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Volunteer Personal Statements Samples For Students

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Crafting an Impactful Personal Statement: Seamlessly Blend Volunteer Work!

Table of Contents

How To Include Volunteer Work In A Personal Statement

Learn how to effectively include volunteer work in your personal statement and make a lasting impression on admissions officers. Discover tips and strategies for showcasing your volunteer experiences, highlighting the skills and qualities you gained, and demonstrating your commitment to community service. Craft a compelling narrative that showcases your passion, values, and impact through volunteer work, and increase your chances of standing out among other applicants.

Volunteer work can play a crucial role in shaping one’s personal statement, showcasing an individual’s commitment to making a positive impact on society. By incorporating volunteer experiences into a personal statement, candidates not only demonstrate their altruistic nature but also highlight their ability to balance responsibilities, communicate effectively, and work collaboratively within diverse settings. As the admissions committee seeks well-rounded individuals who possess a genuine passion for serving others, highlighting volunteer work can help aspiring applicants stand out from the competition. Transitioning seamlessly from academic achievements to community involvement, this essay aims to shed light on how to effectively include volunteer work in a personal statement.

Introduction

When applying for a job or a college program, including volunteer work in your personal statement can greatly enhance your application. Volunteer work not only demonstrates your commitment to making a positive impact on society, but it also showcases valuable skills and experiences that can set you apart from other candidates. In this article, we will explore how to effectively include volunteer work in your personal statement.

Choose Relevant Volunteer Experiences

Highlighting the importance of relevancy

While all volunteer work is commendable, it is crucial to choose experiences that are relevant to the position or program you are applying for. Consider the specific skills and qualities required by the opportunity and select volunteer experiences that demonstrate your ability to fulfill those requirements. For example, if you are applying for a teaching position, emphasize your experience as a tutor or mentor.

Focus on Transferable Skills

Discussing the significance of transferable skills

Volunteer work often provides an excellent opportunity to develop and showcase transferable skills. These skills, such as leadership, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving, can be applied in various professional settings. Identify the transferable skills you have gained through your volunteer experiences and explain how they relate to the position or program you are pursuing.

Provide Specific Examples

Illustrating the importance of specificity

When discussing your volunteer work, avoid general statements and provide specific examples to make your personal statement more compelling. Rather than stating that you volunteered at a local food bank, describe a particular event or project you were involved in and the impact it had on the community. These specific examples will help paint a clearer picture of your contributions and showcase your dedication.

Quantify Your Impact

Emphasizing the importance of quantifying impact

Whenever possible, quantify the impact of your volunteer work to provide tangible evidence of your accomplishments. For example, instead of stating that you helped organize an event, mention that you successfully coordinated a fundraising event that raised $10,000 for a charitable cause. Numbers and statistics can demonstrate your ability to make a measurable difference, adding credibility to your personal statement.

Show Passion and Commitment

Expressing the value of passion and commitment

Personal statements are an opportunity to showcase your genuine passion and commitment to the causes you have volunteered for. Share why you chose to volunteer in those specific areas and how they have shaped your values and aspirations. Expressing your dedication will not only make your personal statement more engaging but also demonstrate that you are likely to bring the same level of enthusiasm to the position or program.

Connect Volunteer Work to Future Goals

Emphasizing the importance of future goals

Link your volunteer experiences to your future goals in order to show continuity and purpose. Explain how your volunteer work has influenced your career or academic aspirations and how it aligns with the position or program you are applying for. By demonstrating this connection, you can convince the reader that your volunteer experiences have helped shape your professional path and make you a strong candidate.

Showcase Leadership Roles

Highlighting the significance of leadership

If you have held leadership positions during your volunteer work, be sure to highlight them in your personal statement. Leadership roles demonstrate your ability to take initiative, manage others, and effectively contribute to a team. Discuss how these leadership experiences have developed your leadership skills and how they will translate to the position or program you are applying for.

Highlight Personal Growth and Learning

Exploring the importance of personal growth

Volunteer work often provides valuable opportunities for personal growth and learning. Reflect on how your volunteer experiences have broadened your perspective, strengthened your resilience, or improved your ability to adapt to new situations. By highlighting these personal growth moments, you can demonstrate your capacity for continuous learning and development.

Don’t Oversell or Exaggerate

Addressing the importance of honesty

While it is important to effectively showcase your volunteer work, it is equally crucial to avoid overselling or exaggerating your experiences. Be honest and genuine in your personal statement, focusing on the real impact you have made and the skills you have acquired. Admissions committees and employers appreciate authenticity and are adept at identifying inflated claims.

Including volunteer work in your personal statement can significantly enhance your application by demonstrating your commitment, skills, and experiences. By choosing relevant experiences, emphasizing transferable skills, providing specific examples, quantifying your impact, and showcasing passion and commitment, you can effectively incorporate volunteer work into your personal statement. Remember to connect your volunteer work to your future goals, highlight leadership roles, and showcase personal growth without overselling or exaggerating. With a well-crafted personal statement, you can impress admissions committees and employers alike.

Introduction: Highlighting Volunteer Work in a Personal Statement

Volunteer work can be a valuable asset in a personal statement, as it showcases your dedication, compassion, and community involvement. Including your volunteering experiences allows you to demonstrate your commitment to social issues and highlight your unique contributions beyond academic achievements. Below are eight essential subheadings to guide you on how best to incorporate your volunteer work into your personal statement.

Select the volunteer experiences that align with your personal and professional goals, as well as the field of study or career you wish to pursue. Focus on highlighting your most impactful experiences that demonstrate your skills, leadership abilities, and commitment to making a positive impact in society.

Describe the Motivation Behind Your Volunteer Work

Provide insights into the reasons why you chose to engage in volunteer work. Explain how this decision relates to your personal values, interests, or life experiences, and how it has shaped your perspective on societal issues. Demonstrating your genuine passion will help create an emotional connection with the reader.

Discuss the Skills and Abilities Developed through Volunteer Work

Outline the specific skills and abilities you have gained or enhanced through your volunteer work. Whether it’s leadership, teamwork, adaptability, or problem-solving, linking these skills to real-life examples from your experiences will demonstrate your capability to contribute effectively in various settings.

Share Impactful Stories and Outcomes

Make your personal statement memorable by recounting specific stories or instances that highlight the impact your volunteer work has had on your personal growth and on others. By sharing vivid anecdotes, you can effectively convey the transformative nature of your volunteering experiences and how they have shaped your character.

Connect Volunteer Work to Academic and Career Goals

Articulate how your volunteer experiences have influenced your aspirations in academia and future career choices. Discuss how your engagement in volunteer work has provided valuable insights and reinforced your commitment to making a difference in your chosen field. Linking your volunteer work to your academic and career goals will show your ability to apply knowledge and skills gained through volunteering in a meaningful way.

Demonstrate Long-Term Commitment

Emphasize your long-term commitment to volunteerism by discussing any ongoing projects, leadership roles, or plans for future involvement. This highlights your dedication and perseverance, underlying qualities that colleges and employers highly value.

Reflect on Personal Growth and Learning

Conclude your personal statement by reflecting on the personal growth, knowledge, and self-awareness you have acquired through your volunteer experiences. Discuss how these experiences have shaped your values, broadened your perspectives, and inspired you to continue making positive contributions in the future.Remember, incorporating volunteer work into your personal statement allows you to present a well-rounded and compassionate profile that can truly set you apart from other candidates.

