Center

I’ve been hired by my alma mater to help plan health center volunteer activities for the next school year. One of my tasks is to come up with an identifying article of clothing or accessory that all our volunteers can wear when they’re out doing activities for the health center in order to be easily recognized by the student body. We have about 50 volunteers a year and in previous years they had printed t-shirts, made badges, and had vests done up. The t-shirt was fairly successful, the vests ended up getting lost and the badge was too small.

Does anyone have any other ideas about what I could get done up for this purpose?

Neon yellow tshirts

I am a High School senior, and I live in center city Philadelphia. My school has a graduation requirement of completing 65 hours of service, so I am looking for places to volunteer, preferably near my house. I am 17 years old. The community service has to be based on some sort of interaction with people, face to face.

Can you guys help me out?
Thanks in advance.

Check out volunteermatch.org, it’s a great way to find places near you and get in contact with opportunities quickly. Good luck!

High school WGPA: 3.4 ( Its extremely bad and Im worried that this will kill my chances)
SAT I : 2350 (800 W 800 M 750 CR)
SAT II : Math II – 800 Physics – 750
ACT: 34
Captain of the Debate team at his school (Ranked in the top ten debaters in the State)
I’v been playing the violin for 8 years. I performed in Belgium and France. Also performed in the Lincoln Center
Volunteers at Nursing Home: 150 hours +
Volunteers at Hospital: 100 hours +
I am expecting to have great recommendations from my teachers and a recommendation from a congressman.
I also am currently involved in a research project with a professor at Auburn University. (I will probably get a recommendation from him as well)
Ethnicity : Indian Male
FBLA member for 4 years

And should I apply ED to this school? Would this Increase my chances?

ED would help in terms of your low GPA. Everything else is outstanding!

I am already a Yahoo Groups member for a couple of sailboat sites.

I have recently joined the AAT Volunteers at OSF St Anthony’s. All of the Volunteers communication is via Yahoo Groups. How do I find it?

they’ll list here
http://groups.yahoo.com/mygroups

I’m going to be spending 5 weeks working at Dogs Trust next year.

How hard is it in general to cope with the state of some of the dogs and the horror stories? Bearing in mind that my eyes often well up at Animal Cops Houston?

Cruelty cases are not as common as those shows make them seem, unless it is a very high volume shelter with an active investigation unit (for example, the Houston SPCA re-homes more than 5,000 cats a year). Normal smaller shelters or those without investigation units (investigation units at shelters are rare) see few cruely cases at all, usually less than a handful a year. Volunteers are generally not permitted to handle animals involved in cruelty cases until after the court case, and only urgent treatment for life-threatening issues can be done prior to ownership being awarded by a court if the owner did not voluntarily surrender ownership.

You are likely to see a lot of animals surrendered for stupid reasons. The ones that stand out most to me were the pair of russian blue cats surrendered because the owner redecorated and they didn’t match the new color scheme (I did the intake on that one), and the 10 week old Yorkshire Terrier surrendered because they carried him around and held him for the first week they had him, then the kids got bored and they were annoyed by the crying when they put him down.

What I find most difficult are the animals put down for essentially someone’s stupidity. For example, a shelter I volunteered at several years ago had a beautiful little Staffordshire Bull Terrier that had been seized as part of a cruelty case. The dog was required by law to be confined to its kennel until the case was heard by a judge and the dog’s ownership was decided. She could not be walked, and workers could not enter the kennel with her in it (she had to be shut into the outdoor portion prior to cleaning the indoor portion and vice versa). The dog was very sweet, trying to lick everyone’s hands through the chain link, and constantly begging for attention we could not give her, though many volunteers would sit outside the kennel and talk to her. This arrangement continued for around six months before the court case was finally decided and she was awarded to the shelter. The day that happened, an idiotic newer teenaged volunteer decided to walk her. She took her on a VERY short walk (think five minutes’ worth), and took her back to her kennel. The dog resisted going back in- she’d been in this kennel for SIX MONTHS and got five minutes of freedom, of course she didn’t want to be put back. Rather than having some patience or asking for help, the teen grabbed her roughly and SHOVED her into the kennel. The dog (understandably) snapped at the teen. Skin was not broken, but the shelter had a zero tolerance policy for any display of aggression. She was euthanized the next day, which happened to be a day I volunteered. To see such a nice dog lose out on a chance of a home due to the stupidity of a kid was the hardest day in my many years of volunteering at shelters.

