I am always a little surprised when I am asked about what students need to do to verify their involvement in activities outside the classroom. The quick answer is “don’t worry about it.”
Colleges are not going to make you verify, even if you could, your activities or your volunteer activities. They are simply interested in what you did, what years in high school you did each activity, the number of weeks each year you did the activity and how many hours per week.
So does that mean you can just make things up? NO. Application officers are not stupid. They see thousands of applications each year. They get to be very good at sniffing out those students who are exaggerating their activities. If they suspect you are lying they may call your guidance counselor to confirm your involvement in school activities. They may call the business where you say you volunteered to confirm that you are an active volunteer. But they don’t have the time, or interest, to do this for every student.
Be your self and get involved in activities and volunteering that truly interest you. Then report on those activities on your college application. If you do, college admissions officers will see the real you. And that is what you need to do to be the best candidate for a college.
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