When crafting a personal statement, it is essential to highlight experiences that demonstrate personal growth, leadership, and a commitment to serving others. Including volunteer work in a personal statement can greatly enhance its overall impact and portray an individual as a well-rounded candidate. Here are some points to consider when incorporating volunteer work into a personal statement:

Choose relevant volunteer experiences: Select volunteer experiences that align with the field or industry you are applying to. This helps showcase your passion and dedication in a specific area.
Highlight specific responsibilities: Clearly outline the tasks and responsibilities you had as a volunteer. This shows that you were actively engaged and took initiative in your volunteer work.
Showcase transferable skills: Identify the skills you gained or strengthened through your volunteer work. These skills can include leadership, teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and adaptability.
Quantify your impact: Whenever possible, provide quantifiable evidence of the impact you made as a volunteer. This could be in the form of numbers, percentages, or testimonials from those you served.
Connect volunteer work to your future goals: Explain how your volunteer experiences have shaped your career aspirations and influenced your desire to make a difference in the field you are pursuing.
Show consistency and commitment: Highlight any long-term volunteer commitments or involvement in multiple organizations to demonstrate your dedication to service.
Reflect on personal growth: Discuss how your volunteer experiences have positively impacted your personal development, values, and worldview.
Tie volunteer work to academic achievements: If applicable, link your volunteer work to any academic achievements or coursework that are relevant to your field of interest.
Keep it concise and focused: While it is important to include volunteer work, ensure that it does not overshadow other crucial aspects of your personal statement. Maintain balance and conciseness throughout the narrative.
Edit and revise: Finally, carefully review your personal statement to ensure that your volunteer experiences are well-integrated and effectively contribute to your overall story. Eliminate any redundant or irrelevant information.

Incorporating volunteer work into a personal statement can demonstrate your commitment to making a difference in the world and enhance your candidacy for various opportunities. By following these guidelines, you can effectively showcase your volunteer experiences and leave a lasting impression on admissions committees or potential employers.

Thank you for taking the time to visit our blog and read our article on how to include volunteer work in a personal statement. We hope that you have found the information provided helpful and informative. Volunteer work can greatly enhance your personal statement and showcase your commitment to making a positive impact in your community.

When including volunteer work in your personal statement, it is important to remember to highlight the skills and experiences gained from your involvement. This will not only demonstrate your dedication to helping others but also show admissions committees that you possess the qualities they are looking for in an applicant. By emphasizing the skills you have developed through volunteering, such as leadership, communication, and problem-solving, you can effectively convey how these experiences have shaped you as an individual.

Furthermore, it is crucial to connect your volunteer work to your future goals and aspirations. Admissions committees are interested in understanding how your experiences have influenced your academic and career choices. By explaining how your volunteer work has inspired you to pursue a particular field of study or career path, you can demonstrate your passion and commitment to making a difference in your chosen field. This will make your personal statement more compelling and memorable.

In conclusion, incorporating volunteer work into your personal statement can be a powerful way to showcase your values, skills, and aspirations. By highlighting the experiences and skills gained through your volunteer work, and connecting them to your future goals, you can create a compelling narrative that sets you apart from other applicants. Remember to always keep a professional tone and voice when writing your personal statement, and use transition words to ensure a smooth flow between paragraphs. Good luck with your application process, and we hope that this article has been beneficial in guiding you towards crafting a standout personal statement!

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Why volunteer?

Benefit 1: volunteering connects you to others, benefit 2: volunteering is good for your mind and body, benefit 3: volunteering can advance your career, benefit 4: volunteering brings fun and fulfillment to your life, how to find the right volunteer opportunity, getting the most out of volunteering, volunteering and its surprising benefits.

Volunteering can help you make friends, learn new skills, advance your career, and even feel happier and healthier. Learn how to find the right volunteer opportunity for you.

With busy lives, it can be hard to find time to volunteer. However, the benefits of volunteering can be enormous. Volunteering offers vital help to people in need, worthwhile causes, and the community, but the benefits can be even greater for you, the volunteer. The right match can help you to find friends, connect with the community, learn new skills, and even advance your career.

Giving to others can also help protect your mental and physical health. It can reduce stress, combat depression, keep you mentally stimulated, and provide a sense of purpose. While it’s true that the more you volunteer, the more benefits you’ll experience, volunteering doesn’t have to involve a long-term commitment or take a huge amount of time out of your busy day. Giving in even simple ways can help those in need and improve your health and happiness.

Benefits of volunteering: 4 ways to feel healthier and happier

Volunteering connects you to others.
Volunteering is good for your mind and body.
Volunteering can advance your career.
Volunteering brings fun and fulfillment to your life.

One of the more well-known benefits of volunteering is the impact on the community. Volunteering allows you to connect to your community and make it a better place. Even helping out with the smallest tasks can make a real difference to the lives of people, animals, and organizations in need. And volunteering is a two-way street: It can benefit you and your family as much as the cause you choose to help. Dedicating your time as a volunteer helps you make new friends, expand your network, and boost your social skills.

Make new friends and contacts

One of the best ways to make new friends and strengthen existing relationships is to commit to a shared activity together. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, especially if you are new to an area. It strengthens your ties to the community and broadens your support network, exposing you to people with common interests, neighborhood resources, and fun and fulfilling activities.

Increase your social and relationship skills

While some people are naturally outgoing, others are shy and have a hard time meeting new people. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice and develop your social skills, since you are meeting regularly with a group of people with common interests. Once you have momentum, it’s easier to branch out and make more friends and contacts.

Volunteering as a family

Children watch everything you do. By giving back to the community, you’ll show them firsthand how volunteering makes a difference and how good it feels to help other people and animals and enact change. It’s also a valuable way for you to get to know organizations in the community and find resources and activities for your children and family.

Volunteering provides many benefits to both mental and physical health.

Volunteering helps counteract the effects of stress, anger, and anxiety. The social contact aspect of helping and working with others can have a profound effect on your overall psychological well-being. Nothing relieves stress better than a meaningful connection to another person. Working with pets and other animals has also been shown to improve mood and reduce stress and anxiety.

Volunteering combats depression. Volunteering keeps you in regular contact with others and helps you develop a solid support system, which in turn protects you against depression.

Volunteering makes you happy . By measuring hormones and brain activity, researchers have discovered that being helpful to others delivers immense pleasure. Human beings are hard-wired to give to others. The more we give, the happier we feel.

[Read: Cultivating Happiness]

Volunteering increases self-confidence. You are doing good for others and the community, which provides a natural sense of accomplishment. Your role as a volunteer can also give you a sense of pride and identity. And the better you feel about yourself, the more likely you are to have a positive view of your life and future goals.

Volunteering provides a sense of purpose. Older adults, especially those who have retired or lost a spouse, can find new meaning and direction in their lives by helping others. Whatever your age or life situation, volunteering can help take your mind off your own worries, keep you mentally stimulated, and add more zest to your life.

Volunteering helps you stay physically healthy. Studies have found that those who volunteer have a lower mortality rate than those who do not. Older volunteers tend to walk more, find it easier to cope with everyday tasks, are less likely to develop high blood pressure, and have better thinking skills. Volunteering can also lessen symptoms of chronic pain and reduce the risk of heart disease.

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I have limited mobility—can I still volunteer?

People with disabilities or chronic health conditions can still benefit greatly from volunteering. In fact, research has shown that adults with disabilities or health conditions ranging from hearing and vision loss to heart disease, diabetes or digestive disorders all show improvement after volunteering.

Whether due to a disability, a lack of transportation, or time constraints, many people choose to volunteer their time via phone or computer. In today’s digital age, many organizations need help with writing, graphic design, email, and other web-based tasks. Some organizations may require you to attend an initial training session or periodical meetings while others can be conducted completely remotely. In any volunteer situation, make sure that you are getting enough social contact, and that the organization is available to support you should you have questions.

If you’re considering a new career, volunteering can help you get experience in your area of interest and meet people in the field. Even if you’re not planning on changing careers, volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice important skills used in the workplace, such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, project planning, task management, and organization. You might feel more comfortable stretching your wings at work once you’ve honed these skills in a volunteer position first.

Teaching you valuable job skills

Just because volunteer work is unpaid does not mean the skills you learn are basic. Many volunteering opportunities provide extensive training. For example, you could become an experienced crisis counselor while volunteering for a women’s shelter or a knowledgeable art historian while donating your time as a museum docent.

[Read: Finding the Right Career]

Volunteering can also help you build upon skills you already have and use them to benefit the greater community. For instance, if you hold a successful sales position, you can raise awareness for your favorite cause as a volunteer advocate, while further developing and improving your public speaking, communication, and marketing skills.

