Extracurricular Activities for Community College Students
UCs prefer to see a demonstrated interest in your field of study and/or leadership potential, so try to participate in extracurricular activities that are related to your major or showcase your leadership abilities. You can join college clubs or student government, volunteer with community, nonprofit, or faith-based organizations, or work as an intern or at a job related to your major.
If you need to work full-time to support yourself or your family and you are unable to participate in extracurricular activities related to your major, make sure you indicate your work schedule on the application and find other ways to show your interest in your field of study.
Summer programs I have come across over the years:
UCLA has compiled a long list of Summer Programs Outside UCLA and many of these programs are also open to community college/transfer students. Deadlines vary depending on the program.
Charles Drew University has partnered with UCLA to offer to offer Undergraduate Cancer Research Training Program, a 12-week summer research program designed for outstanding minority and underrepresented undergraduate students who are contemplating a career in biomedical-related sciences. Deadline is at the beginning of February.
Office of Science at the U.S. Department of Energy runs the Community College Institute which places students from community colleges in paid internships in Science and Engineering and Technology at Department of Energy lab locations all across the nation. Priority deadline is at the beginning of February.
Experience Berkeley is a year-round program sponsored by Stiles Hall, a nonprofit organization affiliated with UC Berkeley. Black, Latino and Native American community college sophomores from California are eligible to apply. The program offers mentoring, support during application filing, and workshops. Register before the end of February.
You can search for volunteer opportunities using the vetted volunteer matching service providers below. Sign up to receive email notifications when volunteer opportunities in the areas you are interested in become available. Most of these are national listings with opportunities in every interest area you can imagine.
- 1-800-Volunteer.org
- All for Good
- Volunteer Guide
- HandsOn Network
- idealist.org
- Volunteer Solutions
- VolunteerMatch
This page was last updated on Thursday, December 29, 2011 07:17:18 AM PST
DISCLAIMER: This website is not in any way affiliated with, or endorsed by, the University of California. I am not employed by the University of California or any of its campuses nor am I a licensed counselor. My advice is based on my research and experience, but it is not sanctioned by the University of California or any of its campuses.
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