how do you give back to the community essay

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The impact of community service – a deep dive into the power of giving back to society.

Community service essays serve as a powerful tool for individuals to reflect on their experiences, values, and impact on the world around them. Through the process of writing about their volunteer work, students are able to articulate the positive changes they have made in their communities and explore the lessons they have learned along the way.

Community service essays also play a crucial role in highlighting the importance of giving back to society and fostering a sense of empathy and compassion in individuals. By sharing personal stories of service, students can inspire others to get involved and make a difference in their own communities.

Moreover, community service essays can help students gain valuable skills such as critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving, as they reflect on the challenges and successes of their volunteer experiences. By documenting their service work, students can also showcase their commitment to social responsibility and community engagement to colleges, scholarship committees, and potential employers.

Why Community Service Essays Matter

In today’s society, the importance of community service essays cannot be overstated. These essays serve as a platform for individuals to showcase their dedication to helping others and making a positive impact on their communities. Through these essays, individuals can share their experiences, insights, and perspectives on the value of giving back to society.

Community service essays also play a crucial role in raising awareness about different social issues and encouraging others to get involved in volunteer work. By sharing personal stories and reflections, individuals can inspire and motivate others to take action and contribute to the betterment of society.

Furthermore, community service essays provide an opportunity for individuals to reflect on their own values, beliefs, and goals. Through the process of writing these essays, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their place in the world, leading to personal growth and development.

In conclusion, community service essays matter because they have the power to inspire change, raise awareness, and promote personal growth. By sharing their stories and insights, individuals can make a difference in their communities and create a more compassionate and giving society.

The Impact of Community Service Essays

Community service essays have a profound impact on both the individuals writing them and the communities they serve. These essays serve as a platform for students to reflect on their experiences and articulate the lessons they have learned through their service work.

One of the primary impacts of community service essays is the opportunity for self-reflection. Students are encouraged to critically analyze their experiences, challenges, and accomplishments during their community service activities. This reflection helps students develop a deeper understanding of themselves, their values, and their role in the community.

Another significant impact of community service essays is the awareness they raise about social issues and community needs. By sharing their stories and insights, students can shed light on important issues and inspire others to get involved in community service. These essays can also help community organizations and stakeholders better understand the needs of their communities and how they can address them effectively.

Overall, community service essays play a vital role in promoting social responsibility, empathy, and civic engagement. They empower students to make a positive impact in their communities and contribute to creating a more compassionate and inclusive society.

Guidelines for Writing Community Service Essays

When writing a community service essay, it is important to follow certain guidelines to ensure that your message is clear and impactful. Here are some tips to help you craft a powerful and compelling essay:

• Start by brainstorming ideas and reflecting on your community service experiences.
• Clearly define the purpose of your essay and what you hope to convey to your readers.
• Organize your essay with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.
• Use specific examples and anecdotes to support your points and showcase your personal growth.
• Highlight the impact of your community service activities on both yourself and others.
• Showcase your passion and dedication to serving your community.
• Be authentic and honest in your writing, and avoid exaggerating or embellishing your experiences.
• Edit and proofread your essay carefully to ensure clarity, coherence, and proper grammar.

Examples of Effective Community Service Essays

Community service essays can have a powerful impact on the reader when they are well-written and thoughtful. Here are a few examples to inspire you:

1. A Well-Structured Essay:

This essay begins with a compelling introduction that clearly articulates the author’s motivation for engaging in community service. The body paragraphs provide specific examples of the author’s experiences and the impact they had on both the community and themselves. The conclusion ties everything together, reflecting on the lessons learned and the importance of giving back.

2. Personal Reflection:

This essay delves deep into the author’s personal experiences during their community service work. It explores the challenges they faced, the emotions they encountered, and the growth they underwent. By sharing vulnerable moments and candid reflections, the author creates a connection with the reader and demonstrates the transformational power of service.

3. Future Goals and Impact:

This essay not only discusses past community service experiences but also looks toward the future. The author shares their aspirations for continued service and outlines how they plan to make a difference in the world. By showcasing a sense of purpose and vision, this essay inspires the reader to consider their own potential for impact.

These examples illustrate how community service essays can be effective tools for conveying meaningful stories, inspiring others, and showcasing personal growth. By crafting a compelling narrative and reflecting on the significance of service, you can create an essay that leaves a lasting impression.

How Community Service Essays Empower Individuals

Community service essays provide individuals with a platform to express their thoughts, share their experiences, and make a meaningful impact on society. By writing about their volunteer work and the lessons they have learned, individuals can empower themselves to create positive change and inspire others to do the same.

• Through community service essays, individuals can reflect on the importance of giving back to their communities and the value of helping those in need.
• These essays can serve as a source of motivation and inspiration for individuals to continue their philanthropic efforts and make a difference in the world.
• By sharing their stories through community service essays, individuals can raise awareness about social issues and promote greater empathy and understanding among their peers.

Overall, community service essays empower individuals to take action, advocate for change, and contribute to building a more compassionate and equitable society.

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What to Write In a Giving Back to the Community Essay?

By: Angelina Grin

A sensitive essay topic, like "Giving Back to the Community", raises fundamental questions that every person should answer at some point in their life. That is why it is often used as a college application topic. By describing your attitude towards community service and your contribution to society, you reveal a big deal about your personality to the admissions committee.

Introduction

What should i avoid in my giving back to the community essay.

If you don't have time to focus on such a responsible written work yourself, you can turn to our experts at Studybay, who will create and proofread a custom essay to suit your educational institution's requirements. However, we've got you covered, even if you feel like creating an essay on giving back to the community on your own! Read on for all the useful writing tips and tricks.

Creating the Perfect Structure for a Giving Back to the Community Essay

Whether you are preparing an assignment in high school or applying for a bachelor's degree, it is crucial to know how to properly structure your written work. In this section, you will receive all the essential information to create an easily readable written piece and see community essay sample paragraphs.

Suppose this is a prompt to your community essay:

At NYU, we strive to drive change to better the lives of others. Our students put their effort into the improvement of their communities in a variety of ways, from attempting to solve large-scale issues to being reliable teammates. Tell us about your contribution to the community you are involved in. (350-400 words)

Moving on to the first part of your text!

The task of the introduction is to grab the readers' attention and intrigue them to the point that they cannot resist going through the rest of the essay. This is double important for a college essay application round. Here is how you can show your opinion on the importance of giving back from the very first paragraph:

Community is not just a word to me. I am that person in the group who always wants to take part in activities and make sure others are enjoying the ride. My contribution may be rather small on a global scale, but I take pride in my daily actions that help to create a positive impact. Therefore, I would love to share my thoughts on the importance of giving back and my experience of making a difference in the local community through simple actions.

This introductory paragraph will definitely hook the reader because it:

• starts with a powerful thesis statement
• is clear and concise
• has a natural and positive flow
• gives the reader an idea about the author avoiding information overload
• is promising to share thoughts and personal experiences

Besides, this sample introduction gradually prepares the reader for the next section of the text - the main body.

The main part of the community college application essay is the place for you to share your thoughts, achievements, service projects, career goals, and other details that you find important to prove you as a worthy applicant for the college degree. Here are some examples of the statements you may include:

• "My heart has always been aching for homeless animals that I happened to see in New York. Luckily, nowadays, I have an opportunity to volunteer at an animal shelter, which gives me pure joy."
• "Donating some money to the less fortunate human beings has become one of the financial habits I practice on a monthly basis. It has taught me that giving is so important and can create big changes in people's lives."
• "I have been on a volunteering mission in Africa last summer, teaching English at a local school in Liberia. Seeing the kids' motivation and eagerness to learn inspired me to join GPE's financing campaign striving to provide everyone with an excellent education.
• "My strongest desire is to link my future career with ensuring the well-being of others, and I sincerely believe NYU is the right place to make these dreams become reality."

A rule-of-thumb to keep in mind is to provide a statement, followed by a couple of elaborative sentences. This way, you will manage to keep the structure of your essay's main body easy to follow, taking your reader smoothly to the final part of the written work.

A powerful conclusion is what your Giving Back to the Community essay needs for guaranteed success. Here's an example of what a top-notch final paragraph may look like:

Throughout my experience, I have learned that every person can find a way to contribute to the society and those in need. I have found out that my true calling is to inspire young people who happen to find themselves in a less fortunate position than the majority of the population. My dream is to become an educator and create a positive impact on an international level. Becoming a student of NYU is a grand step towards this goal.

Now that you know the perfect community essay structure, all that's left is to understand which mistakes can make your essay worse.

There are common mistakes that potential college students make when writing an essay. Here are some tips that will help you avoid those and keep your chances of getting in high:

• Read the prompt carefully. Be attentive to details and make sure you are 100% sure on the topic of the essay. For example, if the task says, "tell us how you can contribute to our university", don't write about contributing to solving the issue of global warming.
• Stick to the word count. You may have a lot to say, but it is crucial that you do so in a concise manner. Exceeding the word limit may be regarded as the inability to follow the task's requirements. By the way, have you noticed that the sample prompt in this guide required a maximum of 400 words?
• Don't write general information. This essay is about your community contribution, so own it! Leave the statistics for your research papers and focus on describing your experience and sharing your thoughts.
• Ask yourself questions. Why is this experience important to you? How did you come up with this idea of contributing to the community? Who inspired you to get involved in community service projects? All these questions will help you create a fascinating essay.

Too much information to keep in mind? We totally get it and are ready to help you write or edit your text! Studybay essay writing service is your portal to effortless college admission. Order your custom Giving Back to the Community essay already now to submit it on time!

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Add Your Comment

We are very interested to know your opinion

This is so good and inspirational. Helping others through community service is one of the best things you can do nowadays.

George Herbert. A

As a social worker myself, I totally understand that will to help others to make a difference. Thank you so much for the tips, absolutely helpful ❤❤

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How to Write the Community Essay – Guide with Examples (2023-24)

September 6, 2023

Students applying to college this year will inevitably confront the community essay. In fact, most students will end up responding to several community essay prompts for different schools. For this reason, you should know more than simply how to approach the community essay as a genre. Rather, you will want to learn how to decipher the nuances of each particular prompt, in order to adapt your response appropriately. In this article, we’ll show you how to do just that, through several community essay examples. These examples will also demonstrate how to avoid cliché and make the community essay authentically and convincingly your own.

Emphasis on Community

Do keep in mind that inherent in the word “community” is the idea of multiple people. The personal statement already provides you with a chance to tell the college admissions committee about yourself as an individual. The community essay, however, suggests that you depict yourself among others. You can use this opportunity to your advantage by showing off interpersonal skills, for example. Or, perhaps you wish to relate a moment that forged important relationships. This in turn will indicate what kind of connections you’ll make in the classroom with college peers and professors.

Apart from comprising numerous people, a community can appear in many shapes and sizes. It could be as small as a volleyball team, or as large as a diaspora. It could fill a town soup kitchen, or spread across five boroughs. In fact, due to the internet, certain communities today don’t even require a physical place to congregate. Communities can form around a shared identity, shared place, shared hobby, shared ideology, or shared call to action. They can even arise due to a shared yet unforeseen circumstance.

What is the Community Essay All About?             

In a nutshell, the community essay should exhibit three things:

• An aspect of yourself, 2. in the context of a community you belonged to, and 3. how this experience may shape your contribution to the community you’ll join in college.

It may look like a fairly simple equation: 1 + 2 = 3. However, each college will word their community essay prompt differently, so it’s important to look out for additional variables. One college may use the community essay as a way to glimpse your core values. Another may use the essay to understand how you would add to diversity on campus. Some may let you decide in which direction to take it—and there are many ways to go!

To get a better idea of how the prompts differ, let’s take a look at some real community essay prompts from the current admission cycle.

Sample 2023-2024 Community Essay Prompts

1) brown university.

“Students entering Brown often find that making their home on College Hill naturally invites reflection on where they came from. Share how an aspect of your growing up has inspired or challenged you, and what unique contributions this might allow you to make to the Brown community. (200-250 words)”

A close reading of this prompt shows that Brown puts particular emphasis on place. They do this by using the words “home,” “College Hill,” and “where they came from.” Thus, Brown invites writers to think about community through the prism of place. They also emphasize the idea of personal growth or change, through the words “inspired or challenged you.” Therefore, Brown wishes to see how the place you grew up in has affected you. And, they want to know how you in turn will affect their college community.

“NYU was founded on the belief that a student’s identity should not dictate the ability for them to access higher education. That sense of opportunity for all students, of all backgrounds, remains a part of who we are today and a critical part of what makes us a world-class university. Our community embraces diversity, in all its forms, as a cornerstone of the NYU experience.

We would like to better understand how your experiences would help us to shape and grow our diverse community. Please respond in 250 words or less.”

Here, NYU places an emphasis on students’ “identity,” “backgrounds,” and “diversity,” rather than any physical place. (For some students, place may be tied up in those ideas.) Furthermore, while NYU doesn’t ask specifically how identity has changed the essay writer, they do ask about your “experience.” Take this to mean that you can still recount a specific moment, or several moments, that work to portray your particular background. You should also try to link your story with NYU’s values of inclusivity and opportunity.