Gaining career experience

Volunteering offers you the chance to try out a new career without making a long-term commitment. It is also a great way to gain experience in a new field. In some fields, you can volunteer directly at an organization that does the kind of work you’re interested in. For example, if you’re interested in nursing, you could volunteer at a hospital or a nursing home.

Your volunteer work might also expose you to professional organizations or internships that could benefit your career.

When it comes to volunteering, passion and positivity are the only requirements

While learning new skills can be beneficial to many, it’s not a requirement for a fulfilling volunteer experience. Bear in mind that the most valuable assets you can bring to any volunteer effort are compassion, an open mind, a willingness to pitch in wherever needed, and a positive attitude.

Volunteering is a fun and easy way to explore your interests and passions. Doing volunteer work you find meaningful and interesting can be a relaxing, energizing escape from your day-to-day routine of work, school, or family commitments. Volunteering also provides you with renewed creativity, motivation, and vision that can carry over into your personal and professional life.

[Read: Building Better Mental Health]

Many people volunteer in order to make time for hobbies outside of work as well. For instance, if you have a desk job and long to spend time outdoors, you might consider volunteering to help plant a community garden, walk dogs for an animal shelter, or help out at a children’s camp.

There are numerous volunteer opportunities available. The key is to find a position that you would enjoy and are capable of doing. It’s also important to make sure that your commitment matches the organization’s needs. Ask yourself the following:

Would you like to work with adults, children, animals, or remotely from home?
Do you prefer to work alone or as part of a team?
Are you better behind the scenes or do you prefer to take a more visible role?
How much time are you willing to commit?
What skills can you bring to a volunteer job?
What causes are important to you?

Consider your interests

You will have a richer and more enjoyable volunteering experience if you first take some time to identify your goals and interests. Think about why you want to volunteer. What would you enjoy doing? The opportunities that match both your goals and your interests are most likely to be fun and fulfilling.

What are your volunteering goals?

To find a volunteer position that’s right for you, look for something that matches your personality, skills, and interests. Ask yourself if there is something specific you want to do or achieve as a volunteer.

For example, you might want to:

Improve your neighborhood.
Meet new people with different outlooks or experiences.
Try something new.
Do something rewarding with your spare time.
See new places or experience a different way of living.
Try a new type of work that you might want to pursue as a full-time job.
Expand on your interests and hobbies.

Consider several volunteer possibilities

Don’t limit yourself to just one organization or one specific type of job. Sometimes an opportunity looks great on paper, but the reality is quite different. Try to visit different organizations and get a feel for what they are like and if you click with other staff and volunteers.

Where to find volunteer opportunities

Community theaters, museums, and monuments.
Libraries or senior centers.
Service organizations such as Lions Clubs or Rotary Clubs.
Local animal shelters, rescue organizations, or wildlife centers.
Youth organizations, sports teams, and after-school programs.
Historical restorations, national parks, and conservation organizations.
Places of worship such as churches or synagogues.
Online directories and other resources (see below).

How much time should you volunteer?

Volunteering doesn’t have to take over your life to be beneficial. In fact, research shows that just two to three hours per week, or about 100 hours a year, can confer the most benefits—to both you and your chosen cause. The important thing is to volunteer only the amount of time that feels comfortable to you. Volunteering should feel like a fun and rewarding hobby, not another chore on your to-do list.

You’re donating your valuable time, so it’s important that you enjoy and benefit from your volunteering. To make sure that your volunteer position is a good fit:

Ask questions. You want to make sure that the experience is right for your skills, your goals, and the time you want to spend. Sample questions for your volunteer coordinator might address your time commitment, if there’s any training involved, who you will be working with, and what to do if you have questions during your experience.

Make sure you know what’s expected. You should be comfortable with the organization and understand the time commitment. Consider starting small so that you don’t over commit yourself at first. Give yourself some flexibility to change your focus if needed.

Don’t be afraid to make a change. Don’t force yourself into a bad fit or feel compelled to stick with a volunteer role you dislike. Talk to the organization about changing your focus or look for a different organization that’s a better fit.

If volunteering overseas, choose carefully. Some volunteer programs abroad can cause more harm than good if they take much-needed paying jobs away from local workers. Look for volunteer opportunities with reputable organizations.

Enjoy yourself. The best volunteer experiences benefit both the volunteer and the organization. If you’re not enjoying yourself, ask yourself why. Is it the tasks you’re performing? The people you’re working with? Or are you uncomfortable simply because the situation is new and unfamiliar? Pinpointing what’s bothering you can help you decide how to proceed.

VolunteerMatch – Find opportunities that match your volunteer interests, from location to type of work. (VolunteerMatch)

Idealist – Find volunteer opportunities in your local area or internationally. (Idealist)

National and Community Service – Federal organization offering volunteer positions across the U.S. (National Service)

Volunteer – Directory of environmental volunteer opportunities. (Volunteer.gov)

U.S. Peace Corps – Offers volunteer opportunities overseas and includes a 50 Plus division. (Peace Corps)

American Red Cross – Volunteer in any of the Red Cross’s key service areas. (Red Cross)

More Information

Simple Changes, Big Rewards - A Practical, Easy Guide for Healthy, Happy Living. (Harvard Medical School Special Health Report)
The Health Benefits of Volunteering: Recent Research (PDF) - Research on the benefits of volunteering, especially for seniors. (Corporation for National and Community Service)
The many ways volunteering is good for your heart - Includes resources for finding volunteer positions. (Harvard Health Publications)
10 Tips on Volunteering Wisely - Tips to make the most of your volunteering experience. (Network for Good)
Carr, D. C., Kail, B. L., & Rowe, J. W. (2018). The Relation of Volunteering and Subsequent Changes in Physical Disability in Older Adults. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B , 73(3), 511–521. Link
Kim, E. S., Whillans, A. V., Lee, M. T., Chen, Y., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2020). Volunteering and Subsequent Health and Well-Being in Older Adults: An Outcome-Wide Longitudinal Approach. American Journal of Preventive Medicine , 59(2), 176–186. Link
Lawton, R. N., Gramatki, I., Watt, W., & Fujiwara, D. (2021). Does Volunteering Make Us Happier, or Are Happier People More Likely to Volunteer? Addressing the Problem of Reverse Causality When Estimating the Wellbeing Impacts of Volunteering. Journal of Happiness Studie , 22(2), 599–624. Link
Okun, M. A., Yeung, E. W., & Brown, S. (2013). Volunteering by older adults and risk of mortality: A meta-analysis. Psychology and Aging , 28(2), 564–577. Link
Salt, E., Crofford, L. J., & Segerstrom, S. (2017). The Mediating and Moderating Effect of Volunteering on Pain and Depression, Life Purpose, Well-Being, and Physical Activity. Pain Management Nursing , 18(4), 243–249. Link

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4 Tips To Talk About Volunteering In Your Medicine Personal Statement

Learn how to write about volunteering in your Personal Statement for Medicine and prove that you're a strong candidate.

Volunteering is the perfect way to give back to your community, gain valuable skills and bolster your Medical School application at the same time. Follow these tips to write about volunteering in your Medicine Personal Statement .

Reflect on what you learned from volunteering

Don’t just provide a list of tasks you completed while volunteering – you really need to reflect on what you learned from the experience. This is what admissions tutors want you to write about in your Personal Statement, and also what interviewers want you to discuss at your Medical School interviews .

Did you gain any new skills from volunteering? Skills that are relevant to working in Medicine, such as communication, teamwork and problem-solving, are particularly good to mention. Did volunteering teach you anything about the realities of working in a medical or healthcare-related environment?

Remember that it’s relevant in a lot of ways

When writing your Personal Statement , you need to think about Motivation, Exploration and Suitability – essentially covering why you want to pursue Medicine, what you have done to explore Medicine as a career, and why you are suited to becoming a Doctor.

