteer at adoption events, and generally the volunteer work is flexible with your schedule, so you can contribute more hours during summer break, and less during finals week!

3. Host A Charity Event

Organizing and hosting a charity event is a great way to demonstrate your leaderships. Choose a charity organization you’re interested in, like cancer research or conservation, then build piece by piece an event to raise money that will be donated. Whether you opt for a bake sale, a charity run, or a non-profit gala, you’ll need to work with local businesses, news sources, and more to get the word out, find sponsors, and ensure success. It’s a great way to show colleges that you possess both initiative and follow-through.

4. Adopt A Grandparent

It’s not always easy for families to spend time with their elderly relatives, but by “adopting” a grandparent in your local retirement home, you can help ensure that the oldest demographic isn’t forgotten. Bring them special treats, spend time playing games, and you’ll be rewarded with a new friendship – and likely stories of times that you never had a chance to experience.

5. Help Research Environmental And Biological Data

If you’re interested in conservation, there are a number of organizations that rely on people contributing data from their own backyards. You can become a storm spotter , or count the wildlife in your backyard. There’s numerous organizations that seek information so that they can better focus their environmental efforts, and for busy students, it’s an excellent way to still contribute.

6. Build With Habitat For Humanity

Building houses allows you to create something tangible that will go on to help a family as they get back on their feet economically. Projects happen all over the country, so whenever you have a day or two, you can join and hammer nails, cut wood, and learn handiness skills.

7. Support The Troops

Our soldiers overseas undergo plenty of hardships, but packages from home can do a world of good towards raising their morale. You can purchase and mail a care package on your own, but for better impact and to develop your leadership skills, create a supply drive, asking other people and even businesses to donate items, then divide them and send numerous packages to show support for many soldiers. Some items to ask for include DVDs, hard candies, and handwritten letters of support.

8. Organize A Blood Drive

Hospitals are constantly in need of blood, so work with the Red Cross to organize a blood drive at your school. They will provide the phlobotomist, but you’ll need to work with school administration for a location, and you’ll also need to get the word out to achieve a high turnout. It can take some organization, but it’s well worth it when you consider how many lives you’ve saved.

9. Clean Up Your Town

Pollution contributes greatly to a number of environmental issues, but you can help by cleaning up. Volunteer to pick up trash on the side of the road, clean up and preserve a park, or cover grafitti on buildings. Every little bit can make a huge difference, and there’s always more to be done so you’ll have a regular flow of volunteer work to do.

10. Share Skills In An After-School Program

If you’re talented at art, volunteer to run an after-school art class at the elementary school, or athletes can show kids how to play football. After-school programs are notoriously understaffed, and crucial to kids, particularly those with working parents who need supervision and healthy outlets after a day of sitting in class.

11. Start An Initiative At Your School

If you know there’s an issue with bullying at your school, start an anti-bullying initiative that focuses on providing support for victims, pushing administration for a no-tolerance policy, and educating peers on signs of bullying so that they can provide support. Bullying isn’t the only initiative you can start, either – start a group focused on promoting cultural sharing.

12. Hold A Supply Drive

Ask fellow students, parents, and others in your community to donate goods instead of money. Domestic shelters, soup kitchens, and animal shelters are always looking for supplies, so organize a drive to obtain the non-monetary things they need. Check with your chosen recipient before you begin so that you know some of the lesser-known items on their wishlist – animal shelters need pet food and toys, but they also need towels, garbage bags, mops, syringes, and baby food!

13. Promote A Cause In Your Community

For the politically inclined, support a local initiative by organizing protests, starting a letter-writing campaign, and handing out information about the topic. Doing so can make a huge difference for the cause – just make sure it’s one you care about, or you won’t be convincing.

14. Mentor Those Less-Fortunate

Peer-to-peer mentoring can make a huge difference in someone’s life. Help peers with schoolwork, engage in fun activities, and assist them with skill development, based on your own talents. Not every teenager has the same opportunities, but you can help level the playing field for one person.

15. Raise Money By Running

Various organizations host marathons or walk-a-thons to raise money for their cause, and you can sign up for these. Ask friends and family to sponsor you at a set amount per distance you achieve, and let them know every penny helps. Not only will participating improve your own health, the money you raise can help save lifes.

16. Sponsor An Animal

Zoos and wildlife rescues often have a program where you can donate a set amount of money per month that goes towards the support of an animal in their care. Doing so can sometimes even earn you the chance to meet the animal and learn more about the species in general, such as at the Duke Lemur Center in North Carolina.

17. Organize A Reading Hour

Work with your local library to organize a free reading hour with the goal of helping children develop an interest in reading and improve their own literacy. Whether you opt to read to them or organize a group of people for the kids themselves to read to, it’s an important cause that can have long-lasting effects on a child’s education.

18. Rock The Vote

Voting is one of the most important things people can do to contribute to society, and it’s also a right people often opt out of. Work on voter registration drives to spread word about the importance of voting and ensure people are signed up and have the information of where and when they are eligible to vote.

19. Spend Time At The Hospital

There are a number of people, children and adults alike, who spend large amounts of time in the hospital due to chronic and intimidating health conditions. Volunteer to entertain kids in the children’s ward or keep dialysis patients company during treatment, brightening their days and showing support for them as they navigate a difficult life.

20. Hold A Knitting Bee

Gather a group of people to knit (or crochet or sew) blankets, scarves, hats – anything, really – then donate the goods to hospitals, homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, and animal rescues. Each place is constantly in need of goods for their guests, and a handmade item can do a world of good for someone’s emotional wellbeing.