High school WGPA: 3.4 (I know its bad)
SAT I : 2350 (800 W 800 M 750 CR)
SAT II : Math II – 800 Physics – 750
ACT: 34
Captain of the Debate team at his school (Ranked in the top ten debaters in the State)
I’v been playing the violin for 8 years. I performed in Belgium and France. Also performed in the Lincoln Center
Volunteers at Nursing Home: 150 hours +
Volunteers at Hospital: 100 hours +
I am expecting to have great recommendations from my teachers and a recommendation from a congressman.
I also am currently involved in a research project with a professor at Auburn University. (I will probably get a recommendation from him as well)
Ethnicity : Indian Male
FBLA member for 4 years

I know I have a slim chance at both but the question is not whether i can get in…its where do I have the better chance!!! I plan to apply for the engineering school at Penn.

This is one of the hardest questions I’ve had to answer.
Just an FYI, I’d apply Early Action if possible so it isn’t binding;
The GPA, in my opinion, cannot be overlooked.
However, your SAT scores are exceptional, your ACT is great, your Math ii is awesome, and extras are great.
I would apply for UPenn early and regular. Have an alumni interview to improve your chances (Penn was one of the schools I got into, but decided to go to Hopkins instead).
The thing that just might get you in is your extracurriculars . You’re incredibly diversified.
If I was on the admissions panel, I’d consider you for admission.

High school WGPA: 3.4 ( Its extremely bad and Im worried that this will kill my chances)
SAT I : 2350 (800 W 800 M 750 CR)
SAT II : Math II – 800 Physics – 750
ACT: 34
Captain of the Debate team at his school (Ranked in the top ten debaters in the State)
I’v been playing the violin for 8 years. I performed in Belgium and France. Also performed in the Lincoln Center
Volunteers at Nursing Home: 150 hours +
Volunteers at Hospital: 100 hours +
I am expecting to have great recommendations from my teachers and a recommendation from a congressman.
I also am currently involved in a research project with a professor at Auburn University. (I will probably get a recommendation from him as well)
Ethnicity : Indian Male
FBLA member for 4 years

And should I apply ED to this school? Would this Increase my chances?

Hey thanks for replying my question. I really don’t have any clue about what is needed to get into a really good school. It looks like you have some really good EC’s. About the congressman does he really know you or did you page or something for him because in that case it isn’t really going to help. Also you’re an Indian Male and there are a lot of Indians who apply to American Universities who are really qualified so that might hurt you a lot. Good luck though i am also looking at NYU.

High school WGPA: 3.4 ( Its extremely bad and Im worried that this will kill my chances)
SAT I : 2350 (800 W 800 M 750 CR)
SAT II : Math II – 800 Physics – 750
ACT: 34
Captain of the Debate team at his school (Ranked in the top ten debaters in the State)
I’v been playing the violin for 8 years. I performed in Belgium and France. Also performed in the Lincoln Center
Volunteers at Nursing Home: 150 hours +
Volunteers at Hospital: 100 hours +
I am expecting to have great recommendations from my teachers and a recommendation from a congressman.
I also am currently involved in a research project with a professor at Auburn University. (I will probably get a recommendation from him as well)
Ethnicity : Indian Male

And should I apply ED to this school? Would this Increase my chances?

Well NYU requires a GPA of 3.60 and Your SAT’s are Astounding Good job By the way! But with every college especially NYU, Academics is not all, they also look at extra curricular activities…A college like NYU looks for Well-Rounded Applicants. Yes The GPA MAY risk your chances but as of being captain of the debate team,success in music and having worked with college professors I’d say You have an 85% chance. Also your community service is also awesome! Working with hospitals and all I’m thinking you want to major something in the medical field? I hope so because colleges would love for your community service areas to match your career/major …for example, if I want to be a doctor…I’d do community service at a hospital rather than a daycare-get it? SO I hope you get in I really wish your GPA was better lol but Good luck
By the way Im a High School sophmore and I want to get into Columbia University, My dream school. My second choice is NYU!!
All the BEST!!

I need some advice about volunteering in an oncology treatment center. I volunteer in a freestanding facility associated with a hospital that does radiation therapy, chemotherapy, bone marrow, etc. My decision to volunteer was influenced by my mother, who passed away from cancer a couple of years ago after a short battle against re-occurring breast cancer. My stepfather, uncle, aunt and a cousin have all had cancer; my stepfather battled the disease for 7 years but finally died. Only my aunt is still alive. My question is this — most of the other volunteers are 10-15 older than me and are cancer survivors. I like them a lot and they are very nice to me, but I can’t interact with the patients the way they do — I’m not a cancer survivor, etc. And it seems inappropriate to tell the patients that my mother died of the disease. My typical day involves fetching drinks, snacks, pillows, and blankets for the patients, and restocking non-RX medical supplies and linen for the nurses. Often the patients come with their families — but many come alone. Often the single patients just want to sleep during their treatment, or stare at the TV, but others try to make small talk, joke and clearly want someone to converse with… Frankly, once I get past what’s on TV and the weather, I am at a loss of what to say. What should I say? How can I be supportive? Encouraging? There was a patient today who was very ill during treatment — really struggling, etc. He came with his daughter or wife but she left during his treatment to speak with a doctor. I checked on the patient during her absence and really just wanted to sit with him for a while until she got back so he wouldn’t be alone, but didn’t know if that was appropriate. So instead, I asked him if he needed anything, told him it was going to be okay and let a nurse know that he was not feeling well. The nurse kind of rolled her eyes at me like, “Duh, he has cancer…” Anyway, I would appreciate the advice of people who have worked and/or volunteered in a medical setting, especially in an oncology ward — and oncology patients. What makes an effective volunteer? Thank you –