Volunteering (and work experience ) can be relevant in all three of these areas. For example, you might have:

observed or experienced something while volunteering that cemented your decision to pursue Medicine (Motivation)
learned important lessons about working in Medicine, if your volunteering was based in a medical environment (Exploration)
gained key skills from volunteering that make you a strong candidate for Medical School (Suitability)

Obviously, your Personal Statement shouldn’t just be about volunteering – but remember that you may be able to include it in more ways than you thought!

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Link your volunteering experience to Medicine

Even if you didn’t volunteer in a medical or healthcare-related environment, you can still link your volunteering experience to Medicine.

People skills are just as important as academic skills when it comes to working as a Doctor, and many voluntary roles involve interacting with the public. It’s also likely that you worked with other volunteers, which must have involved teamwork – and balancing the time commitment of volunteer work with staying on top of your studies must have required good time management.

These are all relevant skills to working in Medicine, so you can discuss them in your Personal Statement and provide examples from your volunteering as evidence.

Don’t just focus on the positives

Volunteering can be tough at times and Doctors need to be resilient, so you might want to cite a situation where, for example, you overcame a challenge.

If you reflect on voluntary work (or work experience) in a purely positive way, admissions tutors and interviewers might think that you are bending the truth to tell them what you believe they want to hear.

In the application process, they are looking for candidates who understand the realities of working in Medicine. The ideal candidate will be able to cope with stress, failure and difficult tasks such as breaking bad news – so if any aspects of your volunteer work have made you a more resilient person, this is useful to mention in your Personal Statement.

Find out more: Medicine Personal Statement Examples

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Why Is Volunteering Important and What Can It Teach Me?

Personal Development
Volunteering

Published: 10 June 2021

Author: Greg Robson

When you think about it, volunteering helps out in all sorts of ways – not least benefiting life-changing causes around the world. And sparing some of your free time to make a difference can also give you a big boost when it comes to applying for certain higher education courses. Read More

Continue reading (2 minutes)...

If you've been thinking of helping out in the local community lately, then consider this article as some extra encouragement. Below, we'll go into the benefits of volunteering, the skills you can learn from it and how to frame your experience on a course application, CV and at interview.

What are the Benefits of Volunteering?

For people looking to jump into further education, volunteering has plenty of benefits, many of which can make course applications and CVs stand out from the rest. Here's a selection of positive outcomes that volunteering can provide for you...

An Optimised Skill Set

Things like leadership, problem-solving and time management are all valuable, real-world skills that recruiters and hiring managers will appreciate on your application. Think of these attributes like strings to the bow you'll serenade them with.

By getting involved with your community, volunteering makes learning skills you can apply in the workplace more than possible. And you'll be improving the lives of other people too, so it's a real win-win.

Make Important Connections

Because non-profit organisations partner with other businesses, organisations and local community figures, volunteering is a great way to explore new paths. You're bound to come across all sorts of opportunities and meet plenty of volunteers who could put you in touch with the right people.

Non-profit professionals are usually pretty forthcoming with career advice too, so don't be afraid to ask them. And by making connections now, you never know when they'll come in useful later down the line.

Making a Change

The changes made by volunteering can be a big motivator for many volunteers. No matter how small they may be, the effects of your efforts are a great way to explore areas of certain sectors that help local communities.

Whether it's funding, staffing or communicating with local people, volunteering can get you thinking about the bigger picture too, providing an introduction to difficult topics like homelessness, educational disparity and supporting those in need, which may help inform your future career path.

What Skills Can Volunteering Provide?

As well as super-charging your existing skillset, volunteering can equip you with all sorts of valuable, actionable skills that you can put to good use in your further education journey and beyond. Take a look at what you could learn below...

Whether it's an admissions officer or a recruiter, evidence of strong leadership is a good look on any CV or application. There'll be times during your volunteering when you went above and beyond to help others.

Perhaps you demonstrated how to carry out a certain part of a particular task to your fellow volunteers. Congrats! You've just shown your leadership in action, so be sure to make mental or written notes of times like this for future applications.

Problem-solving and Adaptability

During your volunteering, you're bound to run into challenges and things you struggle with. Luckily, volunteer experience teaches you how to adapt to situations where not everything goes to plan.

Maybe you had to fill in for someone who was ill at a moment's notice? With a bit of creative thinking, talking things over with your team, you proved you can adapt to things when needs be.

Time Management

In further education, time management is as crucial as the course materials. You'll be balancing modules and deadlines while having a life outside of your studies too.

Volunteering is much the same – juggling your duties with everything else on your plate. Prioritising and figuring out the best way to get through your to-do list against a ticking clock will definitely stand you in good stead when you’re studying or working.

Communication

While volunteering, you'll meet a lot of people from different backgrounds. Some will be young. Some will be old. Some might not be native English speakers. That means your communication skills might be tested, but they'll be all the better for it.

In every company, in every field of work, strong written and verbal communication skills are essential. So, in leveraging your experience as a volunteer, you’re already one step closer to handing in a job-winning application.

Working as Part of a Team

With cultural differences and varying personalities to contend with, experience working as part of a team is appreciated by recruiters and admissions officers alike. Volunteering can provide you with a great opportunity to work with a variety of people you might not have spent much time with previously – helping to hone those all-important teamworking skills.

How to Display Your Volunteering Experience

After garnering some volunteering experience, we know you'll be eager to show off your new skills and achievements in the best way possible. So how can you make sure you're highlighting your experience on your application, CV and at interview?

We'll give you some top-notch tips below...

On University Course Applications

Hoping to go to university? Showing volunteering experience can boost your application, helping admissions officers take note.

A personal statement is where your voluntary work has a real chance to shine. Make sure you emphasise your new skills by tying them into applicable parts of your chosen course, demonstrating what you’ve learned and how it will contribute both now in the future.

You've worked hard to achieve it, so if you have volunteering experience, then always put it on your resume
If it's relevant to the job you're applying to, add volunteer work to your CV’s experience section
Emphasise your experience by linking your new skills to what's required in the job specification
If your experience isn't relevant (or you have lots of previous employment) then include voluntary work in a separate section
Remember: even if you don't have a lot of conventional experience, volunteering still makes for a strong substitute and shows you're willing to get involved with local causes and communities

When You're at Interview

Volunteering experience says a lot about your personality and core values, so don't be afraid to talk about it
Use your experience as a way to highlight how committed you are to social responsibilities, as well as how motivated you are and the people skills you gained
Don't forget, interviewers are looking to hear real-life examples of when you used your skills or where you picked them up. An internship or volunteering project is just as credible to these answers, so always have some actual examples to hand

Did you find this guide to volunteering and its benefits helpful? Great, we're glad to hear it! Whatever your goals and aspirations, our distance learning courses could help get you there. For more information or to browse our complete range of courses, visit the homepage or call our experienced learning advisers on 0121 630 3000.

Writing a Personal Statement Essay for Volunteer Job

Just like with CVs, even if the volunteering job post doesn’t require submission of motivation letter, it doesn’t mean you won’t have to send it. The interviewer can ask you to send CV + motivation letter or essay upon the completion of the interview.

That’s why it’s highly important to think about writing a personal statement at the very beginning. This will give you time to decide what to write, how to write it, and make sure the motivation letter is well-crafted before you send an email.

Although it seems like volunteering motivation letter is easy to write, it still holds a trap that you should avoid. When it comes to this type of program, most people focus only on their desire to help, contribute, learn etc. Although all these qualities are great, you shouldn’t make your motivation letter to them only. Instead, to make it stand out, do the opposite – compose a highly professional motivation letter that will STILL depict your positive characteristics.

The very first paragraph of the motivation letter should be similar to the beginning of an essay for paid position – introduce yourself as well as program wherein you want to participate.

The second paragraph should focus on your previous job experiences and accomplishments in both volunteers and paid positions. Your goal here is to show you are capable of performing tasks they might give you. But also, it’s important to demonstrate that you do understand the program and its challenges. Incorporating both paid and volunteer positions into the same paragraph is used for making a connection between the two. Both positions are similar and different at the same time.