3) University of Washington

“Our families and communities often define us and our individual worlds. Community might refer to your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, co-workers, etc. Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of the UW. (300 words max) Tip: Keep in mind that the UW strives to create a community of students richly diverse in cultural backgrounds, experiences, values and viewpoints.”

UW ’s community essay prompt may look the most approachable, for they help define the idea of community. You’ll notice that most of their examples (“families,” “cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood”…) place an emphasis on people. This may clue you in on their desire to see the relationships you’ve made. At the same time, UW uses the words “individual” and “richly diverse.” They, like NYU, wish to see how you fit in and stand out, in order to boost campus diversity.

Writing Your First Community Essay

Begin by picking which community essay you’ll write first. (For practical reasons, you’ll probably want to go with whichever one is due earliest.) Spend time doing a close reading of the prompt, as we’ve done above. Underline key words. Try to interpret exactly what the prompt is asking through these keywords.

Next, brainstorm. I recommend doing this on a blank piece of paper with a pencil. Across the top, make a row of headings. These might be the communities you’re a part of, or the components that make up your identity. Then, jot down descriptive words underneath in each column—whatever comes to you. These words may invoke people and experiences you had with them, feelings, moments of growth, lessons learned, values developed, etc. Now, narrow in on the idea that offers the richest material and that corresponds fully with the prompt.

Lastly, write! You’ll definitely want to describe real moments, in vivid detail. This will keep your essay original, and help you avoid cliché. However, you’ll need to summarize the experience and answer the prompt succinctly, so don’t stray too far into storytelling mode.

How To Adapt Your Community Essay

Once your first essay is complete, you’ll need to adapt it to the other colleges involving community essays on your list. Again, you’ll want to turn to the prompt for a close reading, and recognize what makes this prompt different from the last. For example, let’s say you’ve written your essay for UW about belonging to your swim team, and how the sports dynamics shaped you. Adapting that essay to Brown’s prompt could involve more of a focus on place. You may ask yourself, how was my swim team in Alaska different than the swim teams we competed against in other states?

Once you’ve adapted the content, you’ll also want to adapt the wording to mimic the prompt. For example, let’s say your UW essay states, “Thinking back to my years in the pool…” As you adapt this essay to Brown’s prompt, you may notice that Brown uses the word “reflection.” Therefore, you might change this sentence to “Reflecting back on my years in the pool…” While this change is minute, it cleverly signals to the reader that you’ve paid attention to the prompt, and are giving that school your full attention.

What to Avoid When Writing the Community Essay  

• Avoid cliché. Some students worry that their idea is cliché, or worse, that their background or identity is cliché. However, what makes an essay cliché is not the content, but the way the content is conveyed. This is where your voice and your descriptions become essential.
• Avoid giving too many examples. Stick to one community, and one or two anecdotes arising from that community that allow you to answer the prompt fully.
• Don’t exaggerate or twist facts. Sometimes students feel they must make themselves sound more “diverse” than they feel they are. Luckily, diversity is not a feeling. Likewise, diversity does not simply refer to one’s heritage. If the prompt is asking about your identity or background, you can show the originality of your experiences through your actions and your thinking.

Community Essay Examples and Analysis

Brown university community essay example.

I used to hate the NYC subway. I’ve taken it since I was six, going up and down Manhattan, to and from school. By high school, it was a daily nightmare. Spending so much time underground, underneath fluorescent lighting, squashed inside a rickety, rocking train car among strangers, some of whom wanted to talk about conspiracy theories, others who had bedbugs or B.O., or who manspread across two seats, or bickered—it wore me out. The challenge of going anywhere seemed absurd. I dreaded the claustrophobia and disgruntlement.

Yet the subway also inspired my understanding of community. I will never forget the morning I saw a man, several seats away, slide out of his seat and hit the floor. The thump shocked everyone to attention. What we noticed: he appeared drunk, possibly homeless. I was digesting this when a second man got up and, through a sort of awkward embrace, heaved the first man back into his seat. The rest of us had stuck to subway social codes: don’t step out of line. Yet this second man’s silent actions spoke loudly. They said, “I care.”

That day I realized I belong to a group of strangers. What holds us together is our transience, our vulnerabilities, and a willingness to assist. This community is not perfect but one in motion, a perpetual work-in-progress. Now I make it my aim to hold others up. I plan to contribute to the Brown community by helping fellow students and strangers in moments of precariousness.    

Brown University Community Essay Example Analysis

Here the student finds an original way to write about where they come from. The subway is not their home, yet it remains integral to ideas of belonging. The student shows how a community can be built between strangers, in their responsibility toward each other. The student succeeds at incorporating key words from the prompt (“challenge,” “inspired” “Brown community,” “contribute”) into their community essay.

UW Community Essay Example

I grew up in Hawaii, a world bound by water and rich in diversity. In school we learned that this sacred land was invaded, first by Captain Cook, then by missionaries, whalers, traders, plantation owners, and the U.S. government. My parents became part of this problematic takeover when they moved here in the 90s. The first community we knew was our church congregation. At the beginning of mass, we shook hands with our neighbors. We held hands again when we sang the Lord’s Prayer. I didn’t realize our church wasn’t “normal” until our diocese was informed that we had to stop dancing hula and singing Hawaiian hymns. The order came from the Pope himself.

Eventually, I lost faith in God and organized institutions. I thought the banning of hula—an ancient and pure form of expression—seemed medieval, ignorant, and unfair, given that the Hawaiian religion had already been stamped out. I felt a lack of community and a distrust for any place in which I might find one. As a postcolonial inhabitant, I could never belong to the Hawaiian culture, no matter how much I valued it. Then, I was shocked to learn that Queen Ka’ahumanu herself had eliminated the Kapu system, a strict code of conduct in which women were inferior to men. Next went the Hawaiian religion. Queen Ka’ahumanu burned all the temples before turning to Christianity, hoping this religion would offer better opportunities for her people.

Community Essay (Continued)

I’m not sure what to make of this history. Should I view Queen Ka’ahumanu as a feminist hero, or another failure in her islands’ tragedy? Nothing is black and white about her story, but she did what she thought was beneficial to her people, regardless of tradition. From her story, I’ve learned to accept complexity. I can disagree with institutionalized religion while still believing in my neighbors. I am a product of this place and their presence. At UW, I plan to add to campus diversity through my experience, knowing that diversity comes with contradictions and complications, all of which should be approached with an open and informed mind.

UW Community Essay Example Analysis

This student also manages to weave in words from the prompt (“family,” “community,” “world,” “product of it,” “add to the diversity,” etc.). Moreover, the student picks one of the examples of community mentioned in the prompt, (namely, a religious group,) and deepens their answer by addressing the complexity inherent in the community they’ve been involved in. While the student displays an inner turmoil about their identity and participation, they find a way to show how they’d contribute to an open-minded campus through their values and intellectual rigor.

What’s Next

For more on supplemental essays and essay writing guides, check out the following articles:

• How to Write the Why This Major Essay + Example
• How to Write the Overcoming Challenges Essay + Example
• How to Start a College Essay – 12 Techniques and Tips
• College Essay

Kaylen Baker

With a BA in Literary Studies from Middlebury College, an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University, and a Master’s in Translation from Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis, Kaylen has been working with students on their writing for over five years. Previously, Kaylen taught a fiction course for high school students as part of Columbia Artists/Teachers, and served as an English Language Assistant for the French National Department of Education. Kaylen is an experienced writer/translator whose work has been featured in Los Angeles Review, Hybrid, San Francisco Bay Guardian, France Today, and Honolulu Weekly, among others.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Community Service — How Will You Give Back to Your Community

How Will You Give Back to Your Community

• Categories: Community Service

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Published: Aug 31, 2023

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Tips on Writing a Perfect Giving Back to the Community Essay

Welcome to The Knowledge Nest's comprehensive guide on writing a perfect giving back to the community essay. In this article, we will provide you with valuable tips and insights to help you craft a high-quality essay that stands out. Writing about your experiences in serving and supporting your community can be a powerful and impactful way to convey your dedication and commitment to making a positive difference.

Why Writing a Giving Back to the Community Essay Matters

Before we delve into the tips, let's explore why writing a giving back to the community essay is a crucial aspect of reflecting your personal growth as an individual. This type of essay allows you to showcase your altruistic values, genuine empathy, and the transformative impact of your community involvement.

Colleges, universities, and scholarship committees often look for individuals who have actively contributed to their communities. By writing a compelling essay that effectively communicates the depth of your experiences, you increase your chances of standing out among other applicants. Moreover, such essays can also inspire and motivate others to get involved in community service and create positive change.

Choosing a Captivating Topic

The first step in writing an outstanding giving back to the community essay is selecting a captivating topic. It's essential to choose an experience or project that had a significant impact on you personally and contributed to the betterment of your community. Consider the following points when selecting your topic:

• Reflect on your personal values and interests.
• Identify a particular instance or ongoing initiative you are truly passionate about.
• Think about the challenges you faced and how you overcame them.
• Consider the positive outcomes and lessons learned from your involvement.

By choosing a topic that resonates with you on a personal level, you will be able to convey your genuine enthusiasm and commitment, making your essay more engaging and compelling.

Structuring Your Essay

Creating a well-structured essay allows for a clear and logical flow of ideas. Below is a suggested structure for your giving back to the community essay:

Introduction

In the introduction, hook your readers by providing some background information. Clearly state your purpose and introduce the main topic you will be discussing in your essay.

The main body of your essay should consist of several paragraphs where you delve into the specific details of your community service experience. Consider dividing this section into subheadings based on different aspects of your involvement, such as:

Volunteering Activities

Describe the specific volunteer work you undertook, the organization or project you were part of, and your responsibilities in detail. Highlight any leadership roles you held and the impact your efforts had on the community.

Personal Growth and Learning

Discuss how your involvement in giving back to the community has positively influenced your personal growth. Share the skills you acquired, the values you developed, and the lessons you learned along the way.

Impact on the Community

Articulate the positive change and lasting impact your efforts have had on the community. Include testimonials or statistics, if available, to support the significance of your contributions.

In the conclusion, summarize the main points discussed in your essay and re-emphasize the importance of giving back to the community. Share your future aspirations related to community service and how you plan to continue making a difference.

Tips for Writing an Outstanding Giving Back to the Community Essay

To further enhance the quality of your essay, take note of the following tips:

• Be authentic and genuine in your writing.
• Showcase your personal growth and development.
• Provide specific examples and anecdotes to illustrate your experiences.
• Highlight any challenges overcome and lessons learned.
• Connect your essay to your future goals and aspirations.
• Seek feedback from mentors, teachers, or peers to improve your writing.

Remember, the goal of writing a giving back to the community essay is to stand out and effectively convey your dedication to serving others. By following these tips, structuring your essay effectively, and choosing a captivating topic, you will be well on your way to writing a compelling essay that leaves a lasting impression.

Writing a perfect giving back to the community essay requires careful thought, reflection, and organization. By sharing your experiences and insights effectively, you can demonstrate your commitment to creating positive change and inspire others to do the same. We hope that this comprehensive guide provided by The Knowledge Nest has equipped you with valuable tips and insights to craft an outstanding essay that helps you stand out among other applicants. Good luck on your writing journey!

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How to Write a Great Community Service Essay

College Admissions , Extracurriculars

Are you applying to a college or a scholarship that requires a community service essay? Do you know how to write an essay that will impress readers and clearly show the impact your work had on yourself and others?

Read on to learn step-by-step instructions for writing a great community service essay that will help you stand out and be memorable.

What Is a Community Service Essay? Why Do You Need One?

A community service essay is an essay that describes the volunteer work you did and the impact it had on you and your community. Community service essays can vary widely depending on specific requirements listed in the application, but, in general, they describe the work you did, why you found the work important, and how it benefited people around you.

Community service essays are typically needed for two reasons:

#1: To Apply to College

• Some colleges require students to write community service essays as part of their application or to be eligible for certain scholarships.
• You may also choose to highlight your community service work in your personal statement.

#2: To Apply for Scholarships

• Some scholarships are specifically awarded to students with exceptional community service experiences, and many use community service essays to help choose scholarship recipients.
• Green Mountain College offers one of the most famous of these scholarships. Their "Make a Difference Scholarship" offers full tuition, room, and board to students who have demonstrated a significant, positive impact through their community service

Getting Started With Your Essay

In the following sections, I'll go over each step of how to plan and write your essay. I'll also include sample excerpts for you to look through so you can get a better idea of what readers are looking for when they review your essay.

Step 1: Know the Essay Requirements

Before your start writing a single word, you should be familiar with the essay prompt. Each college or scholarship will have different requirements for their essay, so make sure you read these carefully and understand them.

Specific things to pay attention to include:

• Length requirement
• Application deadline
• The main purpose or focus of the essay
• If the essay should follow a specific structure

Below are three real community service essay prompts. Read through them and notice how much they vary in terms of length, detail, and what information the writer should include.

From the Equitable Excellence Scholarship:

"Describe your outstanding achievement in depth and provide the specific planning, training, goals, and steps taken to make the accomplishment successful. Include details about your role and highlight leadership you provided. Your essay must be a minimum of 350 words but not more than 600 words."

