can i round my volunteer hours up a bit on the activities list
food bank ~2 hrs/week, some weeks more some weeks zero. everyone else seems to list 10 hrs/wk for everything. can i put 6? it's not like they call the food bank
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Put the real average. Here is how this section is actually read.
Hours per week and weeks per year are self-reported, and readers know estimates are estimates. But an activity list is not read in isolation: your counselor letter, teacher letters, interviewer and any supplement all describe the same person. The UC system also runs a verification process where a sample of applicants are asked to document what they claimed, and an application can be withdrawn if they cannot. And readers see thousands of lists. Five activities at 10+ hours a week on top of a full AP load does not add up, and it costs credibility on the whole page.
What is allowed and smart:
1. Use an honest average across the weeks you were active, and use the weeks-per-year field for the gaps.
2. Count real time you spent: shift prep, driving donations, training new people.
3. Spend the description on what happened, like "Sorted ~400 lbs/week; trained 6 new volunteers on intake."Two honest hours with a concrete result reads better than six inflated ones with nothing behind them.