Activities in "the 4 years before they matriculate"

[joe32]

I've been looking over some guidelines for specific schools and a lot seem to repeat this phrase. For example, "three leadership/team experiences each lasting more than 3 months in the 4 years before one matriculates."

How are we supposed to know what will happen in our senior year? Are we supposed to include prospective hours or are we only allowed to send updates as we get them?

For example, if I'm in a program that will net me X hours of EMT work or volunteering during the summer and I sent my application early in May, am I supposed to add these X hours on my app despite not completing them at the time? How does this work for other activities? Obviously an entire year + junior summer is quite a lot of time...

 

[Rogue42]

Some people list future, predicted hours on jobs / activities that they know are guaranteed. Problem is, the "end date" for current activities is the day that you apply. You can't put on there that the end date is next March. (At least I feel like that is how I remember it being, someone correct me if I am wrong). Whereas some people put on the application how many hours they have with the end date being the day that they apply; also, some people do this method and then add in the description "*this is a currently active activity and I plan on receiving x amount of hours until matriculation.*"

What I suggest you not doing is putting hours on there that you did not complete. If anything, you can always update the school that you added "x" amount of statistically significant hours over the last "y" amount of time since you applied.

Things that look bad: schools checking your hours with your listed contact, and there being a large discrepancy; updating a school that you put on your application "x" amount of hours, but were unable to complete so its really "y" amount of hours.

 

[LizzyM]

If you've been elected president of the student government to take office in the fall of your senior year, then that would go on the application. No doubt you'd have held some other office before that point which would also go on the applicadtion. Those two together would be evidence of recent leadershp/teamwork.