From the Laura W. Bush Traveling Scholarship:

"Essay (up to 500 words, double spaced) explaining your interest in being considered for the award and how your proposed project reflects or is related to both UNESCO's mandate and U.S. interests in promoting peace by sharing advances in education, science, culture, and communications."

From the LULAC National Scholarship Fund:

"Please type or print an essay of 300 words (maximum) on how your academic studies will contribute to your personal & professional goals. In addition, please discuss any community service or extracurricular activities you have been involved in that relate to your goals."

Step 2: Brainstorm Ideas

Even after you understand what the essay should be about, it can still be difficult to begin writing. Answer the following questions to help brainstorm essay ideas. You may be able to incorporate your answers into your essay.

• What community service activity that you've participated in has meant the most to you?
• What is your favorite memory from performing community service?
• Why did you decide to begin community service?
• What made you decide to volunteer where you did?
• How has your community service changed you?
• How has your community service helped others?
• How has your community service affected your plans for the future?

You don't need to answer all the questions, but if you find you have a lot of ideas for one of two of them, those may be things you want to include in your essay.

Writing Your Essay

How you structure your essay will depend on the requirements of the scholarship or school you are applying to. You may give an overview of all the work you did as a volunteer, or highlight a particularly memorable experience. You may focus on your personal growth or how your community benefited.

Regardless of the specific structure requested, follow the guidelines below to make sure your community service essay is memorable and clearly shows the impact of your work.

Samples of mediocre and excellent essays are included below to give you a better idea of how you should draft your own essay.

Step 1: Hook Your Reader In

You want the person reading your essay to be interested, so your first sentence should hook them in and entice them to read more. A good way to do this is to start in the middle of the action. Your first sentence could describe you helping build a house, releasing a rescued animal back to the wild, watching a student you tutored read a book on their own, or something else that quickly gets the reader interested. This will help set your essay apart and make it more memorable.

Compare these two opening sentences:

"I have volunteered at the Wishbone Pet Shelter for three years."

"The moment I saw the starving, mud-splattered puppy brought into the shelter with its tail between its legs, I knew I'd do whatever I could to save it."

The first sentence is a very general, bland statement. The majority of community service essays probably begin a lot like it, but it gives the reader little information and does nothing to draw them in. On the other hand, the second sentence begins immediately with action and helps persuade the reader to keep reading so they can learn what happened to the dog.

Step 2: Discuss the Work You Did

Once you've hooked your reader in with your first sentence, tell them about your community service experiences. State where you work, when you began working, how much time you've spent there, and what your main duties include. This will help the reader quickly put the rest of the essay in context and understand the basics of your community service work.

Not including basic details about your community service could leave your reader confused.

Step 3: Include Specific Details

It's the details of your community service that make your experience unique and memorable, so go into the specifics of what you did.

For example, don't just say you volunteered at a nursing home; talk about reading Mrs. Johnson her favorite book, watching Mr. Scott win at bingo, and seeing the residents play games with their grandchildren at the family day you organized. Try to include specific activities, moments, and people in your essay. Having details like these let the readers really understand what work you did and how it differs from other volunteer experiences.

Compare these two passages:

"For my volunteer work, I tutored children at a local elementary school. I helped them improve their math skills and become more confident students."

"As a volunteer at York Elementary School, I worked one-on-one with second and third graders who struggled with their math skills, particularly addition, subtraction, and fractions. As part of my work, I would create practice problems and quizzes and try to connect math to the students' interests. One of my favorite memories was when Sara, a student I had been working with for several weeks, told me that she enjoyed the math problems I had created about a girl buying and selling horses so much that she asked to help me create math problems for other students."

The first passage only gives basic information about the work done by the volunteer; there is very little detail included, and no evidence is given to support her claims. How did she help students improve their math skills? How did she know they were becoming more confident?

The second passage is much more detailed. It recounts a specific story and explains more fully what kind of work the volunteer did, as well as a specific instance of a student becoming more confident with her math skills. Providing more detail in your essay helps support your claims as well as make your essay more memorable and unique.

Step 4: Show Your Personality

It would be very hard to get a scholarship or place at a school if none of your readers felt like they knew much about you after finishing your essay, so make sure that your essay shows your personality. The way to do this is to state your personal strengths, then provide examples to support your claims. Take some time to think about which parts of your personality you would like your essay to highlight, then write about specific examples to show this.

• If you want to show that you're a motivated leader, describe a time when you organized an event or supervised other volunteers.
• If you want to show your teamwork skills, write about a time you helped a group of people work together better.
• If you want to show that you're a compassionate animal lover, write about taking care of neglected shelter animals and helping each of them find homes.

Step 5: State What You Accomplished

After you have described your community service and given specific examples of your work, you want to begin to wrap your essay up by stating your accomplishments. What was the impact of your community service? Did you build a house for a family to move into? Help students improve their reading skills? Clean up a local park? Make sure the impact of your work is clear; don't be worried about bragging here.

If you can include specific numbers, that will also strengthen your essay. Saying "I delivered meals to 24 home-bound senior citizens" is a stronger example than just saying "I delivered meals to lots of senior citizens."

Also be sure to explain why your work matters. Why is what you did important? Did it provide more parks for kids to play in? Help students get better grades? Give people medical care who would otherwise not have gotten it? This is an important part of your essay, so make sure to go into enough detail that your readers will know exactly what you accomplished and how it helped your community.

"My biggest accomplishment during my community service was helping to organize a family event at the retirement home. The children and grandchildren of many residents attended, and they all enjoyed playing games and watching movies together."

"The community service accomplishment that I'm most proud of is the work I did to help organize the First Annual Family Fun Day at the retirement home. My job was to design and organize fun activities that senior citizens and their younger relatives could enjoy. The event lasted eight hours and included ten different games, two performances, and a movie screening with popcorn. Almost 200 residents and family members attended throughout the day. This event was important because it provided an opportunity for senior citizens to connect with their family members in a way they aren't often able to. It also made the retirement home seem more fun and enjoyable to children, and we have seen an increase in the number of kids coming to visit their grandparents since the event."

The second passage is stronger for a variety of reasons. First, it goes into much more detail about the work the volunteer did. The first passage only states that she helped "organize a family event." That really doesn't tell readers much about her work or what her responsibilities were. The second passage is much clearer; her job was to "design and organize fun activities."

The second passage also explains the event in more depth. A family day can be many things; remember that your readers are likely not familiar with what you're talking about, so details help them get a clearer picture.

Lastly, the second passage makes the importance of the event clear: it helped residents connect with younger family members, and it helped retirement homes seem less intimidating to children, so now some residents see their grand kids more often.

Step 6: Discuss What You Learned

One of the final things to include in your essay should be the impact that your community service had on you. You can discuss skills you learned, such as carpentry, public speaking, animal care, or another skill.

You can also talk about how you changed personally. Are you more patient now? More understanding of others? Do you have a better idea of the type of career you want? Go into depth about this, but be honest. Don't say your community service changed your life if it didn't because trite statements won't impress readers.

In order to support your statements, provide more examples. If you say you're more patient now, how do you know this? Do you get less frustrated while playing with your younger siblings? Are you more willing to help group partners who are struggling with their part of the work? You've probably noticed by now that including specific examples and details is one of the best ways to create a strong and believable essay .

"As a result of my community service, I learned a lot about building houses and became a more mature person."

"As a result of my community service, I gained hands-on experience in construction. I learned how to read blueprints, use a hammer and nails, and begin constructing the foundation of a two-bedroom house. Working on the house could be challenging at times, but it taught me to appreciate the value of hard work and be more willing to pitch in when I see someone needs help. My dad has just started building a shed in our backyard, and I offered to help him with it because I know from my community service how much work it is. I also appreciate my own house more, and I know how lucky I am to have a roof over my head."

The second passage is more impressive and memorable because it describes the skills the writer learned in more detail and recounts a specific story that supports her claim that her community service changed her and made her more helpful.

Step 7: Finish Strong

Just as you started your essay in a way that would grab readers' attention, you want to finish your essay on a strong note as well. A good way to end your essay is to state again the impact your work had on you, your community, or both. Reiterate how you changed as a result of your community service, why you found the work important, or how it helped others.

Compare these two concluding statements:

"In conclusion, I learned a lot from my community service at my local museum, and I hope to keep volunteering and learning more about history."

"To conclude, volunteering at my city's American History Museum has been a great experience. By leading tours and participating in special events, I became better at public speaking and am now more comfortable starting conversations with people. In return, I was able to get more community members interested in history and our local museum. My interest in history has deepened, and I look forward to studying the subject in college and hopefully continuing my volunteer work at my university's own museum."

The second passage takes each point made in the first passage and expands upon it. In a few sentences, the second passage is able to clearly convey what work the volunteer did, how she changed, and how her volunteer work benefited her community.

The author of the second passage also ends her essay discussing her future and how she'd like to continue her community service, which is a good way to wrap things up because it shows your readers that you are committed to community service for the long-term.

What's Next?

Are you applying to a community service scholarship or thinking about it? We have a complete list of all the community service scholarships available to help get your search started!

Do you need a community service letter as well? We have a step-by-step guide that will tell you how to get a great reference letter from your community service supervisor.

Thinking about doing community service abroad? Before you sign up, read our guide on some of the hazards of international volunteer trips and how to know if it's the right choice for you.

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Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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Blog > Essay Advice , Supplementals > How to Write a Community Supplemental Essay (with Examples)

How to Write a Community Supplemental Essay (with Examples)

Admissions officer reviewed by Ben Bousquet, M.Ed Former Vanderbilt University

Written by Kylie Kistner, MA Former Willamette University Admissions

Key Takeaway

If you're applying to college, there's a good chance you'll be writing a Community Essay for one (or lots) of your supplementals. In this post, we show you how to write one that stands out.

This post is one in a series of posts about the supplemental essays . You can read our core “how-to” supplemental post here .

When schools admit you, they aren’t just admitting you to be a student. They’re also admitting you to be a community member.

Community supplemental essays help universities understand how you would fit into their school community. At their core, Community prompts allow you to explicitly show an admissions officer why you would be the perfect addition to the school’s community.

Let’s get into what a Community supplemental essay is, what strategies you can use to stand out, and which steps you can take to write the best one possible.

What is a Community supplemental essay?

Community supplemental essay prompts come in a number of forms. Some ask you to talk about a community you already belong to, while others ask you to expand on how you would contribute to the school you’re applying to.

Let’s look at a couple of examples.

1: Rice University

Rice is lauded for creating a collaborative atmosphere that enhances the quality of life for all members of our campus community. The Residential College System and undergraduate life is heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural tradition each student brings. What life perspectives would you contribute to the Rice community? 500 word limit.

2: Swarthmore College

Swarthmore students’ worldviews are often forged by their prior experiences and exposure to ideas and values. Our students are often mentored, supported, and developed by their immediate context—in their neighborhoods, communities of faith, families, and classrooms. Reflect on what elements of your home, school, or community have shaped you or positively impacted you. How have you grown or changed because of the influence of your community?

Community Essay Strategy

Your Community essay strategy will likely depend on the kind of Community essay you’re asked to write. As with all supplemental essays, the goal of any community essay should be to write about the strengths that make you a good fit for the school in question.

How to write about a community to which you belong

Most Community essay prompts give you a lot of flexibility in how you define “community.” That means that the community you write about probably isn’t limited to the more formal communities you’re part of like family or school. Your communities can also include friend groups, athletic teams, clubs and organizations, online communities, and more.

There are two things you should consider before you even begin writing your essay.

What school values is the prompt looking for?

Whether they’re listed implicitly or explicitly, Community essay prompts often include values that you can align your essay response with.

To explain, let’s look at this short supplemental prompt from the University of Notre Dame:

If you were given unlimited resources to help solve one problem in your community, what would it be and how would you accomplish it?

Now, this prompt doesn’t outright say anything about values. But the question itself, even being so short, implies a few values:

a) That you should be active in your community

b) That you should be aware of your community’s problems

c) That you know how to problem-solve

d) That you’re able to collaborate with your community

After dissecting the prompt for these values, you can write a Community essay that showcases how you align with them.

What else are admissions officers learning about you through the community you choose?

In addition to showing what a good community member you are, your Community supplemental essays can also let you talk about other parts of your experience. Doing so can help you find the perfect narrative balance among all your essays.

Let’s use a quick example.

If I’m a student applying to computer science programs, then I might choose to write about the community I’ve found in my robotics team. More specifically, I might write about my role as cheerleader and principle problem-solver of my robotics team. Writing about my robotics team allows me to do two things:

Show that I’m a really supportive person in my community, and

Show that I’m on a robotics team that means a lot to me.

Now, it’s important not to co-opt your Community essay and turn it into a secret Extracurricular essay , but it’s important to be thinking about all the information an admissions officer will learn about you based on the community you choose to focus on.

How to write about what you’ll contribute to your new community

The other segment of Community essays are those that ask you to reflect on how your specific experiences will contribute to your new community.

It’s important that you read each prompt carefully so you know what to focus your essay on.

These kinds of Community prompts let you explicitly drive home why you belong at the school you’re applying to.

Here are two suggestions to get you started.

Draw out the values.

