Volunteer and Extra Curricular tips

I am INN

had a year or more before applying...
will come up with some thoughts soon..............

YOU define your volunteering/extra curricular. Saving the world is not for everyone. The key is to drive what you are passionate about.

It could be park clean up, it could be awareness of situation X, it could be being a champion making people aware of certain shortages (i.e. blood drives). It could really be ANYTHING.

I think volunteering or extracurriculars become more impactful when you can show a direct relation to other areas of your life or took a skill you already have and furthered it by helping others and yourself at the same time. I don't think they are only looking for selfless acts, but ones that show you strategically planned to get involved in an area you are interested in for mutual benefit.

For example, I have had a side hobby as an artist for as long as I can remember, sold a few paintings, built up a nice portfolio, but i also genuinely have a passion for helping people. Long before GMAT or MBA even entered my mind I started volunteering with a charity that brings the healing prospects of art to at-risk children. I was strengthening my skills as an artist, but doing so in a way that also brings value to others, 2 birds with one stone. In addition I have various other projects I've volunteered on, murals at a school, art show fundraisers etc. all related to the same theme. Once I started thinking b-school applications, I combined these areas and brought the kids I work with to help participate in one of the fundraisers.

I am a big believer in charity no matter what you do to help out, working in a soup kitchen or picking up trash or whatever is great, but if you can show you used a unique skill that you have to help people versus something anyone can do I think that adds even more value and help solidify your story.

^^^ thats good stuff Michmax. For me, I have been playing guitar for 15 years and part of my community service is teaching guitar to city kids through Guitars not Guns . org.
Another thing to note: if its something you like to do anyway, your that much more likely to stick with and grow into a leadership role.

We can all pick a well known name for our community service, the point is to have a connection to it.

Moderator note: topic moved to the MBA forum where it should find more attention and appreciation!

I think this is key. It should be something you are passionate about not just something to put on a resume.

I think something that is enjoyable to a lot of people would be coaching. Just because you are no longer that star HS athlete, doesn't mean you need to leave the sport. It would be very enjoyable to spend time coaching and mentoring young kids to develop fundamental athletic skills, to attain strong work ethics, and to have fun.

I also heard that it may look bad to join something so close to application time. Anyone have thoughts on that? What if you are trying something new and it happens to be just 3 months prior to your application? What if it's actually a great experience and you want to write about it. Could it come off as a ploy just for applications?

I believe everyone of us must have done one thing or another apart from the work. Mostly we are not even aware that we can include one activity in our resume.

1. I started my own company in 2nd year of my engineering and did many projects - including freelancing.
My clients use to be very happy with my professional behavior and this clicked me. I have a plan to start my business but post mba only. For me education is very important, just because of this reason I joined one IT company to gain professional experience essential for MBA.

2. I did not appear at district level, but I was quite regular in playing table tennis at school and college.

3. I have learnt music at a blind school and even helped the blind kids to learn from me. I have spent some months there.

4. I have spent a lot of time in working out (gym)

5. I have cleared mathematics Olympiads and was selected to appear at the national level in India.

6. I was involved in arranging religious ceremonies at college level.

7. I have participated in events at the organization and have won one prize as well.

There are so many such small things, and I m not aware which things I should include or exclude. I will have to scan my whole life graph for this, and I will certainly do this post Gmat.

Since I will have one full year, I m keen to join some NGO or any organization in which I can spend some time.

If possible kindly evaluate those listed points and advice on the same. I might not be able to show certificates for the activities.

Also, what can be done in one year to improve the profile drastically. I m ready for everything.

Hi gurpreetsingh

Thank you for starting such a great thread. I am confident (and excited) about its value to this community of emerging leaders.

I would like to add our national MBA-level professional group, USA Leadership Corps, to this conversation.

USALC structures volunteer nonprofit and small business strategy consulting projects for emerging MBAs who desire to strengthen their leadership, consulting, entrepreneurship, and/or community-involvement backgrounds (www usaLeadershipCorps org)

Our group provides a great opportunity to learn from & add value to entrepreneurial organizations that better society.

Thanks again for starting a great thread.

Maxwell Roper
Outreach Director
USA Leadership Corps

Anybody have any idea how things like extended world travel are viewed? I know it's not on the same level as, say, having an important leadership role at a volunteer organization, but I've also read that adcoms do like hearing about unique experiences like this that may have contributed to your world view, etc. So, do we think that this is a good thing to write essays about?

