should community service activities be required for college admission?

Question

i'd say no, but when I research online, all I see is things that support it. opinions anyone?

Answer 1

In general, based on the way most schools handle community service, I say no as well. If community service were built into the curriculum, such as PAT's description of her students reading to disadvantaged kids, then that sounds alright. However, I would want to know what arrangements are made for the students to get to the other school. Otherwise, what I see happening is that the task of getting students to their community service locations falls on the parents. And a lot of what I see pass for "community service" is extremely questionable. For example, a marketing company used high school students to pass out free "football programs" stuffed with advertising to the crowds heading to the university football game. My son did his required community service hours at a thrift shop where, one day, he was assigned the task of mashing a nasty box spring into the dumpster. Good thing he didn't get hurt doing it!

I also see inequities and double-standards at work in how schools support community service or work against it. A scout leader might organize kids to paint murals on the walls of blighted areas of the city and that's counted as community service. But if a local dance troupe of school-aged kids would like to put on a concert, all the schools in the district insist on charging that troupe for the rental of their auditoriums. Even if that troupe must then hold fund-raisers in order to make up the cost of the rental that's not covered by ticket sales, the very fact that they hard to charge a nominal fee for admission makes The Powers That Be claim that this is not a community service. So mashing a box spring is community service, but putting on a show that an entire family can afford to see is not.

The whole enterprise is being handled willy nilly with no thought about safety, transportation, equity, supervision, community benefit, and more. In theory, it's a great idea. But in practice, it needs a lot more work.

Great question. I also wish that more was being written that examined the other side of this issue.

Answer 2

Yes, I think it is extremely helpful in education. I have taught English classes with a required community service activity and was surprised myself. After the moaning and groaning stopped, most students were amazed at how much they could add to a situation and I got a lot of thanks. We have a number of places for students to choose from, but working in one of the city's lower class schools doing one on one reading was incredible. The kids would be excited on the days they came to school and grew to have great relationships. In fact, some of my students were ready to start helping elementary schools. At the end of the semester, nearly all of my students had learned a lot about human nature and selfishness. Roaring success. I teach at a college.

Answer 3

Definitely not. Colleges/Universities are for higher education and learning. Community service does nothing but show a good heart. Not that a good heart is worthless, just worthless in terms of learning, which is what an institute is for. I'm quite sure Nietzsche would say community service is for suckers. Would you not accept Nietzsche into your institute on account of this? He was brilliant. I think community service is something that should be done for you and you alone. Doing it for any other reason makes you shallow.

Answer 4

its like going to war. war = way to serve country.
community service/charity= way to serve community, give back to community

it shows how devoted you are to the community, how much pride u ahve and how much of an altruistic martyr u are.

but to be included in college, i doubt that
i see college as a way to develop your mind, a preliminary stage to the real world. the real world is a bytch. why teh he`ll wuld u kiss up to a bytch b/c ur nice. u dont do that, or at least a decent person who doesn't wish to be screwed over doesnt do that.
plus if u do that, all the college students will be nice, there'll be little fights, thats sort of like a temporary utopia that is trying to exist. u take a person thats been in a simulated utopia nd u put them in the real america, they'll fall like a fly. it's sorta like putting htem in the apprentice, everyone there is brutal. u'll be one kind person against so many brutal ppl. so yea, it shuldn't in a way, but it should be considered as a way to disclose more depth to a potential candidate for a college

Answer 5

required? not necessarily. But it does look good.