This kind of Community prompt also typically contains some kind of reference to values. The Rice prompt is a perfect example of this:

Rice is lauded for creating a collaborative atmosphere that enhances the quality of life for all members of our campus community . The Residential College System and undergraduate life is heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural tradition each student brings. What life perspectives would you contribute to the Rice community? 500 word limit.

There are several values here:

a) Collaboration

b) Enhancing quality of life

c) For all members of the community

d) Residential system (AKA not just in the classroom)

e) Sharing unique life experiences and cultural traditions with other students

Note that the actual question of the prompt is “What life perspectives would you contribute to the Rice community?” If you skimmed the beginning of the prompt to get to the question, you’d miss all these juicy details about what a Rice student looks like.

But with them in mind, you can choose to write about a life perspective that you hold that aligns with these five values.

Find detailed connections to the school.

Since these kinds of Community prompts ask you what you would contribute to the school community, this is your chance to find the most logical and specific connections you can. Browse the school website and social media to find groups, clubs, activities, communities, or support systems that are related to your personal background and experiences. When appropriate based on the prompt, these kinds of connections can help you show how good a fit you are for the school and community.

How to do Community Essay school research

Looking at school values means doing research on the school’s motto, mission statement, and strategic plans. This information is all carefully curated by a university to reflect the core values, initiatives, and goals of an institution. They can guide your Community essay by giving you more values options to include.

We’ll use the Rice mission statement as an example. It says,

As a leading research university with a distinctive commitment to undergraduate education, Rice University aspires to pathbreaking research , unsurpassed teaching , and contribution to the betterment of our world . It seeks to fulfill this mission by cultivating a diverse community of learning and discovery that produces leaders across the spectrum of human endeavor.

I’ve bolded just a few of the most important values we can draw out.

As we’ll see in the next section, I can use these values to brainstorm my Community essay.

How to write a Community Supplemental Essay

Step 1: Read the prompt closely & identify any relevant values.

When writing any supplemental essay, your first step should always be to closely read the prompt. You can even annotate it. It’s important to do this so you know exactly what is being asked of you.

With Community essays specifically, you can also highlight any values you think the prompt is asking you to elaborate on.

Keeping track of the prompt will make sure that you’re not missing anything an admissions officer will be on the lookout for.

Step 2: Brainstorm communities you’re involved in.

If you’re writing a Community essay that asks you to discuss a community you belong to, then your next step will be brainstorming all of your options.

As you brainstorm, keep a running list. Your list can include all kinds of communities you’re involved in.

Communities:

• Model United Nations
• Youth group
• Instagram book club
• My Discord group

Step 3: Think about the role(s) you play in your selected community.

Narrow down your community list to a couple of options. For each remaining option, identify the roles you played, actions you took, and significance you’ve drawn from being part of that group.

Community: Orchestra

These three columns help you get at the most important details you need to include in your community essay.

Step 4: Identify any relevant connections to the school.

Depending on the question the prompt asks of you, your last step may be to do some school research.

Let’s return to the Rice example.

After researching the Rice mission statement, we know that Rice values community members who want to contribute to the “betterment of our world.”

Ah ha! Now we have something solid to work from.

With this value in mind, I can choose to write about a perspective that shows my investment in creating a better world. Maybe that perspective is a specific kind of fundraising tenacity. Maybe it’s always looking for those small improvements that have a big impact. Maybe it’s some combination of both. Whatever it is, I can write a supplemental essay that reflects the values of the university.

Community Essay Mistakes

While writing Community essays may seem fairly straightforward, there are actually a number of ways they can go awry. Specifically, there are three common mistakes students make that you should be on the lookout for.

They don’t address the specific requests of the prompt.

As with all supplemental essays, your Community essay needs to address what the prompt is asking you to do. In Community essays especially, you’ll need to assess whether you’re being asked to talk about a community you’re already part of or the community you hope to join.

Neglecting to read the prompt also means neglecting any help the prompt gives you in terms of values. Remember that you can get clues as to what the school is looking for by analyzing the prompt’s underlying values.

They’re too vague.

Community essays can also go awry when they’re too vague. Your Community essay should reflect on specific, concrete details about your experience. This is especially the case when a Community prompt asks you to talk about a specific moment, challenge, or sequence of events.

Don’t shy away from details. Instead, use them to tell a compelling story.

They don’t make any connections to the school.

Finally, Community essays that don’t make any connections to the school in question miss out on a valuable opportunity to show school fit. Recall from our supplemental essay guide that you should always write supplemental essays with an eye toward showing how well you fit into a particular community.

Community essays are the perfect chance to do that, so try to find relevant and logical school connections to include.

Community Supplemental Essay Example

Example essay: robotics community.

University of Michigan: Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it. (Required for all applicants; minimum 100 words/maximum 300 words)

From Blendtec’s “Will it Blend?” videos to ZirconTV’s “How to Use a Stud Finder,” I’m a YouTube how-to fiend. This propensity for fix-it knowledge has not only served me well, but it’s also been a lifesaver for my favorite community: my robotics team(( The writer explicitly states the community they’ll be focusing on.)) . While some students spend their after-school hours playing sports or video games, I spend mine tinkering in my garage with three friends, one of whom is made of metal.

Last year, I Googled more fixes than I can count. Faulty wires, misaligned soldering, and failed code were no match for me. My friends watched in awe as I used Boolean Operators to find exactly the information I sought.(( The writer clearly articulates their place in the community.)) But as I agonized over chassis reviews, other unsearchable problems arose.

First((This entire paragraph fulfills the “describe that community” direction in the prompt.)) , there was the matter of registering for our first robotics competition. None of us familiar with bureaucracy, David stepped up and made some calls. His maturity and social skills helped us immediately land a spot. The next issue was branding. Our robot needed a name and a logo, and Connor took it upon himself to learn graphic design. We all voted on Archie’s name and logo design to find the perfect match. And finally, someone needed to enter the ring. Archie took it from there, winning us first place.

The best part about being in this robotics community is the collaboration and exchange of knowledge.((The writer emphasizes a clear strength: collaboration within their community. It’s clear that the writer values all contributions to the team.))  Although I can figure out how to fix anything, it’s impossible to google social skills, creativity, or courage. For that information, only friends will do. I can only imagine the fixes I’ll bring to the University of Michigan and the skills I’ll learn in return at part of the Manufacturing Robotics community((The writer ends with a forward-looking connection to the school in question.)) .

Want to see even more supplemental essay examples? Check out our college essay examples post . 

Liked that? Try this next.

How to Write Supplemental Essays that Will Impress Admissions Officers

How to Write a College Essay (Exercises + Examples)

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Essay on Giving Back To The Community

Students are often asked to write an essay on Giving Back To The Community in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Giving Back To The Community

What it means to give back.

Giving back to the community means helping others without wanting anything in return. It’s about doing good things to make the place where you live better for everyone.

Ways to Help

The joy of sharing.

When you give back, you make others happy and you feel good too. It’s like sharing a piece of your heart with your town or city.

Everyone Can Contribute

Anyone can help, no matter how old you are. By giving a little time or effort, you can make a big difference in your community.

250 Words Essay on Giving Back To The Community

What does it mean to give back, why should we help.

Helping others makes our community a better place. Think about your favorite park. If people did not take care of it, you wouldn’t enjoy playing there. When we help, we make sure everyone can have a good time in places we all share.

Ways to Give Back

There are many ways to help our community. You can join a group that cleans streets or help at a place that gives food to people who are hungry. Even small acts, like being kind to someone who is sad, can make a big difference.

When you give back, you also feel happy. Have you ever seen someone smile because of something nice you did? That feeling is one of the best parts of helping others. It’s like getting a gift when you give one.

Remember, you don’t need to be rich or grown-up to help. Even as a student, you can do a lot. Sharing your old books or helping a friend with homework are great ways to start.

Giving back to the community is about caring and sharing. It makes our world a nicer place for everyone. So, let’s all try to do our part and help out in whatever way we can!

500 Words Essay on Giving Back To The Community

Why should we help our community.

Helping our community is important because it creates a happier and safer place for us all. When we do good things for others, it’s like planting a seed that grows into a beautiful tree. That tree then gives shade and fruit to many people. In the same way, our good deeds can spread joy and help to lots of people.

There are many ways to help our community. You don’t need a lot of money or even a lot of time. Here are some ideas:

Being Kind: Even small acts of kindness, like smiling at someone or saying “thank you,” can make a big difference.

Benefits of Giving Back

Learning and growing, bringing people together.

When we give back, we often work with other people. This can help us make new friends and understand people who are different from us. It’s like building bridges between people who might not meet otherwise.

Starting Small

You might think you’re too young or don’t have much to offer, but that’s not true. Everyone has something they can do. Start with something small. Maybe you can help a neighbor carry groceries or pick up litter in your street. Every little bit helps.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Happy studying!

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21 Ways To Give Back To Your Community

We each have a role to play in giving back to our communities. A positive community can’t exist without some degree of interdependence — and positive communities thrive off of mutual care for one another. When we choose to intentionally make a difference for our community, we’re strengthening our communal bonds and creating a better environment to live.

Plus, it’s good for us, too . Giving back connects us to our fellow citizens, breaks up the monotony of life, and brings us a sense of joy and meaning. It even activates the brain’s reward center, lowering stress and helping us feel better.

At Good Good Good we’re all about celebrating good and doing good . If you’re looking for ideas on how to give back — we’ve got you covered: 

Read These Ideas On How To Give Back To The Community

Shop local and support small businesses..

Studies have shown that small businesses are uniquely positioned to create meaningful jobs. Employees of small businesses are happier , as a whole, than their counterparts at big businesses.

When you choose to forego big marketplaces like Amazon, you get to support businesses that make a difference in the community, the economy, and the lives of employees . In fact, for every dollar spent at a small business, 68% comes right back into the community . 

You already need to buy stuff, so choose to spend that money locally.

And if you do need to shop online, check out our list of the best Amazon alternatives for online shopping . There are even online bookstores like Bookshop.org and Libro.fm (for audiobooks ) that allow you to select a local independent bookstore to support with every purchase.

Support local farmers.

Four million farms disappeared in the United States between 1948 and 2015 while, at the same time, total farm output doubled. This means that a huge amount of our food comes from an increasingly smaller number of giant corporations.

Ugh, we know.

You can help ensure that small, local farmers continue to exist (and thrive) by joining a CSA, visiting your local farmers’ market, or even visiting a local farm. Plus, your food is probably going to taste better anyway.

You can also download the Farmstand app , which helps you locate locally grown food, such as produce stands, farmer’s markets, and more.

Run for office.

The world needs more thoughtful everyday people to serve in elected positions. Every year, the U.S. House and Senate’s demographic makeup get closer to the demographics of the U.S. as a whole — but we still have room to go. Most federal elected officials are still wealthy , old , white men who identify as Christian — which doesn’t accurately reflect the life experiences of the communities they’re supposed to represent.

If you deeply care about your community, you can be a part of bringing important representation to the government — and creating positive change.

Of course, you don’t need to start with huge elected positions. Your local community needs people to serve in all kinds of positions: From city council and school board to soil and water supervisory roles.

Get energized about how you can and should run for office by listening to our podcast conversation with Amanda Litman , the founder of Run For Something. Then sign up via Run For Something’s site to get information and training on how to run for office.

Learn how to properly recycle. 

Every community recycles a bit differently because every community has different waste management companies, facilities, machines, and government funding.

What’s recyclable in one city may not be recyclable in another. Many people with good intentions throw many non-recyclables into the recycling bin — an act dubbed ‘wishcycling’ — which ends up contaminating entire batches of recyclables.

Do a quick Google search to find out what you can recycle in your community (and maybe bookmark that page for easy access). 

We’d also recommend making “cheat sheets” or sharing this information with your neighbors so you can all maximize your recycling efforts. (Someone in my community created an Instagram account specifically to help Portland residents know what to recycle.)

Pick up litter in your community.

Litter on the side of the road and in public parks is ugly. But it’s also bad for wildlife, expensive for your local government to pick up, and harmful to the environment.

When you choose to pick up litter , you get to have an outsized positive impact on your community.

The three best ways to do this: Adopt a block in your community, find a group in your community that does regular group cleanups, or simply pick up trash during your regular neighborhood walks. Even your dog can be an environmentalist on your next walk if you pick up your pet waste responsibly!

Share good news.

In a time where it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by or even cynical about the news of what’s happening in the world — it’s more important than ever to intentionally seek out good news.

Once you find good news, you shouldn’t keep it to yourself. Share it on social media, with your friends IRL, or even by creating a neighborhood zine .

The good news about good news is: We specialize in helping people find real good stuff going on in the world . Check out our recent good news stories , explore the best good news sites , good news apps , and good news podcasts , or even subscribe to our monthly print Goodnewspaper . 

We’ve even seen people intentionally buy multiple Goodnewspapers each month so they can leave them around town for strangers to serendipitously find. As Alexis Rose would say , we “love that journey for you.”

Find an opportunity to volunteer.

While many of us imagine volunteering in terms of a shift at a soup kitchen, helping build a house, or some other sort of manual labor — the reality is that there are countless ways to volunteer.