Finished papers

Customer reviews

If you have achievements or important accomplishments, feel free to include them. Let’s say you worked for some financial company for a limited period of time and you were still voted an employee of the month. It’s an amazing achievement and could definitely bring you closer to the program, particularly if you apply for volunteering program in a field of finances and economy.

Once you complete the “professional” segment (work experiences + achievements etc.) it’s time to focus on your personality. Describe your attitude towards work and other people in a few sentences. Be precise and specific.

End the motivation letter stating the recipient should feel free to contact you for more info. Also, emphasize your availability and interest to become a part of the program. When you’re done, reread the motivation letter, correct all typos or grammatical mistakes and that’s it. The word count doesn’t really matter here, but don’t make it too long. In fact, 500 words should be a maximum.

If you are not sure about your ability to write a statement it is normal to ask professional writing service “ Help me write my personal statement “.

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45+ SAMPLE Volunteer Statement in PDF | MS Word

Volunteer statement | ms word, 45+ sample volunteer statement, what is a volunteer statement, sample volunteer statements, benefits of volunteering, how to write a volunteer statement, how much time will i give when i volunteer, is there a volunteer opportunity from home, is there a training for a volunteer work.

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Volunteer CV example

Volunteering is a great way to give back, boost your skills, meet new people and broaden your horizons.

But to land a rewarding role, you’re going to need a compelling CV.

Your volunteer CV should highlight your enthusiasm, compassionate nature and relevant skill-set, all whilst being well-presented.

To help you land those job interviews, I’ve created this step-by-step writing guide, along with an example volunteer CV.

Guide contents

Structuring and formatting your CV
Writing your CV profile
Detailing work experience
Your education
Skills required for your volunteer CV

CV templates

Before you begin writing your own CV , take a look at the CV example above.

It should give you a good idea of how to display your skills and experience in a professional and visually-pleasing way.

Volunteer CV structure & format

The structure and format of your CV are equally as important as what you write on it.

Charities are busy places and often have limited resources, so they won’t have much spare time to read your CV.

So, to get in their good books, you need to make it as easy for them as possible to read and navigate through your application.

Formatting Tips

As an unwritten rule, your CV shouldn’t be longer than 2 pages of A4 . Try to keep everything as short and succinct as you can.
It’s generally best to keep the design of your CV simple. Stick to a plain colour scheme, such as black text on a white background, and use the same font throughout.
Avoid long paragraphs and unbroken chunks of text. Break up your information by using plenty of bullet points, lists and columns.
Ensure your CV is easy to navigate by clearly dividing the individual CV sections – using bold text for headings is a good way to do this.
Send your CV off as a word document, attached to an email. Paste your cover letter into the body of the email.

Structuring your CV

Organise your information into the following CV sections:

Contact details – Always start with your basic contact details.
Profile – A short, punchy paragraph which sums up your skills, experience and other selling points.
Work experience / Career history – List your volunteer and work experience, starting with your most recent role.
Education – Note down any qualifications, whether they’re academic or vocational.
Interest and hobbies – An optional section, which you can use to discuss hobbies that display relevant skills.

We’ll go through each of these sections in more detail, so you know exactly what you need to include in your CV.

CV Contact Details

If a charity wants to invite you in for an interview, they’ll need an easy way to contact you.

So, always start your CV with your basic contact details:

Phone number – Opt for a mobile phone that you take with you on-the-go.
Email address – Use a professional-sounding email address, with no nicknames – make a new one if you need to.
Location – You don’t need to include your full address – your town or city will do.

Volunteer CV Profile

Next, you need to write a short, compelling and enthusiastic CV profile .

You should think of this as an introduction, which summarises why you’d make a great volunteer for the organisation you’re applying for.

Talk about any relevant experience you have, your skills, your qualifications and/or relevant training and why you’d like to help the charity.

As charity recruiters are often short on time, this might be all they read before deciding if you’d suit the role – so you really need to grab their attention!

Tips to consider when creating your profile:

CV profiles should be succinct, with a length of around 5-10 lines. This gives just enough detail to show your suitability, whilst leaving the reader keen to find out more about you.
Tailor your profile to the charity and role you’re applying to. Take a look over the role description to see what skills or personal attributes the organisation are looking for. Try to include these in your profile and throughout your CV.
I’d normally recommend leaving motives and objectives for your cover letter, but volunteer roles are an exception. In your profile, briefly mention why you’d like to work for the charity, why you care about their cause and how you think you could help.

Quick tip: A poorly written CV will fail to impress recruiters and employers. Use our quick-and-easy CV Builder to create a winning CV in minutes with professional templates and pre-written content for every industry.

What to include in your volunteer CV profile?

Experience – If you have any previous volunteering experience, make sure to mention it. You can also mention non-volunteer work experience, especially if you can draw upon transferable skills which could be a benefit to the role you’re applying for.
Skills or knowledge – What skills are listed in the role description? If you can match them, include them in your profile. Otherwise, do some volunteer role research and figure out what skills charities are looking for.
Qualifications – There are normally no entry requirements for volunteer roles, but that’s not to say they won’t play to your advantage! Mention your highest qualifications, whether that’s a degree, A-Levels or GCSEs. If you’ve completed any fundraising or charity-related courses/training, make sure to highlight them, too.
Motives – Charities are looking for passionate and motivated team members, so briefly mention why you care about their cause and how you could help them reach their goals.
Achievements – Have you raised money for a charity, volunteered in an emergency situation or helped towards fundraising initiatives? Share your best charity results, achievements and accomplishments to prove to recruiters that you’re serious about giving back.

Core skills section

To add even more impact, create a bullet-pointed list of your key skills , to sit right underneath your CV profile.

As you did with your profile, try to match the skills listed in role requirements as closely as possible.

This will help busy charity recruiters to quickly and easily see what you could bring to the team.

Quick tip: Many charities have web pages dedicated to their volunteer roles, such as this one for shop volunteers at Cancer Research . You might be able to find additional information, including their desired volunteer skills and characteristics, to include in your profile and core skills section.

Work experience/Career history

Starting with your most recent (or current) role/volunteer role, begin listing your work experience.

If you work in paid roles alongside volunteering , you might want to split your experience section up into a ‘volunteering experience’ and a ‘career history’ section.

However, charities will be most interested in your volunteering experience, so it’s best to prioritise space for them.

Never volunteered or worked for a charity before? That’s okay – just list your other work experience, making sure to highlight any transferable skills that could benefit you in the role you’re applying for.

Structuring your roles

Your CV needs to be easy to navigate, but your work experience section can easily become overwhelming.

Start with a summary of your role, the type of organisation you worked for and who you reported to.

“Volunteering for a busy high-street charity shop, I reported to the shop manager and was responsible for processing sales and providing excellent customer care to customers.”

Key responsibilities

Next, create a bullet-pointed list of your day-to-day duties and responsibilities.

Ensuring the shop floor was kept in immaculate condition.
Manning the till and processing cash and card transactions.
Setting up seasonal window and promotional displays to maximise sales.

Key achievements

Round up the role description by sharing 1-3 stand out results, accomplishments or achievements .

Organised a local charity event single-handedly, which raised over £5,000.
Exceeded sales targets for 6-months running.
Regularly volunteered to carry out street fundraising, which raised an average of £3,000 per month.

Next up is your education section. It’s here that you’ll discuss your qualifications and any relevant training or courses you’ve completed.

Don’t worry if you don’t have many qualifications. There’s no barrier to entry for volunteer roles – it’s the mindset that matters!

Just list your highest qualifications, along with the dates of study – for example, ‘ 10 GCSEs A-D’.

If have any vocational qualifications, such as First Aid training , make sure to include them, too.

Quick tip: If you’re volunteering for a skill-specific role as a graduate or professional, include your sector-specific qualifications here. For example, if you’re a marketing graduate volunteering to run a charity’s social media accounts, list your degree and discuss your social media module in detail.

Interests and hobbies

This CV section is completely optional, but it can be handy for volunteer roles.