I don't think you would just want to list everything you ever did in your life. I think usually, if it was important and had an impact it would stand out in your mind. But it definitely is a good idea to go through and brainstorm what activities you did and what inspires and drives you - gives you passion. Don't measure the "small" things by the effect/impact to others but by the impact it had to you.

I've heard of stories where someone wrote about how they learned to ride a bike. But make sure it fits with the essay theme and really provides insight into your character.

The weight of what you did in college vs what you are doing post college would depend on how long it's been since you graduated. I believe on most applications they have spots to list activities/clubs you have been involved with in college. Your sports and club activities would fit well here. I would most likely leave out accomplishments in HS unless it had a very significant impact.

At quick glance the ones that I would be interested in that adcoms would probably be in as well are: 1, 2, 3. But I only got a glimpse from your list. Speak from your heart and I'm sure you'll pick the right stories.

I don't necessarily think it's a good/bad thing to write about world travels just based on that it's a world travel experience you are sharing. It's more important how
1. the experience fits with the essay question at hand
2. how the experience had an impact to you

So don't force an essay to talk about how you never left your country before and how awesome it was to go surfing with the locals, eat exotic foods, and visit historical monuments and now it opened up your eyes... but something more with more impact to you and who you are now.

i think ultimately the question is how does this volunteer/ec activity build or add onto your profile. Will it show to the adcoms you are a leader, or that you apply what you professionally know to make your community a better place. Will it show that you work good on teams, etc. By thinking around these themes and what might be not the strongest in your admissions, you can try to strengthen it here or make yourself more unique.

for myself i have developed many web sites freelance for clients. i plan to focus one of my essays around a particular site i created (a free video language tutorial web site) and how that has helped others, been aligned with my ultimate career goals, and the vision we have for that web site later on.

show your uniqueness and your passion, and i'm sure it'll come through!

I find that I have a different problem. I'm involved in several EC organizations, but can't really seem to come up with ways to address essay questions such as: career objectives, failure, challenging experience.

My tip is to pursue leadership at any organization you are involved in. Record all situations as you go along.

Also, get the book MBA Reality Check. It's awesome and he talks a lot about leadership & EC/volunteering related to improving your candidacy at B-School. Unfortunately I waited to late to read this book!

I think this excerpt from a relatively recent Poets and Quants article may be helpful:

Who’s Applying to HBS and Getting In?

"Explorers – Given the rapid globalization of business, HBS is placing an even greater emphasis on admitting students with diverse and international perspectives. Over a third of the HBS class continues to hail from outside of the United States, and American applicants must also strive to demonstrate significant international exposure. Applicants with lengthy and robust work/volunteer experiences abroad have a tangible advantage in the application process (sorry, study abroad programs and frequent international vacations will not cut it). If you have not worked abroad, demonstrating success on diverse/international teams is a must."

https://poetsandquants.com/2011/04/25/wh ... etting-in/

So I take that to mean extended world travel in itself may not be that impressive to adcoms, but extensive world travel that incorporates volunteer opportunities may be.

I think a lot of it is tying your community dedication into business concepts. Examples.

1. I love helping animals. I'm that girl who watches the ASPCA commercial where they play Sarah McGlaughlin and needs a box of tissues after. I volunteer for an animal shelter where I manage their marketing, I crafted their social media and can directly tie that to my career goals and aspirations.

2. I don't have a lot of extra free time, but I got in touch with a local battered womans shelter that focuses on rehabilitation. Many of the volunteers at places like that are older and don't have the computer skills that would really make an impact, so I offered to design a power point on budgeting that would be easy to use and keep peoples attention. Again, presentation skills that directly tie in with my career goals.

I hope that helps!

Agree that's one approach you can take. A couple other approaches one can take in selecting volunteer/EC activities include:

1) Select an activity that makes up for a deficiency in your candidacy. i.e. if you lack international experience, find an activity that allows you to interact with people from different nationalities or volunteer abroad. If you lack leadership experience, serve as a board member for a non-profit and demonstrate real impact in the community.

2) Or you can do something you are actually passionate about!

I agree with the above poster's extremely novel of idea of doing something you're passionate about. The rest will take care of itself. I understand that it is a component of your app and you want to have the best application possible, but no need to be disingenuous or force yourself to do something that's not a good fit. Just do something you care about; do it because you care about it first and because it will help your profile second.