The best way to volunteer is to find an opportunity to apply your unique skills and talents to an issue you care about.

Whether you’re volunteering your tech skills , your organizational skills, or even your ability to connect with people socially, you can make a meaningful difference in your community.

Call up a nonprofit that works on an issue you care about — and ask if you can apply your unique skills to make a difference.

One note: The key to volunteering is consistency — so pick a scheduled routine and stick to it. 

Consider switching careers.

If volunteering isn’t enough for you, you might want to consider changing your career to something service-oriented. 

It can feel heavy going to work each day knowing that your job isn’t making the world a better place (or might even be making the world worse). And while unethical jobs are profitable , jobs that help people and the planet can be deeply fulfilling.

Lots of people are moving towards more meaningful jobs — and you can join that movement. In fact, it might just change the way entire industries and workplaces function .

Donate to a food bank.

When many of us think of supporting a local food bank, we think of donating the canned goods that have been sitting in our pantry for too long or picking up a few extra non-perishables on our trip to the grocery store.

While this can be helpful, the best way you can help your local food bank is by donating money . Food banks get access to extreme discounts and can make the money stretch way further than individual people can. Plus, they’re able to source nutritious and fresh food to ensure they’re meeting the dietary needs of the people they serve.

Find your local food bank and donate money on a one-time or recurring basis. (You might consider volunteering with them too!)

Become a poll worker.

At a time when democracy feels more at risk than ever — it’s important for more citizens to step up and play a role in preserving it.

You can sign up to be a poll worker to help ensure that all elections are free and fair to all. 

Call your elected officials.

Your elected officials are supposed to represent their constituents. (That’s why they’re called representatives, after all.) But they can’t know what their constituents think about important issues unless they hear from them.

Make it a point to look up who represents you (on a local, state, and federal level), add their phone numbers and email addresses to your phone’s contacts (bonus points if you add emojis for comic relief), and regularly call them about issues they need to care about.

Most elected officials will actually listen to your thoughts and take them into consideration. Seriously, calling your representatives works . 

Explore our guide to contacting elected officials to find yours and learn more about the process. 

Choose to bike or walk instead of drive, when you can. 

You can play a role in reducing traffic, helping the environment, and improving your health by opting for emission-free transportation whenever possible. Public transit is great, too!

Some communities are safer for pedestrian travel than others. If your city doesn’t have safe bike lanes, sidewalks, or walkable neighborhoods, then this is something you can contact your local elected officials about. 

Explore our whole guide on how to live without a car .

Volunteer to help animals.

Animal shelters are always looking for volunteers to help clean their facilities, feed and walk animals, and help bring in more funding. You can find a local animal shelter to volunteer with.

Better yet, if you’re able to provide a stable and safe home for a pet — please sign up to foster or adopt an animal. It’ll make two lives better: yours and your new (furry) friend.

Contribute to a mutual aid fund. 

Mutual aid funds are an incredible way to care for your community. If this is a new idea for you, read our guide to what mutual aid funds are — but the tl;dr is: You can join grassroots efforts to help distribute money to people most in need.

Mutual aid funds are common after natural disasters as a quick way to respond to immediate needs before nonprofits and government agencies are able to respond — but they’re also a common way of supporting marginalized communities who are often ignored by traditional aid.

You can use this tool to find a mutual aid network near you. 

Donate blood.

Donating blood saves lives.  

Donated blood helps people experiencing complications during childbirth, victims of gun violence or car accidents, people injured during natural disasters, and people going through surgeries. 

The process is easy, isn’t painful, and you usually get to leave with a free snack. 

The easiest way to give blood is to simply find a blood drive hosted by the Red Cross . 

Become an organ donor.

If you want to take things to the next level, become an organ donor.

As of February 2021 , there were more than 107,000 patients on the national transplant waiting list — with another person being added every nine minutes. By signing up as an organ donor, you can ensure your organs give someone else life.

Simply visit organdonor.gov to indicate to your state that you wish for your organs to help someone else when you die — or you can even donate a kidney right now.  

Attend or host heritage and pride events.

Every community is filled with diverse people with a myriad of different life experiences — and that diversity should be celebrated.

Do some research and find out how your community celebrates heritage months , pride events , and other awareness celebrations . 

Attend events for AAPI Heritage Month , volunteer with an LGBTQ+ organization in honor of Pride Month , support a Black-owned business during Juneteenth , learn how to make your town more accessible for Disability Pride Month , and more!

If your community isn’t doing something to honor the identities of your neighbors, join together to create something new and inclusive of those you care about.

Take an online bystander intervention training class.

When you see someone experiencing harassment or discrimination in your community, it’s important to know what to do. It’s natural to freeze up and stay silent — but bystander intervention trainings help citizens feel empowered to speak up and safely de-escelate the situation.

Listen to our podcast episode about the 5 Ds of Bystander Intervention and sign up for a training with Right To Be to play a role in keeping community members safe.

Donate to local nonprofits.

No matter where you live, there are hard-working, empathetic, mission-driven nonprofit organizations hustling to care for your community. And they need your help.

By donating to them (and especially by signing up for recurring monthly donations), you’re going to ensure they’re able to continue their important work.

Not sure where to donate? Think about the issues you care about most — whether it’s animals, LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive justice , refugee support , girls in STEM, or something else — and use Google ( or Ecosia ) to find an organization serving that purpose in your community. It’s as simple as that.

Put up a Little Free Library.

Little Free Libraries are a fun way to connect with your neighbors , share your love of reading, and increase access to books. 

You can learn what it takes to start your own library in this guide from littlefreelibrary.org .

Host a Free Fridge.

Free Fridges are another great way to care for your neighbors — but instead of sharing books, you’re sharing food. They take a bit more work and they’re usually more of a team effort, but they can have a profound impact on ensuring that nobody in your neighborhood is going hungry .  

Little Free Pantries also serve a similar purpose with non-perishable goods!

Explore this guide from Freedge.org about how to start your own.

Have more ideas on giving back to the community?

We're always interested in creative and inspiring ways to make a positive difference in your neighborhood, city, country, or world. Get in touch to share how you and your friends are making a difference. It might just turn into our next good news story.

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How to Write the “Make Community a Better Place” UC Essay

This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by Vinay Bhaskara in a CollegeVine livestream. You can watch the full livestream for more info. 

What’s Covered:

Defining “community”, demonstrating your values.

The University of California system requires you to answer four out of eight essay prompts . The seventh University of California prompt asks, “What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?” For a lot of people, a key to unlocking this essay is to think about defining “community” effectively.

Communities Come in All Sizes

Many people reading this prompt might think they should talk about something they did to make a positive impact in their town or their school. But your community does not need to be defined as something as large as your whole school or whole neighborhood. It can be as small as a club or a class, or even a friend group, all of which are communities to some extent.

Consider Virtual Communities

Don’t be afraid to even talk about a virtual community in answering this essay prompt. For so many of us these days, the communities we find and belong to are virtual, whether it’s a Reddit forum or Twitch chat, the comments section of a YouTuber you really like, a Discord server, or something along those lines. Not enough students write about virtual communities relative to how much time we all spend in them, so if you’ve done something to make a virtual environment a better place, that is absolutely valuable material for this essay prompt. 

Be sure to highlight your personal connection to the community you write about and your motivations for the actions you took to improve it.

Another important consideration in writing this essay is demonstrating your values and how you upheld them through your actions. You’ll also want to mention the positive impact your actions had, but be careful not to spend too much time in this area. Describing the positive impact you had is important, but you don’t want to take up too much of the word count with this. 

As an example, say you’re writing about social justice, perhaps a change you drove in your school to promote inclusivity. An essay that focuses too strongly on the impact of your actions isn’t going to be as powerful as an essay that mentions the impacts, but focuses more on your personal motivations. Instead of emphasizing how your actions improved your community, emphasize why you felt motivated to make those improvements. 

This is important because, with this essay, you’re not just answering the prompt. You’re also answering the underlying questions of how you define your community, how you relate to it, and how capable you are of having an impact on those around you. 

Colleges want to figure out whether an applicant will be a positive contributor to their community. This essay prompt is much more about your personal character than it is about the outcomes of your efforts. In answering this prompt, you’ll be demonstrating how you’ll fit in with and improve the community at your school of choice.

For more information on how to write responses for the other UC essays, consider reading  this article  on CollegeVine!

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• Giving Back to the Community Through Your Field of Study

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Did you know that  39.1 percent  of college students report feeling rested only one or two days a week? 

It's no secret that college students are some of the busiest people around. From classes and homework to working a part-time job and maintaining a social life, there's barely any time to sleep, let alone do anything else.

But what if we told you that there are ways you can start giving back to the community while also furthering your studies? It may sound impossible, but it's not!

Keep reading, and in this blog post, we will explore how you can give back to your community through your field of study. Whether you're interested in tutoring, mentoring, or simply raising awareness about important issues, there are plenty of opportunities for you to make a difference.

What Is Community Service?

Community service is often thought of as giving back to the community through volunteering, but it can also be through using your knowledge and skills to help others. For example, if you're a doctor, you might provide free medical care to underserved populations. If you're a lawyer, you might offer free legal services to those who can't afford them. There are many ways to give back to the community through your field of study. It's up to you to decide how you want to use your knowledge and skills to help others. However, if you choose to give back, know that you're making a difference in the lives of others and the community as a whole.

The Benefits of Giving Back

Why should you take the time to give back when you're already so busy? There are many  benefits to giving back  to the community through your field of study. 

Help People in Need

Giving back to the community through your field of study is an excellent way to help others who are in need. Whether you're providing essential services or items, you're making a difference in the lives of others.

Enhance Your Career Prospects

Although it may not seem immediately obvious, by giving back to your community through your field of study, you can improve your job prospects and career opportunities. Employers often look favorably on applicants with a history of giving back.

Employers know that these individuals have a strong sense of social responsibility and are motivated to help others. Therefore, if youre looking for ways to improve your career prospects, consider giving back to the community through your field of study.

Make New Friends and Connection

Giving back is also an excellent way to make new friends and connections. By working with other like-minded individuals on projects and initiatives, you can develop strong relationships that can last a lifetime. In addition, by working with different people from different backgrounds, you can expand your network and gain valuable new contacts and connections.

Thank the Community That's Invested in You

Your community has likely invested a lot in you, whether it's through your education, your upbringing, or both. Giving back is a great way to show your appreciation for the support that you've received from the community and to give something back.

Feel Good About Yourself

Finally,  another reason it's great to give back to the community through your field of study is that it will make you feel good about yourself. When you see the positive difference youre making in the lives of others, it can be a great way to boost your self-confidence and self-esteem. In addition, by helping others, you'll feel a sense of satisfaction and achievement that can be very rewarding.

How to Give Back Through Your Field of Study

If you are considering giving back to the community through your field of study, there are many ways to do it. You can volunteer at local schools or nonprofits, or you can intern with organizations that focus on social change.

You can also donate your time and expertise to pro bono projects. Whatever way you choose to give back, you will be making a positive impact on the world around you.

The following ideas are just a few ideas on how you can give back through your field of study. There are many other ways to give back, so use your imagination and get creative!

Volunteer Your Time

One way to give back is to volunteer your time to help others in your field. You can do this by working with a local organization or charity or even starting your own program.

For example, if you are studying architecture, you could volunteer with a local organization that helps build homes for families in need. If you are studying medicine, you could volunteer at a clinic or hospital.

Donate Your Time

Another way to give back is to donate your time to teach others in your field. You can do this by working with a local school or community center.

For example, if you are studying biology, you could volunteer to teach a class on basic biology concepts. If you are studying computer science, you could volunteer to teach a class on how to use basic computer programs.

Share Your Knowledge

You can also give back by sharing your knowledge with others in your field. You can do this by writing articles or giving presentations on your area of expertise.

For example, if you are studying psychology, you could write an article on the different types of mental disorders. If you are studying sociology, you could give a presentation on the different types of social interactions.

Donate Money or Supplies

Another way to give back is to donate money or supplies to organizations or individuals in your field. For example, if you are studying biology, you could donate money to a local organization that helps fund research projects. If you are studying nursing, you could donate supplies to a local clinic or hospital.

Advocate for Change

You can also give back by advocating for change in your field. This can be done by working with local, state, or national organizations to push for change.

For example, if you are studying education, you could work with a local organization to advocate for greater funding for schools in your area. If you are studying environmental science, you could work with a national organization to advocate for stricter environmental regulations.

Educate Others

Another way to give back is to educate others about your field. You can do this by giving presentations or writing articles about your field.

For example, if you are studying physics, you could write an article on the different types of energy. If you are studying chemistry, you could give a presentation on the different types of chemicals.

You can also give back by tutoring others in your field. This can be done by working with a local organization or school to provide tutoring services.

For example, if you are studying math, you could tutor students who are struggling in their math classes. If you are studying English, you could tutor students who are struggling in their English classes.

This is also a great way for students studying to be teachers to get hands-on experience working with students. 

Another way to give back is to mentor others in your field. This can be done by working with a local organization or school to provide mentorship services.

For example, if you are studying business, you could mentor students who are interested in starting their own businesses. If you are studying engineering, you could mentor students who are interested in pursuing careers in engineering.

