Are you a high school student looking to boost your college resume without breaking the bank? You’re not alone! Many students are eager to explore extracurricular activities that not only showcase their talents and passions but also demonstrate their readiness for college and future success. Fortunately, there are plenty of affordable options available that can make a significant impact on your college application.
Read until the end to explore explicit example sources of low-cost extracurricular options to boost your college resume and prepare for future success.
What are the General Methods?
1. Volunteer Events
Start with volunteering in your local areas is a great beginning to explore your interests. Develop your skills such as leadership, communication, and team work to help you in looking for other opportunities. These skills allows you to interact confidently with your community, and is key to gain real-world experiences. Use sources from school websites, clubs, local events to get started.
Here are some FREE OF COST example sources for you to filter for these volunteering events:
Volunteer Match
Volunteer Match allows you to filter various volunteering opportunities based on your interest and skills. You may search for different organizations registered on the database that corresponds with your location. It is the largest database for volunteer opportunities.
Idealist
Idealists has a similar goal; you may find various volunteering opportunities, internships, and jobs in the nonprofit sector. It is a great source if you want a registered nonprofit organization to write you a letter of proof.
Virtual Business Expo for Youth
Virtual Business Expo for Youth is a platform established in 2024 that connects all young leaders to share their businesses. These includes student-led startups, nonprofits, competitions, workshops, and much more. There is no requirement for being registered as 501(c)(3) organizations, but any youths who wants to spread their businesses.
2. Create Your Own
Besides becoming a volunteer for public events, you can also establish your own clubs or organizations. Start with your local community–school. Understand the process of becoming a leader in your community is a crucial component that colleges and even future employers look at. Use your skills to spread awareness with a group of people shows your passion and dedication.
For examples of resources and websites you can use when developing our own organization, hosting an event, or finding trusted sponsors, stay tuned for our upcoming post.
3. Summer Programs
Manage your summer well. Speaking of that, you can always find summer programs to improve your knowledge and team working skills. You don’t have to go with well-known summer schools hosted by colleges. We all know that some summer programs does get really prestigious, and really competitive. These programs or camps usually requires application fees and tuitions. For many people, though, there is an emerging mental debate, especially so many skillful youths, for whether or not the investment is worth it. There are indeed a lot of passion-based summer programs that merely requires your interest.
The best option to first look into are the summer school opportunities offered in your local school. Schools usually have partnerships with other organizations for summer programs, and are often free for students. For more explicit examples and direct resources, stay tuned for our upcoming posts!
4. Internships/Jobs
Internships and job experiences serves as a pivotal part of career development. It offers students and professionals hands-on experiences in the working world. These provide you with valuable insights that will enhance your resume and shape your future career path. As a student, start looking for opportunities as early as possible. You can always start by asking local stores and companies to see if they have offers for students like you.
Where can I find these sources?
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Examples
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