Importance of Social Work for Application

I think specifically for MBA Apps, schools like to see some type of leadership role/initiative that you led within volunteer organizations rather than just participation. That being said, the weight given to such activities differs depending on the schools. I hear extracurricular activities like these are more important in top 10 schools because pretty much everyone being considered by them will have exceptional academic and/or professional backgrounds. So the social work experience becomes something they can use to differentiate candidates. Although I don't have any references to cite, I would assume that the impact of not having these experiences is less when applying to schools below the top 10 ranks. The other thing to consider is that people can use social work experience as a way to balance out a weaker GMAT/academic record.