Fundraising

As a student, your budget is probably tight. However, while you might not have the money to donate, you can help raise money by fundraising for organizations or individuals in your field.

For example, if you are studying medicine, you could fundraise for a local clinic or hospital. If you are studying biology, you could fundraise for a local organization that funds research projects.

Recognize Those Who Serve

You can also give back by recognizing those who serve in your field. This can be done by writing articles or giving presentations about the work that they do.

For example, if you are studying social work, you could write an article about a local social worker who has made a difference in the community. If you are studying nursing, you could give a presentation about a nurse who has gone above and beyond to help her patients. If you are  studying criminal justice , you could write an article about a police officer who has made a difference in the community.

Start Giving Back to the Community 

Giving back to the community through your field of study is an excellent way to make a difference. It can also be a great way to gain experience and build your resume.

Are you ready to further your education with a university that understands the importance of community?  Request info today  to learn more about California Coast University. 

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Giving Back to Your Community Essay: Inspiring Stories & Ideas

Aurora Simon

Giving Back to Your Community Essay isn’t always the easiest to start writing about. We have included in this article some ideas and resources to help you out. Giving back to your community can have a significant impact on the world around you, and the benefits can be life-changing. Writing about it to others is the first step in sharing your knowledge.

Table of Contents

In this section, we’ll explore the importance of community service and share some inspiring stories and ideas for how you can make a difference in your community. We’ll also discuss the benefits of volunteering, the different types of community service, and tips for finding volunteer opportunities that align with your interests and passions.

Essay Examples: Giving Back to Your Community

Here are some resources for writing an essay on giving back to your community. As time goes on, I will update the resource below.

The Benefits of Volunteering

Volunteering is not just about giving back to the community; it also offers personal benefits. Here are some of the ways volunteering can positively impact your life:

Furthermore, volunteering is a great way to foster community engagement and social responsibility. By giving back to your community, you are fulfilling both a personal and a social responsibility. It can help you feel more connected to your community and invested in its well-being.

The Benefits of Volunteering on Your Health

Volunteering has been shown to have positive effects on both physical and mental health. Studies have found that volunteering can:

• Reduce stress and depression
• Lower blood pressure
• Improve cognitive function
• Increase happiness and life satisfaction

Volunteering is not only a selfless act, but it can also be a valuable investment in your own well-being.

Types of Community Service

Community service can take many forms, and volunteers can find opportunities that match their skills and interests. Below are some common types of community service and how they make a difference:

These are just a few examples, and there are countless other ways to give back to your community. You can also consider volunteering with a specific cause or organization that aligns with your personal values and interests.

How to Find Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteering can be a rewarding experience, but it can be challenging to know where to start. Here are some tips for finding volunteer opportunities:

• Check with local organizations and nonprofits. Many local organizations rely on volunteers to carry out their missions, so they may have opportunities available. Contact them directly or check their websites.
• Look online. Websites like VolunteerMatch and Idealist allow you to search for volunteer opportunities in your area based on your interests and availability.
• Connect with friends and family. They may know of local organizations or events that need volunteers.

When looking for volunteer opportunities, it’s important to consider what types of activities align with your interests and passions. For example, if you enjoy working with children, tutoring or mentoring programs may be a good fit. If you’re passionate about the environment, consider volunteering with a local park or beach cleanup project.

Additional Tips:

If you’re still having trouble finding opportunities, try reaching out to your city or county government. They may be able to connect you with volunteer programs or events in your area.

It’s also important to keep in mind that some organizations may have certain requirements for their volunteers, such as a background check or training. Be sure to ask about any requirements before committing to a volunteer opportunity.

Finally, be open to trying new things and stepping out of your comfort zone. You may be surprised at how rewarding and fulfilling the experience can be!

Making a Difference in Your Neighborhood

Community service is not just about helping others, but also about making a positive impact in your own neighborhood. Here are some inspiring stories of individuals and groups who have truly made a difference:

These examples show that anyone, regardless of their background or resources, can make a significant impact in their community. By working together and focusing on the needs of the community, we can create positive change and build a more connected and vibrant neighborhood.

Tips for Effective Community Service

Community service can be a rewarding experience for both the individual and the community they serve. Here are some tips to help make your community service more effective:

• Set clear goals: Before beginning your community service project, consider what you hope to accomplish. Setting clear goals will help you stay focused and measure your success.
• Work with others: Community service is often a collaborative effort. Working with others not only makes the work more enjoyable, but it can also lead to more effective outcomes.
• Maintain a positive attitude: Community service can be challenging, but maintaining a positive attitude can help you overcome obstacles and stay motivated.
• Be reliable: Show up on time and follow through on commitments. This will help you build trust with your fellow volunteers and project leaders.
• Be flexible: Things may not always go according to plan, but being flexible and adaptable can help you overcome unexpected challenges.
• Reflect on your experience: Take time to reflect on your community service experience. Consider what you have learned, how you have grown, and how you can continue to make a positive impact in the future.

Following these tips can help ensure your community service experience is both impactful and fulfilling. Remember, even small acts of service can make a big difference in someone’s life.

The Importance of Giving Back to Society

When we give back to our community, we not only help those in need but we also contribute to the overall well-being of our society. It’s a social responsibility that should not be taken lightly.

By giving back, we create a sense of community engagement and civic responsibility. When we work together towards a common goal, we build strong bonds and connections with others in our community. These connections can lead to a stronger, more supportive society.

Moreover, giving back to society is not just a social responsibility, it is also an ethical and moral one. We are all part of a larger community, and it is our duty to contribute to its betterment. Whether it’s through volunteering, donating to a cause, or simply being kind to others, we can all make a difference.

Overcoming Common Volunteer Challenges

Volunteering can be a rewarding experience, but it’s not always easy. Here are some common challenges that volunteers may encounter and some tips for overcoming them.

Challenge: Finding Time to Volunteer

Many people want to volunteer but struggle to find the time. One solution is to look for short-term or one-time volunteer opportunities that fit around your schedule. You can also try incorporating volunteering into your daily routine. For example, if you enjoy running or walking, consider signing up for a charity 5k or volunteering at a local race. Another option is to look for opportunities to volunteer with friends or family members. This way, you can spend time together while making a difference in your community.

Challenge: Feeling Burnt Out

Volunteering can be rewarding, but it can also be emotionally and physically draining. To avoid burnout, be sure to set realistic goals for yourself and take breaks when you need them. It’s important to find a balance between your volunteering commitments and your personal life. You may also want to consider volunteering in a different capacity or with a different organization. Sometimes a change of scenery can help rejuvenate your passion for giving back.

Challenge: Feeling Disconnected from the Community

Volunteering can be a great way to connect with your community, but it’s not always easy to make those connections. If you’re feeling disconnected, try reaching out to other volunteers or staff members at the organization where you volunteer. You can also look for volunteer opportunities that align with your interests or hobbies. For example, if you love animals, consider volunteering at a local animal shelter or rescue organization. Volunteering with like-minded individuals can help you feel more connected to your community.

Remember, it’s important to take care of yourself while volunteering. By setting realistic goals, taking breaks when needed, and finding ways to connect with your community, you can make the most of your volunteering experience.

The Role of Civic Engagement in Community Service

Community service not only benefits the individuals receiving help, but also the volunteers themselves and the community as a whole. Civic engagement plays an important role in community service, as informed and active citizens can help to bring about positive change and address local issues.

One way to get involved in civic engagement is to attend local meetings and events, such as town hall meetings or community group meetings. These events provide opportunities to voice concerns, ask questions, and learn about local issues and initiatives.

Another way to become involved in civic engagement is to join a local organization or group that aligns with your interests and passions. These groups may focus on issues such as environmental preservation, education, or social justice.

Becoming informed about local issues and candidates is also important in civic engagement. This includes researching candidates running for local office, attending candidate forums, and ultimately voting in local elections.

By becoming involved in civic engagement, individuals can help to shape their communities and bring about positive change. Whether through volunteering, joining a local organization, or becoming informed about local issues, every effort can make a difference.

Examples of Successful Community Service Projects

Community service projects can have a significant impact on a neighborhood, town, or city. Here are some inspiring examples of successful community service projects:

These projects are just a few examples of how community service can make a difference in the lives of individuals and the larger community. By coming together and working towards a common goal, volunteers can create meaningful change in their neighborhoods and beyond.

FAQ on Giving Back to Your Community Essay

Here are some common questions and concerns that individuals may have when it comes to giving back to their community. We’ve provided some helpful answers and resources to help you get started.

1. How can I find the time to volunteer?

Finding time to volunteer can be a challenge, but there are ways to make it work. Look for volunteer opportunities that fit your schedule, such as weekend or evening events. You can also consider volunteering your skills or expertise to a nonprofit organization, such as providing pro bono services or serving on a board.

2. What if I don’t have any special skills or experience?

Everyone has something to offer, even if you don’t have specialized skills or experience. Many volunteer opportunities require only a willingness to help and a positive attitude. Consider volunteering for tasks such as event set-up or clean-up, or working with children or the elderly.

3. How can I make community service a part of my regular routine?

One way to make community service a regular part of your routine is to schedule it into your calendar. Look for opportunities that fit your schedule and commit to volunteering on a regular basis. You can also try to find volunteer opportunities that align with your interests or hobbies.

4. What if I don’t have a lot of money to donate?

You don’t need to have a lot of money to make a difference in your community. There are many ways to volunteer your time or talents, such as serving as a mentor, tutoring children, or providing assistance to the elderly. You can also look for opportunities to donate items or services instead of money.

5. How can I get my family or friends involved in community service?

Getting your family or friends involved in community service can be a great way to build relationships and make a positive impact. Look for volunteer opportunities that are family-friendly, such as community clean-up events or food drives. You can also encourage your loved ones to volunteer with organizations that align with their interests or passions.

• VolunteerMatch : Search for volunteer opportunities in your area
• Idealist : Connect with nonprofit organizations and find volunteer opportunities
• Po i nts of Light : Resources and tools for engaging in volunteer work

About the author

With an enduring passion for human potential, I have dedicated my life to learning, growing, and most importantly, empowering others to discover their own unique paths to self-improvement. As a personal development blogger, I distill the wisdom gathered from various life experiences, books, seminars, and thought leaders to provide you with actionable insights and tools for your own growth. I believe that each one of us is capable of extraordinary things, and my mission is to help you unlock that potential. Join me on this journey of self-discovery, and together let’s cultivate a life filled with purpose, fulfillment, and joy. You can contact us here.

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Volunteering your time to support a cause you are passionate about is something you will never regret. It will enrich your life, familiarize you with your community, and connect you to people and ideas that will positively impact your perspective for the rest of your life. Helping your community is an opportunity for you to grow as a person, to better understand how you fit into the world around you.

Why is it so important to give back to your community?

Why is it so important to find a cause you love and volunteer your time? Spending time enriching your community is a great way to broaden your perceptions of the world. By immersing yourself in a community and surrounding yourself with people who are dedicated to bettering the world, you can learn so much about how the world works. You gain a unique sense of purpose by serving those around you, one which often manifests in other areas of your life.

Of course, it’s also important for your community! Without volunteers, many of the services and events we enjoy in our communities would not be so readily available. Spending time helping out at local shelters or food banks provides an important service to less fortunate neighbors. Giving back to the place you call home helps to unite the community and bridge some of the social, economic and political gaps.

What are some of the benefits of volunteering?

Donating your time to support those around you is extremely beneficial, both for you and your community. It is statistically proven that people who volunteer regularly are healthier both physically and mentally. Individuals who have volunteered throughout their lifetime typically live longer and have better psychological well-being. In addition to the health benefits, volunteering gives people a sense of purpose. The fulfilling feeling of giving back and contributing to society is unparalleled.

Giving back is also a great way to get to know your community and its citizens. When you volunteer, you have the opportunity to meet lots of new people. Working alongside individuals who also care about improving their surroundings will allow you to broaden your network of friends. Additionally, it will help you to better understand the circumstances of other members of your community. Having a broad, open-minded perspective of the different walks of life around you will help you to be an effective and empathetic citizen.

People skills are not the only skills you will gain through volunteering! Dedicating time to help others will teach you patience, kindness, and resilience. Not only will you improve your communication abilities by working alongside a diverse team of people, but you will also gain a plethora of other experiences that will help you as you navigate your future. Volunteering may even help you discover a new passion or interest.

How can you get involved in your community?

There are so many important causes out there that always need volunteers to support the work they’re doing. Whether you’re passionate about advocacy, animal rights, or helping the homeless, you can find a valuable way to donate your time. Many towns and cities have community centers, which can be a great place to find opportunities to give back to the place you call home. You can also check websites like VolunteerMatch or Idealist for volunteer opportunities that fit your interests and abilities. Even if you only donate a few hours of time each month, you will be making a huge difference in the lives of others.

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Writing a College Essay About Community and Examples

By Eric Eng

Writing a college essay about community is a common requirement in the series of essay prompts most colleges include alongside their Common Application. If you’re applying to multiple universities, you’ll notice that many of these essay topics overlap, although the wording is always different. 

