Community Leadership

[JackH664]

Hello,

I am interested in knowing more information about what makes a strong community leadership qualification on an MBA application. First, what amount of time (hours/months) would be necessary for the service to not look contrived? Second, are there certain service experiences that would stand out on an application before other experiences? And lastly, is there an amount of time that has passed that would make the service experience too "old" for it to be relevant?

My profile relating to each of the above questions:
1. I started working two different service opportunities at the beginning of this year and would like to apply in the fall (would be 10 months of service each).
2. My first service responsibility is being a supervisor for a children's club every Saturday at the public library. And the second service responsibility is working for my undergrad's state club. Would I be better off working for a charity?
3. I did a mission trip during the summer between finishing high school and starting college (2009). I also worked at community center for the four years I was in college (2009 - 2013).

Thank you for your help! I just finished taking the GMAT and this is the next piece I would like to be in good shape before I start to piece together my applications.

[mbaMissionKrista]

Hello @JackH664

Very interesting question and well, the answer is (sorry, this is very Chicago Booth of me) ...it depends...

At the library, who are the kids and how are you making an impact?

For your mission trip and community center work, do you still keep in touch with people? Have you had an impact on their lives?

Beyond these two items, what are you doing at work? Are you mentoring people and helping them succeed?

In short, leadership and "community" service can mean many different things. Now that you have the GMAT in the bag, you seem like you may be ripe for a free consult. Sign up for one when you have a chance! (Link in signature.)

To your initial questions...there is no one right amount of hours (fortunately? unfortunately?) and "old" can be "old" yes, but in my experience, it can be easy to bring these up to date...

Krista