Approach your community service projects with a critical eye, and make sure you’re genuinely passionate about the cause and that it will help you on your college applications!

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, examples of community service scholarship essays.

Does anyone have any examples of successful community service scholarship essays? I'm looking for inspiration and want to get a sense of what helped other students win scholarships based on their service experiences.

Hey there! While I unfortunately don't have any examples on hand, I can definitely provide you with some general tips on how to make your community service scholarship essay stand out:

1. Choose a unique experience: Pick a community service project that is meaningful to you and had a significant impact on others. Your passion and dedication to serving your community shine through in your essay.

2. Focus on personal growth: Reflect on how your community service experiences have shaped your values, taught you important lessons, or influenced your personal growth. You want the broader relevance of this story to your growth and personality to be clear.

3. Use vivid anecdotes: Sharing specific examples and stories to illustrate your points will bring your essay to life and make it more engaging.

4. Demonstrate leadership: If you took on a leadership role during your community service projects, definitely mention that in your essay. Show how you led a team or initiated a project, and how that leadership contributed to the project's success.

5. Quantify your impact: If possible, include some numbers or statistics to illustrate the positive effect your service had on the community. This concrete evidence emphasizes your commitment and accomplishments.

6. Take advantage of CollegeVine's resources: While there aren't any examples included, CollegeVine's blog does have a general breakdown of how to approach this kind of essay: https://blog.collegevine.com/community-service-essay/. And they also offer both a free peer essay review service and paid reviews by expert college admissions advisors - sometimes, an objective look at your essay from someone who doesn't know you, or anything about your community involvement, is the best way of figuring out whether your impact is coming across.

Overall, be genuine and authentic, and focus on painting a vivid picture of your community service journey. By doing so, you'll be able to showcase your dedication and impact, which could help you stand out in the scholarship application process. Good luck!

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CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

The Impact of Professional Scholarship Essay Writing Services on Academic Success

I t’s hard to overestimate the usefulness of writing services for someone who needs a good essay for a scholarship application. At the same time, there are some concerns about the probable negative impact of writing services on academic success. Let’s consider both the potential negative and positive impact of a scholarship essay writing service to decide what’s stronger.

One of the most widespread concerns about the impact of essay writing services is the ethical side of use. Evidently, it is improper if people will provide someone’s work as their own. Even though such concern cannot be called groundless, it’s a matter of choice. Writing service is a tool, and it’s only the customer's choice how to use it. A person can buy a knife to cut fruits and vegetables or to take someone's life. This is not about the tool but about the ethics and decisions of the particular person who uses the tool.  

Another concern is related to the dependency. When people overuse writing services and outsource their own tasks to other experts, it rather decreases their own skills that ought to be developed with the assignments. It’s once again about human conscience and ethics. In this context, it can be useful to compare writing services with coffee. Sometimes, this drink can be very useful to help you wake up or not fall asleep for longer. However, with excessive use, it can be harmful to health and be addictive. And, if you are regularly using coffee to wake yourself up or to stay awake, you probably have to reconsider your time management.

One more concern is about the money. Writing services obviously don’t provide their help for free. Hence, the frequent use of it can cause a financial burden for people who use such services. Thinking this way, one can assume that any type of purchase can cause a financial burden. Most writing services insist on price transparency and the absence of any hidden additional increase in the price. One can see the price before placing an order and deciding whether this money will harm the budget.

As you can see, although the concerns about writing services aren’t baseless, they’re more about the weakness of human nature than about the negative impact of writing services themselves. People who can act unethically will find their way with or without writing services. And if a person has trouble managing money it will be evident from the different aspects of life, not only the use of writing services. You can be careful using writing services, but not more careful than with anything else in life. 

Except for the concerns considered above, writing services can also positively impact academic success when used properly. A person who needs to write a scholarship essay often faces the problem of procrastination and blank page syndrome. In such a case, help from a writing service can be incredibly useful to overcome the problems. A person can use the paper from the writing service as an example to follow or, in contrast, decide that everything must be written differently. Most importantly, one will start working on the scholarship essay instead of waiting for inspiration or being lost in anxiety. 

• The positive impact on mental health comes from the previous advantage. Applying for the scholarship is a stressful process. A person is concerned about all the papers that must be gathered and forms to be filled out in the proper way, about the future if the scholarship will be obtained, and about the development of the events if not. Writing services that provide personalized examples of scholarship essays can help reduce stress and anxiety and, hence, have at least a small positive impact on mental health. 
• Expert guidance can be crucial for a person who needs a scholarship. Yes, you can find free examples of scholarship essays on the web, but you might not be sure which is most suitable for your particular case. Writing services have professionals who often write scholarship essays and know their specifics. In addition, a personalized example is the most useful one to understand what and how you can write to succeed. 
• Time management is the last but not the least point in this list. Writing services have short deadlines of just a few hours, which allows a person to get a ready example on the same day it was ordered. This saves time that a person might spend reading and understanding the nuances of the scholarship essay. Instead of that, one can take this time for other no less essential papers or activities related to getting a scholarship.

Final words

As one can see, scholarship essay writing services can potentially negatively and positively impact academic success. Such services can be a powerful tool to save time, avoid stress, and get a well-written personalized example of a scholarship essay. However, as well as in the case of any tool, it must be used wisely and ethically.