One main reason for this is that all college admissions committees want to learn the same things about you. They’re all interested in learning more about who you are, what you’re interested in, what goals you have in the future, and why you’ve chosen to apply to this university. 

One of these prompts is a college essay about community. While it varies from college to college, the prompt will roughly sound like this:

Tell us a little about a community you consider yourself part of.

Each university will add its own spin or add-on question, but they’re all asking the same thing: what about your background has had a major impact on who you are today?

Here’s an actual example from Brown University to give you some context:

“Tell us about a place or community you call home. How has it shaped your perspective?”

Another example is from the University of Michigan : 

“Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it. ”

From Duke University:

“We seek a talented, engaged student body that embodies the wide range of human experience; we believe that the diversity of our students makes our community stronger. If you’d like to share a perspective you bring or experiences you’ve had to help us understand you better—perhaps related to a community you belong to, your sexual orientation or gender identity, or your family or cultural background—we encourage you to do so. Real people are reading your application, and we want to do our best to understand and appreciate the real people applying.”

At first glance, this college essay about community seems pretty easy. The question in itself is short and colleges typically only request a brief answer of a few hundred words. However, after you read the prompt a few more times, you might realize how open-ended it is. What are the best words to describe community ? 

How you answer this question depends on your perspective. You might choose to describe the literal community where you live, or you could interpret it more metaphorically to mean a group of people you identify with for a specific reason. 

For example, if you are a person of color, your community could be your cultural group. In some diversity essay examples , focusing on the sense of belonging in a foreign country could be an ideal angle to explore. If you are an international student , you might share how you found your community in a new country. Alternatively, you could see your weekly Dungeons & Dragons group in writing your college essay about community. Think about the groups or environments where you feel a sense of belonging and connection.

Regardless of how you interpret community, the primary thrust of the question remains the same. This is the perfect opportunity for you to talk more about who you are and how you interact with your community at large. 

Admissions officers aren’t only interested in how you can benefit from attending the university. They’re also interested to know what you’ll be able to offer students, teachers, and the larger school community. 

How to Write the Community Essay: Complete Guide (plus tips!)

While all college essays are an excellent time to show admissions officers why you’re a great fit for the school, the college essay about community is especially important. If you’re able to knock this essay out of the park, you can successfully convey to colleges how you would contribute to the school. Let’s look at 10 things to know before you write a college essay about the community to help you write the best response possible.

Decide what community you want to write about

Start by brainstorming the communities you are a part of. These can be defined by factors, such as:

The best tip that we could give you is to choose the community where you can share most about yourself. Think about the different “identities” you have and what groups of people you spend time with at school, work, or elsewhere. Don’t limit yourself to the literal definition of “community” if something truly resonates what your definition of “community” pops up.

Start outlining your essay with guide questions

As we’ve mentioned before, this college essay about community is an open-ended question. So take this as an opportunity for you to get creative! Reflect on your experiences and how they have shaped who you are today. Use these guide questions to help structure your thoughts and outline your essay:

• What specific actions did you take in that community? (Hint: use active verbs like “coordinated” and “led” to clearly describe your roles).
• What types of challenges did you address (on a personal, local, or global level)?
• What particular contributions did you make?
• What skills, qualities, or values did you acquire?
• How did you utilize the lessons learned within and beyond that community?

Don’t be afraid to get personal

All college essay prompts are designed to help admissions officers get to know you better. So a college essay about community is one of the best places to accomplish this goal. One advice we can give students is to get personal! Don’t be afraid to show off your quirky side, something unique about you, a little bit about your background, and everything that makes you…well, you !

Although the college essay about community does involve other people, the question is mainly asking what group you identify with. Similarly, in diversity essay examples, the emphasis is on how your unique background, identity, or perspective has influenced your life and how it might contribute to the diversity of the college community. 

While you’ll no doubt mention and even describe other people, don’t forget to talk about yourself and how this community changed or affected you. This should be your primary focus throughout the piece as it’s what the college is most interested in learning more about.

If you feel that the topic you chose is a little too personal for you to really open up, consider switching to another sense of the word “community” about which you’re more comfortable talking.

Toot your horn.

At the heart of it, a college essay about community is asking you to talk about your achievements… at least a little. As a member of a community, you need to be offering something to the group, not just benefitting. Showing this reciprocity means you are contributing to a larger community.

Many students talk about dreaming of changing the world, but not all of them know where to start. If you are actively doing something positive for your community, in a sense, you are changing the world… your own little world. Positive contributions and acts of service to your community may be small, but they are a start, and that still counts as something.

For example, if you’ve been part of a local food bank, you might talk about how you organized a fundraising event that raised thousands of dollars and significantly increased the food bank’s capacity to serve those in need. Or perhaps you volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and led a team of volunteers in building homes for underprivileged families. 

Since there aren’t many college essays on volunteering, this would be a great opportunity to talk about it. While you shouldn’t go overboard, don’t be afraid to earnestly talk about how you’re helping others within your community. 

Still, what makes college community service essay examples genuine is that you’ll need to share how the experience shaped who you are today. If you have read other students’ community service essay examples before, you’d notice that they talk about how the experience led them to a positive change in their lives. Discuss how leading those fundraising efforts teaches you about perseverance and the power of community. Or how did building homes with Habitat for Humanity instill in you a deep sense of empathy and responsibility? Sharing these insights will make your community service essay stand out.

For admissions counselors, this is an important part of deciding whether or not you’ll fit right in at their university. They want to know how you’re going to contribute to their community other than being an academic member.

Choose a format

The basics of writing a college essay about community is to pick how you’re going to tell it. Choosing the right format is the way to effectively convey your experiences and insights. Here are some points to consider:

The Story Structure

The Story Structure is ideal for students who have encountered a challenge within their community. If you opt for this format, consider addressing these three questions in your essay:

• What challenge did you encounter?
• How did you address it?
• What did you learn from the experience?

The Collection Structure

If this doesn’t apply to you, the Collection Structure might be more suitable. When using this format for writing your essay, check out these points:

• Theme or Central Idea: Choose a unifying theme that ties your different experiences together. This could be a value, skill, or passion that permeates your community involvement.
• Vignettes : Share several short stories or snapshots that illustrate your engagement. These can be varied and highlight different roles, projects, or impacts you’ve had.
• Connection : Each vignette connects back to your central theme and demonstrates how each experience contributes to your overall growth and perspective.
• Reflection : Reflect on what these experiences have taught you and how they have shaped you as a person.

For example, in writing your college essay about community, you might write about your involvement in multiple community projects, such as organizing local clean-up events, mentoring younger students in a science club, and participating in cultural festivals. Each of these vignettes would showcase different facets of your character and how you contribute to your community.

You can also combine the narrative and collection structures by discussing a challenge while highlighting a range of values and lessons learned at the same time. This hybrid approach showcases your diverse experiences and insights within your community.

“Describe a Community You Belong to” Essay Examples

East meets west.

I look around my room, dimly lit by an orange light. On my desk, a framed picture of an Asian family beaming their smiles, buried among US history textbooks and The Great Gatsby. A Korean ballad streams from two tiny computer speakers. Pamphlets of American colleges were scattered on the floor. A cold December wind wafts a strange infusion of ramen and leftover pizza. On the wall in the far back, a Korean flag hangs beside a Led Zeppelin poster.

Do I consider myself Korean or American?

A few years back, I would have replied: “Neither.” The frustrating moments of miscommunication, the stifling homesickness, and the impossible dilemma of deciding between the Korean or American table in the dining hall, all fueled my identity crisis.

Standing in the “Foreign Passports” section at JFK, I have always felt out of place. Sure, I held a Korean passport in my hands, and I loved kimchi and Yuna Kim and knew the Korean Anthem by heart. But I also loved macaroni and cheese and LeBron. Deep inside, I feared I’d be labeled by my airport customs category: a foreigner everywhere.

This ambiguity, however, has granted me the opportunity to absorb the best of both worlds. Look at my dorm room. This mélange of cultures in my East-meets-West room embodies the diversity that characterizes my international student life.

I’ve learned to accept my “ambiguity” as “diversity,” as a third-culture student embracing both identities.

Now, I can proudly answer: “Both.”

Let’s unpack this community essay example.

As a reader, what did you notice in the essay? How did it make you feel? Here’s our take:

• The author uses very descriptive language that does an excellent job of setting the scene, making the piece as engaging as a short story.
• Although the subject is potentially generic (i.e. a story about having two different identities due to cultural differences), the author does a wonderful job of keeping it personal, insightful, interesting, and non-cliche.
• The story comes full circle by discussing something different in the past and how the writer’s experiences have changed it for the better today.
• The author openly admits to having an “identity crisis” which captures the reader’s attention even more without being too overbearing.

Let’s look at another example:

The Pumpkin House

I was raised in “The Pumpkin House.” Every Autumn, on the lawn between the sidewalk and the road, grows our pumpkin. Every summer, we procure seeds from giant pumpkins and plant them on this strip of land. Every fall, the pumpkin grows to be a giant. This annual ritual became well-known in the community and became the defining feature of our already quirky house.

The pumpkin was not just a pumpkin, but a catalyst to creating interactions and community. Conversations often start with “Aren’t you the girl in the pumpkin house?” My English teacher knew about our pumpkin and our chickens. His curiosity and weekly updates about the pumpkin helped us connect.

One year, we found our pumpkin splattered across the street. We were devastated; the pumpkin was part of our identity. Word spread and people came to our house to share in our dismay. Clearly, that pumpkin enriched our life and the entire neighborhood’.

The next morning, our patch contained twelve new pumpkins. Anonymous neighbors left these, plus, a truly gigantic 200 lb. pumpkin on our doorstep.

Growing up, the pumpkin challenged me as I wasn’t always comfortable being the center of attention.

But in retrospect, I realize that there’s a bit of magic in growing something from a seed and tending it in public. I witnessed how this act of sharing creates an authentic community spirit. I wouldn’t be surprised if someday I started my own form of quirky pumpkin growing and reap the benefit of true community.

This time around, pause and reflect on this essay. How did the community the author described change their perspective? How did it affect them personally? What action did the author mention going forward? Here’s what we think:

• In this essay, the author expresses the importance of rituals and family which is an excellent topic for a college essay about community.
• The topic of the essay is mentioned within the first two to three sentences of the piece, making use of limited space.
• The word “community” is explicitly used which shows admissions staff you know how to follow directions while also making it easier for them to understand what you’re writing about.
• The topic is unique to the writer and not something that many – if any – other applicants would be able to write about.
• It comes across as very authentic, personal, and genuine while still being engaging and interesting.

Lastly, once the inspiration finally strikes, seize the moment by immediately putting your thoughts on paper. Start drafting your essay about community with sincerity and passion, and let your heart guide your words.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the words to describe community?

A community is a group of people who share something in common. In writing your college essay about community, you can define it by the shared traits of the people in it or by the strength of the connections among them. It’s about finding a group of people who are similar in some way and feel a sense of belonging or connection with one another.

2. Why do colleges ask for a community essay?

Colleges use community essays to understand how you might fit into their school community. These prompts give you the chance to show admissions officers why you’d be a great addition to their campus.

3. How do I write a college essay about community?

When writing your college essay about community, focus on three main points:

• Highlight an aspect of yourself.
• Show this in the context of a community you belong to.
• Explain how this experience might influence your contribution to the college community you’ll join.

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After my daughter beat cancer, I wanted to control her entire life. Then she went to college

By the time I moved my daughter into her freshman dorm last August, she’d had it with my “helping.” We stood in the tiny space cluttered with labeled boxes, bedding, an ottoman and a totally impractical but everyone-has-one headboard. 

“Let me hang up your pictures,” I said. “No, I’m good,” she protested. When I reached for the nails, she pushed back harder. “You don’t get it. I don’t want your help.” 

I chalked up her reaction to nerves — hers and mine. We look alike, talk alike and think alike. This may be our superpower, but it is also our kryptonite. Miscommunication defines a lot of our back and forth, and passive-aggressive behavior (hers and mine) runs amuck. A slammed car door — or, this time, the hammer tossed back into a box — tells me all I need to know.

In hindsight, Emily’s frustration was justified. For over a decade, I’d made an occupation out of helping her. Guilt and desperation can make a mother “do too much.” (Her words, not mine.) 

Emily had high-risk cancer when she was 4. Her odds of survival were 50/50. We spent more than 300 nights in Boston Children’s Hospital staring at the infamous Citgo sign and trudging through a protocol of care that threatened to kill her before the cancer did. We were lucky. She lived, but a lot of kids like her die.   

The treatment left her legally deaf and damaged her endocrine system, kidneys, height and fertility. Still, the only thing she hated more than hair that refused to grow back was the way I showed up to fix all of her problems. 

For the next fourteen years, I convinced myself it was my responsibility to keep her alive. After all, I was the one who’d shrugged off her knee pain (a softball-sized tumor rested on her left adrenal gland and caused pressure) as growing pains. Doctors dismissed my self-blame, assuring me there was nothing I could’ve done, but I didn’t let myself off the hook so easily. My one job was to keep her safe, and I’d failed.  

Now, on this, my second-chance at mothering her, I needed to up my game. Every decision felt urgent and monumental. 