Additional Details

Thanks for your feedback. I appreciate your insight. I agree that it’s better to talk about other topics, other than cancer. Our lives are much more interesting — our families, our work, etc. The disease does not define us. With the "okay" thing — I guess it’s a matter of perspective, faith, etc. Having watched several family members die of the disease — in the hospital, at home with hospice, etc. — literally in my arms — I know that no matter what happens it’s going to be "okay." Okay, OK, all correct doesn’t mean to me a medical prognosis, false hope, that you are going to get better, survive
– it just means that no matter what happens, it’s "okay." Can Yahoo contributors suggest other words of encouragement and comfort?

Sorry — I had some "technical difficulty" with Yahoo Answers and my "Additional Details" were duplicated several times. Had to delete and try again.

Copied responses from original question:

A desire to be there and help is the most important element for consideration as far as I am concerned. Most people want to be listened to and I would imagine it would be the same with cancer patients, I would imagine that compassion is what would be the important ingredient in volunteering for a cancer treatment center.

Sometimes a cancer patient has nobody to be there for them, and it is a scary journey, so having somebody to ask if they need anything would be a great help.

Good luck, it is not easy doing what you are considering doing, but it is needed and thanks!

Dave

You don’t need to talk about cancer. I’m far more interested in your kids, hobbies or what you saw on TV last night.

I wouldn’t advise telling people it’s going to be alright, Most of us are not under any illusions.

I remember having a conversation some years ago in a cancer centre with a 10 year old boy. He told me about his family, showed me how he was knitting his own woolly cap for his lost hair and gave me a spare cap. I thanked him and told him I would think of him when I wore it. He hugged me and we got someone to take a picture of us. It was a nice, uncomplicated half hour for both of us, and I remember it kindly.

Thinking

the best thing you can do is be there for them, be a good listener and if they are distressed then distract them by talking of happy topics and keep smiling. you are doing a great job well done.

My friend is a junior in high school and he is was just wondering if he has any shot at getting into his dream school. Here are his stats:
High school WGPA: 3.4 ( Its extremely bad and he is worried that this will kill his chances)
SAT I : 2300 +
SAT II : Math II – 700 + Physics – 700+
Captain of the Debate team at his school (Ranked in the top ten debaters in the State)
Has been playing the violin for 8 years. Performed in Belgium and France. Also performed in the Lincoln Center
Volunteers at Nursing Home: 150 hours +
Volunteers at Hospital: 100 hours +
Did a research project with an engineering professor at Auburn University (got his recommendation)
He is expecting to have great recommendations from his teachers and a recommendation from a congressman.
And his uncle went to UPenn if that counts for anything.
He wants to apply to CAS. Because he thinks he’ll have no chance if he applies for engineering.
Ethnicity : Indian Male

Please give some feedback on what u think his chances are. And give him some advice. Thanks in advance
Additional info: Apparently one of the top students in his grade is also applying and her gpa is wayyy better than his. And she has tons of ECs. and she has a ton of legacy at Penn. Shes also applying ED from his school. Will this ruin his chances?

He also has Columbia ED or Cornell ED in mind. Do u think he has a shot at one of those?

Frankly, he’s right to be worried about his GPA, especially if he hasn’t been taking the toughest courses available to him (it’s still not good if he has, but it does balance things out a little bit). He needs to do everything in his power to get that up the first half of senior year. And unless the congressman knows him personally, I wouldn’t count on that recommendation making much of a difference. Instead, he should probably talk to his professor buddy at Auburn and see if he knows anyone at Penn who can put in a good word for him, ’cause a champion on the inside would help. Other than that, all he can really do is put together the most compelling application possible, and make sure he’s got some backups he likes lined up just in case. And no, I don’t think his chances are any better at Cornell or Columbia. (In fact, they’re probably worse at Columbia; they tend to care more about stats.)