If you have any interests or hobbies which are related to the role you’re applying for, then it’s well worth discussing them. For example, if you’re applying to volunteer at an animal shelter and have a blog about animals, it makes sense to note this on your CV, as it shows your passion for the sector.

Additionally, if you’re part of a sports team, play a musical instrument, are learning a language or have another creative pursuit, adding your hobby to your CV will show charities that you’re a committed, dedicated and driven individual.

However, generic hobbies like ‘listening to music’ or ‘going out with friends’ don’t say anything about you and should be left off your CV.

Essential skills and characteristics for your volunteer CV

As volunteer roles vary so widely, so do the skills that are required for the role. However, the following soft skills and characteristics a must for any charity CV:

Passion for the cause – Supporting the charity in question and having a clear passion for the cause.

Good communication – Communicating with colleagues, customers and those needing support in a friendly, calm, reassuring and empathetic manner.

Teamwork – Working well as part of a team.

Empathy – Showing empathy, patience, consideration and a caring nature.

Fundraising – Contributing to or building upon fundraising initiatives and strategies.

Writing your volunteer CV

Charities are always looking for passionate, kind-natured and driven individuals to volunteer to help their mission.

If you follow my CV guide, you’ll be able to create a CV that proves you have all these qualities and more.

Make sure to double-check your spelling and grammar before sending off your application.

Best of luck with your job search!

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How to Write a Personal Statement for a Scholarship + Examples

What’s covered:, what is the purpose of the scholarship personal statement, what to include in your personal statement, personal statement example: breakdown + analysis, how to make sure your writing is effective.

Either before or after you’ve gotten into your dream school, you’ll have to figure out how to pay for it. For most students, this involves a combination of financial aid, parent contributions, self-contributions, student loans, and scholarships/grants. Because scholarships are money out of someone else’s pocket that you never have to pay back, they are a great place to start!

Scholarships come in two forms: merit-based and need-based. Need-based scholarships are also often called grants. These designations tell you whether an organization looks at your financial situation when deciding about your scholarship.

Additionally, different scholarships fall under different categories based on the mission of the organization or person providing the scholarship’s financing. These missions typically emphasize different things like academic achievement, specific career goals, community service, leadership, family background, skill in the arts, or having overcome hardship. As you select scholarships to apply for and complete your applications, you should keep these missions in mind.

No matter what type of scholarship you are applying for, you will be asked to provide the review committee with standard materials. This includes your transcript, GPA, and resume/extracurriculars, but also, importantly, your personal statement. A scholarship personal statement is a bit different from your normal college essay, so we’ve put together this guide and some examples to help you get started!

The purpose of your personal statement is to help a review committee learn more about your personality, values, goals, and what makes you special. Ultimately, like with your college essays, you are trying to humanize your profile beyond your transcript, GPA, and test scores.

College essays all have one goal in mind (which is why you can apply to multiple schools at once through applications like the Common App or Coalition App): convince admissions officers that you would be a valuable addition to the university environment. The goal of your scholarship personal statement is different and differs more from one scholarship to the next. Rather than convincing various review committees that you are a generally good candidate for extra funding for college, you need to convince each review committee that your values have historically aligned with their organization’s mission and will continue to align with their organization’s mission.

Common missions amongst those who give scholarships include:

Providing opportunities for students with career ambitions in a particular field
Helping students who have experienced unexpected hardship
Supporting students who show outstanding academic achievement
Funding the arts through investing in young artists with strong technical skill
Supporting the development of civic-minded community service leaders of the future
Providing opportunities for historically underrepresented ethnic communities

If a specific mission like this is outlined on an organization’s website or in the promotional material for its scholarship, the purpose of your personal statement is to show how you exemplify that mission.

Some scholarships ask for your personal statement to be guided by a prompt, while others leave things open for interpretation. When you are provided a prompt, it is obvious what you must do: answer the prompt. When you are not provided a prompt, you want to write a personal statement that is essentially a small-scale autobiography where you position yourself as a good investment. In either case, you should identify a focus or theme for what you are trying to say about yourself so that your application does not get lost in the shuffle.

Prompts include questions like:

Why do you deserve this scholarship?
How have you shown your commitment to (leadership/community service/diversity) in your community?
When did you overcome adversity?
Why is attending college important to you?

If you are provided a prompt, develop a theme for your response that showcases both your values and your achievements. This will help your essay feel focused and will subsequently help the review committee to remember which candidate you were as they deliberate.

Themes include things like:

I deserve this community service scholarship because my compassion for intergenerational trauma has inspired me to volunteer with a local after-school program. I didn’t just sympathize. I did something about my sympathy because that’s the type of person I am. Within the program, I have identified avenues for improvement and worked alongside full-time staff to develop new strategies for increasing attendance.
I overcame adversity when my mother had to have a major surgery two months after giving birth to my younger brother. I was just a kid but was thrown into a situation where I had to raise another kid. It was hard, but I’m the kind of person who tries to grow from hard times and, through my experience taking care of a baby, I learned the importance of listening to body language and nonverbal cues to understand the needs of others (baby and nonbaby, alike).

Without a prompt, clarity can be harder to achieve. That said, it is of the utmost importance that you find a focus. First, think about both your goals and your values.

Types of goals include:

Career goals
Goals for personal growth
The type of friend you want to be
The change you want to make in the world

Values could include:

Authenticity
And many more!

After you write out your goals/values, write out your achievements to see what goals/values you have “proof” of your commitment to. Your essay will ultimately be an exploration of your goal/value, what you have done about your goal/value in the past, and what you aspire to in the future.

You might be tempted to reflect on areas for improvement, but scholarships care about you living out your values. It is not enough to aspire to be exemplary in leadership, community service, or your academic field. For scholarships, you have to already be exemplary.

Finally, keep in mind that the review committee likely already has a copy of your extracurricular activities and involvement. Pick one or two accomplishments, then strive for depth, not breadth as you explore them.

My interest in the field of neuroscience began at a young age. When I was twelve years old, my sister developed a condition called Pseudotumor Cerebri following multiple concussions during a basketball game. It took the doctors over six months to make a proper diagnosis, followed by three years of treatment before she recovered. During this time, my love for neuroscience was sparked as I began to research her condition and, then, other neurocognitive conditions. Later, my love of neuroscience was amplified when my mother began to suffer from brain-related health issues. My mother had been a practicing attorney in Dallas for over twenty years. She was a determined litigator who relentlessly tried difficult cases that changed people’s lives. Now, she suffers from a cognitive impairment and is no longer able to practice law. Oftentimes, she has headaches, she gets “cloudy,” her executive functioning slows down, she feels overwhelmed, and she forgets things. My mother has gone from being the strong, confident, emotional and financial caretaker of our family to needing significant help on a daily basis. Once again, with this illness came a lot of research on my part — research that encouraged me to pursue my dreams of exploring neuroscience.

Due to my experiences with my mother and sister when I was in middle school, I knew that I wanted to make a difference in the field of neuroscience. I also knew that, to obtain this goal, I needed to maintain superior grades in school while also pursuing opportunities outside of school to further my education. In school, I was able to maintain superior grades to the point where I am currently valedictorian in a class of 567 students. In addition, in school, I challenged myself by taking 16 Advanced Placement classes and 19 Honors classes. Two of the most beneficial classes were AP Capstone Seminar and AP Capstone Research. AP Capstone Seminar and AP Capstone Research are research-oriented classes where students are given the opportunity to pursue whatever track their research takes them down. As a junior in AP Capstone Seminar, I researched the effects of harmful pesticide use on the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in children. This year, as a senior in AP Capstone Research, I am learning about the effects of medical marijuana on the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Outside of school, I furthered my education through taking advantage of the Duke TiP summer program. Duke TiP is a summer program run by Duke University where students who score extremely well on the SAT as middle schoolers are able to take college classes at different universities throughout the summers of their middle school and high school years. I took advantage of this opportunity twice. First, I went to Trinity University in San Antonio to expand my horizons and learn more about debate. However, once I was done exploring, I decided I wanted to go into neuroscience. This led me to take an Abnormal Psychology class at Duke University’s West Campus. This class opened my eyes to the interaction between neuroscience and mental health, mental illness, and personality. Years later, I am currently continuing my education outside of school as an intern at the University of Texas Dallas Center for Brain Health. Through this internship, I have been able to see different aspects of neuroscience including brain pattern testing, virtual reality therapy, and longitudinal research studies. With this background, I have positioned myself to be accepted by top neuroscience programs throughout the nation. So far, I have been accepted to the neuroscience department of University of Southern California, the University of Virginia, the University of Texas, and Southern Methodist University, as well as the chemistry department at University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill.

