Is there a negligible amount of volunteer hours?

[iforget2]

Hi SDN,

So over the summer I have been volunteering just about an hour each weekend at a Summer Meal Program to help serve free lunches to children whose parents may be financially disadvantaged and can't always pay for meals. Because it's only an hour a week, I may be able to get around 15 hours of volunteer time over the summer. I'm not too familiar with the application process of getting into medical school, but is 15 hours too little to mention on a medical school application? Thanks for any replies!

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[armybound]

It's worth mentioning.

Surely you're volunteering there for some specific reason, and if you're ok with discussing that activity and that reason, you should mention it.

 

[BHaus9]

A negligible volunteer activity is (in my admittedly personal and arbitrary estimation) one that could be done in the course of an afternoon, i.e. <5 hours or so. Unless it's an event of extraordinary uniqueness, mentioning it would probably just prompt reviewers to question why you had nothing better to put in its stead.

As far as your weekly meal runs are concerned, I think they merit mentioning, but I probably wouldn't designate it as one of your "most meaningful" activities.

 

[NightGod]

While it may only be an hour a week, it shows commitment over a longer time frame. Assuming this isn't your only experience and, even better, if it's something you did each summer during school, I'd put it down.

 

[dmf2682]

roll it in with other negligible quantities of volunteering.

Before I decided to go to med school I volunteered here and there, probably on the order of an afternoon or a half day every month or so, just with various charities or fundraisers I cared about. 5 hours a month isn't a whole lot, but because I did this sort of thing for around 7 years you're talking about a significant, long term experience.

So if there are any other bits and pieces of volunteering that you do, just lump them together.

 

[mmmcdowe]

As long as it isn't displacing something of more value,ip it seems reasonable to mention. I agree that a one day volunteering position is probably not worth mentioning unless you feel that it had a major impact on you.