Cancer recovery books made me paranoid, so I overhauled her diet, replacing SpaghettiOs with chickpea pasta and organic tomato sauce. “This is awful,” she said, and refused to eat it. In middle school, she stashed empty Dorito wrappers in her dresser drawer and backpack. Her pushback was in gestures, not in words. Popping a red frosting flower into her mouth knowing red dye made me cringe amused her.

If mother-daughter relationships can be complicated, our tangled mess of emotion and trauma took complicated to a new level. No one told me the best way to mother a kid who’d had cancer. I did my best every day. It was too much and never enough. 

My post-cancer fallout duties included things like picking up prescriptions, making school accommodations, handling health insurance disputes, scheduling medical appointments, and finding a therapist for a teenager who didn’t want therapy. Yet I was also responsible for normal-mom things like not letting her quit soccer or a job she hated, caring for her sister, and holding firm to a curfew time. 

I was the caregiver, bad cop, pseudo-doctor, education advocate, phone location lurker, and on-call nurse while side-hustling as her mother. She resented all of it. In turn, I resented her lack of appreciation for everything I did. I said things I didn’t mean. She did, too. 

On my way home from freshman drop-off , I wondered if we’d ever talk or text. Emily held the power on everything now — her health choices, social life, nutrition. And, her engagement with me. 

I thought I’d be terrified. Instead, I felt relief. 

The proverbial gun to my head for the past 14 years rested on the car dashboard. I could see it but no longer felt threatened by it. My guess is Emily felt similar but different. Maybe more like a caged bird being set free. 

In the passenger seat flying along the highway, I scrolled my Facebook feed and felt weird for not sobbing like fellow moms, heartbroken that their baby had left the nest . For days, I waited for that feeling to come. 

Instead, something miraculous happened. 

Little by little, day by day, the best part of me — the part that had been buried under the unrealistic expectations of mothering a sick kid for 14 years — perked up. Just a little at first, in the form of a good morning mood and a pot of coffee I didn’t need to save a cup of for Emily. 

Not having direct access to Emily forced me to surrender the details of her day to her. Decisions that had always struck me as high-stakes were, to her, just part of life. I didn’t feel the need to call and make sure she took her medicines. And I knew if I did, she’d get aggravated at the implication I didn’t trust or believe she was capable of taking care of herself. 

For weeks, I didn’t completely trust the feeling of freedom. Allowing Emily to take care of herself felt reckless, irresponsible. Did normal parents feel like this? Or just cancer parents?

It didn’t matter. I shifted my focus to little pleasures that for years, I’d been too overwhelmed and distracted to enjoy. I replaced headspace about what I’d make her for dinner, or if she had enough gas in her car with debating what Netflix series I wanted to watch. 

My softening made room for me to really get to know Emily — a funny kid who can always justify buying another crop top. And Emily got to know me too — a woman with good intentions who’d made a lot of mistakes because I’m human. I could be “just” her mom. She could be “just” my daughter. 

Every day at school, Emily called, texted or FaceTimed me. I thought she’d stop after finding her place at school, but she didn’t. I felt special, loved, forgiven. If my mood was off, I’d wait to connect. She did the same thing. The time allowed one of us to let a mood pass — one that had nothing to do with the other — but had the potential to trigger us. 

Our talks were light, lacking the tension that defined so many talks of before. She amused me with tales about weekend jaunts around campus and her lack of willpower to pass up dining hall pizza. “It just calls to me every night,” she joked. Our running joke was if she’d break down and hang something on her bare dorm room walls. “It bothers you so much more than it bothers me,” she said.  

Emily shared one of her Spotify playlists (who knew she loved Stevie Nicks? ), and texted me in real time while we watched Joey on “The Bachelor.” It turns out, the space apart had brought us closer together. 

We were able to nurture our relationship outside of cancer, chronic health issues, mother control tendencies, and teenage nonsense (yes, even kids with medical conditions pull shenanigans). 

Most days, I wish for a do-over. A chance to tell my younger self to resist so much helping and fixing because nothing, especially Emily, is broken. But maybe realizations like that only come with time and space and hard-earned experience. And maybe where we are now is at least in part thanks to who I was then?

Most days, I wish for a do-over. A chance to tell my younger self to resist so much helping and fixing because nothing, especially Emily, is broken.

This summer is different than last. Emily does her thing, and I do mine. I don’t lurk on our shared location app anymore. We take day trips and go shopping together. She asks me to buy organic fruit and vegetables for the big salads she makes for dinner. 

Sometimes we hit bumps — like the way she tosses dishes into the dishwasher — but we bounce back after her text to me: sooooorrrrryyyyyy. 

I love when she’s home. And, I love when she goes back to school. I think the feeling is mutual. 

With the start of school just about here, I remind her to order her dorm essentials soon. “Yup,” she says as she heads to her bedroom. “I think this year, I’ll hang up pictures.”

Amy McHugh is a teacher and writer living on Cape Cod. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Oprah Daily, Newsweek and HuffPost, among others. She's currently working on her memoir, "Permission to Be Human." Find her online at  www.amymchughwriter.com  or on Twitter at  @AmyMcHughWriter .

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How To Choose The Perfect Backpack For School: Backpack Buying Guide

Heading back to school is always an exciting time. However, it can also feel a little overwhelming to think about picking out all your new supplies. One of the most important things you'll need is a backpack . With so many options out there, how do you choose the perfect backpack for school?

High-five if this is the question you ask yourself before starting any school year—from primary to high school or college—one of the biggest concerns is whether your trendy backpack makes those fellas jealous. Well, cool design is one thing (the very important thing, of course), but your backpack also needs to perform its job well and fit your body type.

In this guide from the CabinZero team, we will walk you through everything you need to consider when choosing your new school backpack, from the different types of packs to factors like size and comfort. Let’s explore together!

What To Look For When Buying A School Bag?

Choosing the right school backpack involves careful consideration of many factors.

First, we need to make a checklist of the most important criteria to consider for a school backpack. Let’s break down the top factors worth evaluating!

1. Affordability

This is the number one factor in choosing a school backpack for teenagers and college students. Keep in mind that it is not always what you want to buy, but it is also about how much you want to spend on it. If you spend enough time exploring the market, you will definitely find a cool backpack model that is in your price range.

Another tip is to always keep an eye out for sales and discounts . Brands and retailers always plan for a back-to-school sale season, so spend some time researching products beforehand and just grab your chance when it’s on!

>>> Enjoy a 20% discount on all CabinZero backpacks when you verify your student or apprentice status.  Claim your discount now

2. Size and Capacity

Think of the number of stuff you will be carrying in the upcoming school year (such as textbooks, notebooks, water bottles, snacks, and maybe your laptop). This will give you an idea of how big your backpack should be - as either a too-big or too-small backpack might be irritating at some point (we’ll talk more about this later). 

Backpacks are generally categorised by litre size, so consider this when estimating your required volume. Most people tend to do well with backpacks of 20-30 litres , the right size to accommodate notebooks, and binders packed with notes and other daily essentials.

3. Compartment

If you like to keep your stuff organised in your backpack, you probably want a backpack with more than one main compartment - books in one compartment and other stuff like earphones, pens and pencils in the smaller one, for example. Also, don’t forget the side pocket for your water bottle ! Are you taking your tablet or laptop with you to school? If yes, look for backpacks designed with a padded laptop compartment to secure your laptop/tablet. 

4. Ergonomics and Comfort

An ergonomic backpack sure saves on aches and pains.

To determine the suitable size, you can start measuring your torso length from the base of your neck to your waist. This will give you good guidelines on how long the backpack should be without being too short or elongated. Typically, the recommended height of the backpack for students is 16-20 inches.

Narrow, unpadded straps can dig into your shoulders, causing discomfort and even pain, especially when carrying heavy loads. Therefore, padded, wide straps are one of the main things to look for. Straps should be at least an inch or two thick so they cushion against your shoulders without being too bulky. 

Adjustability is another key factor. Since we all have slightly different body sizes and shapes, you want straps with multiple notches or loops so you can customise the fit. 

A well-padded back panel is also important. When the back panel fits well, it allows for better weight distribution and helps maintain proper posture while you carry the bag. A panel that aligns with your body reduces the risk of strain and discomfort, especially during extended periods of wear.

5. Durability and Material Quality

Material is key in choosing the perfect backpack for school. Because backpacks are tossed around every day and have to haul heavy books, they need to be made from durable material. Here are our suggestions for you:

• Nylon is a really solid choice - it's tough, lightweight and stands up to all weather. Even better is ballistic nylon - it's like super nylon used by the military. Either way, you get a water-resistant , tear-proof bag that keeps your stuff dry no matter what.
• Polyester is another good bet that doesn't break the bank. It repels water easily and won't fade from sunshine over time like some fabrics. Plus, the threads are tightly woven for long-lasting use.
• Neoprene doesn't rip either, and you can feel good about taking it outside on wet days since it's flexible and water-resistant. The rubbery material also handles different temperatures well. 

Moreover, no matter the type, overall quality speeds up a bag's expiration date. Check whether the seams and zippers look stitched to withstand all the opening and closing through the school years. 

6. Style and Personal Preference

Take your time exploring what really makes you feel like you. 

While the primary purpose is carrying books and supplies, a backpack is also a fashion accessory that reflects your personality . You should choose one that matches your vibe, such as your favourite colour or pattern. A bag you feel confident makes you want to wear it every day.

It's also important to pick a bag that fits your lifestyle and activities outside of the classroom. Do you enjoy sports? Opt for a lightweight, breathable fabric to keep the clothes clean. Long commutes on public transit? Then you should prioritise comfortably one with several pockets. 

7. Warranty

Products from big brands do not usually wear out easily, but what if they accidentally run into a problem? A good warranty option is a lifesaver at this point (like our CabinZero lifetime no-hassle warranty ). Most brands offer warranty options for problems that are of manufacturer or malfunctioning. If you are getting a relatively cheaper backpack for school from an unknown brand, chances are you will need to pay more for repairs and maintenance. 

8. The Brand And The Community

The brand should play a vital role in your decision-making of a cool backpack for teenagers. A relatively well-known brand would be more likely to ensure product quality and customer service satisfaction, which will be safer for your journey as a buyer. And don’t forget to always look at the community and reviews to see what others say about the products or the brand in general. A strong, positive community around a brand is often a sign of a product that truly delivers on its promises.

>>> We believe that the best journeys are shared. Join our CabinZero community , where everyone can connect and inspire one another.

CabinZero’s Pick: Your Ultimate Choice For A School Backpack

With padded shoulder straps and a back panel designed with a mesh airflow system, the CabinZero Backpack line offers maximum comfort on your journey to school. 

CabinZero Classic 28L

Sturdy, lightweight, and multifunctional, the CabinZero Classic 28L backpack is the must-have basic cool backpack for school if you’re a fan of minimalist design. With a unique twist of 20+ prints and colourways, this backpack offers a special and sophisticated look for a school rucksack. Its spacious design, lightweight construction, and added features like lockable zippers and a global tracker make it a reliable companion for both academic and casual activities. 

CabinZero Classic Tech 28L

Building on the beloved Classic, the Classic Tech introduces enhanced features for added convenience. It retains all the iconic elements you know and love, while incorporating a dedicated side water bottle pocket and a separate laptop compartment. Whether you’re heading to class, the office, or on your next adventure, the Classic Tech makes sure you stay organised and ready for anything.

CabinZero Classic Flight 12L

If you have personal lockers at school and prefer an iPad instead of traditional textbooks or laptops, the CabinZero Classic Flight 12L backpack is a great option. The bag's 12-litre capacity is perfect for holding essentials like a tablet, notebooks, and stationery, while its durable construction ensures it can withstand everyday use.

>>> Don’t forget to grab our exclusive 20% discount for students and apprentices aged 16-26.  Get it here

1. How To Choose A Good School Backpack?

Comfort should be your top priority. Try on potential backpacks with weight inside and walk around - the best pack will feel light and distribute weight evenly across your back and shoulders. Finally, choose a style and size that fits your needs. Make sure it has enough room for daily supplies without being overly large.

2. What Size Backpack Do I Need For School?

For everyday carries, a backpack from 20L to 28L strikes a nice balance. You can expect it to fit a 15" laptop, a couple notebooks, lunch, and layers. 

3. What Materials Are Best For School Backpacks?

The best materials for school backpacks include nylon and polyester, both known for their durability, water resistance, and lightweight properties. Or, Cordura and ballistic nylon offer superior abrasion resistance and are ideal for carrying heavier loads, making them excellent choices for long-lasting backpacks. 

4. How To Arrange A School Bag?

First, designate sections for notebooks, folders and loose papers to stay organised. Consider using zippered pockets and dividers. Next, store heavier things closer to your back and lower down to balance weight distribution. Light snacks or daily essentials belong in outside pockets. Finally, remember to unpack and reload methodically each day, as it will save time and reduce stress every morning.

Start The Year Off Right

And that’s a wrap! The bottom line is to think of it as if you were getting a cool backpack to make it your go-to backpack on a daily basis - What features would you need? What style would fit most of your closet? There you go, you’ve made your decision! Explore our CabinZero Classic or Classic Tech backpacks to kickstart your search for the ultimate school companion.

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