It is with this passion for neuroscience driven by my family and passion for education driven by internal motivation that I will set out to conquer my career objectives. My educational aspirations consist of acquiring a bachelor’s degree in a biological or health science that would assist me in pursuing a medical career as a neuroscience researcher. I decided to attain a career as a researcher since my passion has always been assisting others and trying to improve their quality of life. After obtaining my Masters and my PhD, I plan to become a professor at a prestigious university and continue performing lab research on cognitive disorders. I am particularly interested in disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In the lab, I hope to find different therapies and medications to help treat the 3.5 million people around the world suffering from ASD. Furthermore, I want to contribute back to underserved populations that struggle because they do not have as much access to medical assistance as other privileged groups. As such, I hope to do a part of my research in less developed or developing Spanish-speaking countries. This will also allow me to pursue my love of Spanish while pursuing my love of neuroscience. I think that following such a career path will provide me the opportunity to learn about the medical needs of the autistic community and improve their quality of health. Furthermore, I hope to train a new generation of students to strive to research and make comparable discoveries. Whether it be through virtual reality labs or new drug discoveries, I believe that research leads to innovation which leads to a brighter future.

This student does a great job of making themself appear competent and dedicated to the field of neuroscience. This is primarily because they provided tangible evidence of how they have pursued their dedication in the past—through their AP Capstone courses, their Abnormal Psychology class at Duke TiP, and their internship at UTD. There is no doubt in the mind of a reader that this student is high-achieving.

This student also engages successfully with a past-future trajectory, where they end with a vision of how they will continue to use neuroscience in the future. This helps the review committee see what they are investing in and the ways that their money will go to good use.

This student has two major areas for improvement. As we have said, the purpose of a personal statement is for a student to humanize themself to a review committee. This student struggles to depict themself separately from their academic achievements. A solution to this would be for the student to establish a theme towards the beginning of their essay that relates to both their values as a human and their achievements.

At the beginning of the essay, the student explores how their interest in neuroscience began. They explain their interest through the following sentences: “During this time, my love for neuroscience was sparked as I began to research her condition and, then, other neurocognitive conditions” and “Once again, with this illness came a lot of research on my part — research that encouraged me to pursue my dreams of exploring neuroscience.” The student made the great decision to tell the backstory of their interest, but they described their research in very mundane and redundant terms. Instead, they could have focused on their value of intellectual curiosity as a magnetic force that encouraged them to research their mother and sister’s ailments. Curiosity, then, could serve as a value-related thematic throughline to taking AP Capstone classes, taking college courses during the summer that weren’t required, and interning before even graduating high school.

A second area for improvement would be avoiding statistics. As the student identifies their valedictorian status and the number of AP classes they have taken, they might turn away certain personalities on a review committee by appearing braggy. Even further, these statistics are a waste of space. The review committee already has access to this information. These words distract from the major theme of the essay and would have been better used to humanize the student.

Throughout my academic career, I have been an avid scholar, constantly pushing myself towards ambitious goals. I held and continue to hold myself to a high standard, enrolling myself in rigorous curriculum, including Honors and Advanced Placement courses to stretch my mental potential. During my junior year of high school, I took four AP tests, two on the same day, and earned the AP Scholar with Honor Award. Additionally, I received the Letter of Commendation for the PSAT/NMSQT, and qualified for Rotary Top 100 Students both my freshman and senior year, a sign of my commitment to my studies. However, school has not been all about having the best GPA for me; beyond the numbers, I have a deep drive to learn which motivates me to do well academically. I truly enjoy learning new things, whether it be a new essay style or a math theorem. I always give each class my best effort and try my hardest on every assignment. My teachers have noticed this as well, and I have received school Lancer Awards and Student of the Month recognitions as a result. It is a major goal of mine to continue to aspire towards a high level of achievement regarding future educational and occupational endeavors; I plan on continuing this level of dedication throughout my educational career and implementing the skills I have learned and will learn into my college experience and beyond.

This fall, I will begin attending the University of California Los Angeles as an English major. I chose this major because I am fascinated by written language, especially its ability to convey powerful messages and emotions. I also enjoy delving into the works of other authors to analyze specific components of their writing to discover the meaning behind their words. In particular, I cannot wait to begin in-depth literary criticism and learn new stylistic techniques to add more depth to my writing. Furthermore, I recently went to UCLA’s Bruin Day, an event for incoming freshmen, where I was exposed to many different extracurriculars, some of which really piqued my interest. I plan on joining the Writing Success Program, where I can help students receive free writing help, and Mock Trial, where I can debate issues with peers in front of a real judge. The latter, combined with a strong writing background from my undergraduate English studies will be extremely beneficial because I plan to apply to law school after my undergraduate degree. As of now, my career goal is to become a civil rights lawyer, to stand up for those who are discriminated against and protect minority groups to proliferate equality.

As a lawyer, I wish to utilize legislation to ameliorate the plight of the millions of Americans who feel prejudice and help them receive equity in the workplace, society, and so on. Though this seems a daunting task, I feel that my work ethic and past experience will give me the jumpstart I need to establish myself as a successful lawyer and give a voice to those who are often unheard in today’s legal system. I have been a Girl Scout for over a decade and continually participate in community service for the homeless, elderly, veterans, and more. My most recent project was the Gold Award, which I conducted in the Fullerton School District. I facilitated over ten workshops where junior high students taught elementary pupils STEM principles such as density and aerodynamics via creative activities like building aluminum boats and paper airplanes. I also work at Kumon, a tutoring center, where I teach students to advance their academic success. I love my job, and helping students from local schools reach their potential fills me with much pride.

Both being a Girl Scout and working at Kumon have inspired me to help those in need, contributing significantly to my desire to become a lawyer and aid others. My extracurriculars have allowed me to gain a new perspective on both learning and teaching, and have solidified my will to help the less fortunate. In college, I hope to continue to gain knowledge and further develop my leadership skills, amassing qualities that will help me assist others. I plan to join multiple community service clubs, such as UCLA’s local outreach programs that directly aid residents of Los Angeles. I want to help my fellow pupils as well, and plan on volunteering at peer tutoring and peer editing programs on campus. After college, during my career, I want to use legal tactics to assist the underdog and take a chance on those who are often overlooked for opportunities. I wish to represent those that are scared to seek out help or cannot afford it. Rather than battling conflict with additional conflict, I want to implement peaceful but strong, efficient tactics that will help make my state, country, and eventually the world more welcoming to people of all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. These goals are close to my heart and therefore I will be as diligent as I am passionate about them. My perseverance and love for learning and community service drive my ambition in both education and life as a whole, and the drive to make the world a better place is one that I will carry with me for my entire life.

This student emphasizes two values in this essay: hard work and community service. These are values that go together nicely, and definitely make sense with this student’s end goal of becoming a civil rights lawyer! That said, some changes could be made to the way the student presents their values that would make their personal statement more convincing and engaging.

Structurally, instead of using a past-future trajectory, this student starts by explaining their academic achievements, then explains their career goals, then explains their history of community service, then explains their future desires for community service. This structure loses the reader. Instead, the student should have started with either the past or the future.

This could look like 1) identifying their career goals, 2) explaining that hard work and a commitment to community service are necessary to get there, and 3) explaining that they aren’t worried because of their past commitment to hard work and community service. Or it could look like 1) providing examples of their hard work and community service in the past, then 2) explaining how those values will help them achieve their career goals.

Additionally, like with our other example, this student shows a heavy investment in statistics and spouting off accomplishments. This can be unappealing. Unfortunately, even when the student recognizes that they are doing this, writing “beyond the numbers, I have a deep drive to learn which motivates me to do well academically. I truly enjoy learning new things, whether it be a new essay style or a math theorem,” they continue on to cite their achievements, writing “My teachers have noticed this as well, and I have received school Lancer Awards and Student of the Month recognitions as a result.” They say they are going beyond the numbers, but they don’t go beyond the awards. They don’t look inward. One way to fix this would be to make community service the theme around which the essay operates, supplementing with statistics in ways that advance the image of the student as dedicated to community service.

Finally, this student would be more successful if they varied their sentence structure. While a small-scale autobiography can be good, if organized, every sentence should not begin with ‘I.’ The essay still needs to be engaging or the review committee might stop reading.

Feedback is ultimately any writer’s best source of improvement! To get your personal statement edited for free, use our Peer Review Essay Tool . With this tool, other students can tell you if your scholarship essay is effective and help you improve your essay so that you can have the best chances of gaining those extra funds!

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Many Forms of Volunteering Personal Statement Example
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FREE 10+ Volunteer Statement Samples [ Waiver, Personal, Mission ]
Volunteer CV
CV Sample for Volunteering
Sample Letter Of Volunteering

VIDEO

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Why would YOU recommend volunteering?
How to write personal statement for UK universities
Volunteer Opportunities with Melbourne Community Development Corporation and L.A. Project
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COMMENTS

Volunteer Personal Statements Samples For Students
Personal Statement On She Is Currently Doing Volunteer Work In An Ice Skating Ring To Help The Beginners. 1. Please explain your interest in sending your son/daughter to Greenhill School. Generally, Joyce is doing very well in the current school.
Work experience and volunteering
Using your personal statement beyond a university application. What to include in a personal statement. Carers, estranged students, refugees, asylum seekers, and those with limited leave to remain. Work experience, placements, and volunteering are a great way to demonstrate your enthusiasm, knowledge, and passion for your chosen subject area in ...
Crafting an Impactful Personal Statement: Seamlessly Blend Volunteer
Learn how to effectively include volunteer work in your personal statement and make a lasting impression on admissions officers. Discover tips and strategies for showcasing your volunteer experiences, highlighting the skills and qualities you gained, and demonstrating your commitment to community service. Craft a compelling narrative that showcases your passion, values, and impact through ...
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Insert a quote from a well-known person. Challenge the reader with a common misconception. Use an anecdote, which is a short story that can be true or imaginary. Credibility is crucial when writing a personal statement as part of your college application process. If you choose a statistic, quote, or misconception for your hook, make sure it ...
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Volunteering Personal Statement. Decent Essays. 498 Words. 2 Pages. Open Document. I have always enjoyed and had a passion for involvement. I believe that extra-curricular activities, volunteering or any type of involvement is an excellent learning opportunity.
Volunteering and its Surprising Benefits
Benefit 2: Volunteering is good for your mind and body. Volunteering provides many benefits to both mental and physical health. Volunteering helps counteract the effects of stress, anger, and anxiety. The social contact aspect of helping and working with others can have a profound effect on your overall psychological well-being.
4 Tips To Talk About Volunteering In Your Medicine Personal Statement
When writing your Personal Statement, you need to think about Motivation, Exploration and Suitability - essentially covering why you want to pursue Medicine, what you have done to explore Medicine as a career, and why you are suited to becoming a Doctor. Volunteering (and work experience) can be relevant in all three of these areas.
Why Is Volunteering Important and What Can It Teach Me?
Volunteering. Published: 10 June 2021. Author: Greg Robson. When you think about it, volunteering helps out in all sorts of ways - not least benefiting life-changing causes around the world. And sparing some of your free time to make a difference can also give you a big boost when it comes to applying for certain higher education courses.
Writing a Personal Statement Essay for Volunteer Job
Just like with CVs, even if the volunteering job post doesn't require submission of motivation letter, it doesn't mean you won't have to send it. The interviewer can ask you to send CV + motivation letter or essay upon the completion of the interview. That's why it's highly important to think about writing a personal statement at […]
Volunteering Personal Statement
Volunteering Personal Statement. 761 Words4 Pages. Volunteering is what directed me to pursue my career as a social worker. It has always been clear to me and I been volunteering off and on since I was 15 years old. I have continued to volunteer while attending college, with activities with feeding the homeless, helping kids with school ...
Personal Statement 2022
In this video, we go through how to write the Volunteering section of your personal statement. We'll mention the most important things to keep in mind with e...
Personal Statement On Volunteering
ATTENTION STATEMENT: "Volunteering behaviour has been a powerful driving force in the betterment of humanity, a key contributor to the solving of mankind's problems (de Abreu, 2015)." as stated in a scholarly article, Managing Volunteerism Behaviour. Volunteering has been proven to be one of the most important things in our lives. 711 Words.
45+ SAMPLE Volunteer Statement in PDF
A volunteer statement is a kind of personal statement that we use as we volunteer to an organization. It can be a volunteer statement of faith or a volunteer statement of understanding. The volunteer statement definition is profound in the way that you have to present a professional statement about your purpose of volunteering. The statement ...
How To Describe Volunteer Experience in an Interview (With ...
4. Use your volunteer experience to show your soft skills. If your past or present volunteer work is unrelated to the job you are interviewing for, you can use it to show the hiring manager the soft skills you bring to the role. Soft skills are related to a candidate's personality and include traits like integrity, flexibility and empathy.
16 Winning Personal Statement Examples (And Why They Work)
Here are 16 personal statement examples—both school and career—to help you create your own: 1. Personal statement example for graduate school. A personal statement for graduate school differs greatly from one to further your professional career. It is usually an essay, rather than a brief paragraph. Here is an example of a personal ...
Talking About Volunteering
Volunteering. How do you reflect on it? What can I talk about?! How specific should I be?How to make admissions tutors like it? Well here's my short and snap...
How to Write a Personal Statement
Now you have a better understanding of what a personal statement is, here are our top five tips for how to write a great personal statement, so you can take the next step in your charity career. 1. Start strong. You need to start your personal statement with an engaging introduction that grabs the recruiter's attention and encourages them to ...
7 Steps To Writing a Volunteer Cover Letter (With Example)
Close the conclusion with the right statement, such as: Looking forward to hearing from you. 6. End your letter the right way. Although this is just a formality, it is important to end a cover letter with a professional sign-off, such as 'Sincerely' or 'Kind regards'. Include your name under the sign-off.
Volunteer CV example + writing guide [Secure a rewarding role]
Volunteer CV example. Andrew Fennell. Volunteering is a great way to give back, boost your skills, meet new people and broaden your horizons. But to land a rewarding role, you're going to need a compelling CV. Your volunteer CV should highlight your enthusiasm, compassionate nature and relevant skill-set, all whilst being well-presented.
How to Write a Personal Statement for a Scholarship + Examples
That said, it is of the utmost importance that you find a focus. First, think about both your goals and your values. Types of goals include: Career goals. Goals for personal growth. The type of friend you want to be. The change you want to make in the world. Values could include: Authenticity.
12 Volunteer Experiences Examples for Resume-Building
Provided basic first aid. Used French language to support and communicate with displaced people. Provided an empathetic, friendly face. Volunteer Event Steward Resume Description. Checked ID and tickets. Patrolled event and alerted security to issues. Provided customer service by answering event attendees' questions.
Why A Volunteering Important and How Can It Teach Das?
Volunteering can providing your with a great opportunity at my includes a variety of people yours might not have spent much die with before - helping the hone those all-important teamworking skills. Volunteering Personal Statement - 761 Words | Internet Public Library. How to Display Your Volunteering Experience
15 Proven Strategies To Build A Loyal Volunteer Base
To better retain volunteers, nonprofits must take a strategic approach that values their contributions, creates a sense of community and offers personal growth opportunities.