What’s More Beneficial - SSL Hours or Community Service For College Students? | Track It Forward

What’s More Beneficial - SSL Hours or Community Service For College Students?

Written by Kasey Murphy

If you work at a college or university, or have ever encountered college students, or have ever been a college student - you know that SSL hours and community service are often pushed onto college campuses. And while it is great that college students are aware of community service opportunities and SSL opportunities, it is often hard to represent how beneficial both of these opportunities can be! 

Volunteering in any aspect is beneficial, we have a whole article going through volunteer statistics that can showcase that. But, especially for college students going through transformational growth and knowledge periods, community service in college is a great way to grow as an individual and within your community. 

In this article, we will be discussing particularly college students community service and SSL hours, if you are looking for the general differences between service-lerning and volunteerism, check out this article. 

Difference between College Community Service and SSL Hours 

The main difference between college community service and SSL hours is that SSL hours are specifically done in coordination with a college course. They are probably organized by a professor or someone at the college. Where community service hours for college students are volunteer hours done for the community on their own time. 

College community service is usually a reformative experience because it is volunteering out of free-will. This can be a very reflective experience and a rewarding experience for college students, but it also can just feel like another day. It all depends on what the community service project is. 

SSL hours in college are usually very exhaustive and detailed. They are formatted specifically for college students to see what they are learning in class in real-life. So they will almost always be reflective and easily able to emphasize the learning experience. 

In addition, college community service hours include activities that specifically aide the community, where SSL hours might go beyond the community or work on a deeper level. SSL hours for college students might come attached to pre-reflection and post-reflection essays, research, and testing. 

Different Volunteer Activities For College Students COMMUNITY SERVICE - vs - SSL HOURS community service Students organize a highway cleanup - they clean up litter on the side of roads.Students offer to tutor younger children in elementary schools in specific subjects that they excel in.Students volunteer at a nonprofit charity event by handing out pamphlets and passing around refreshments.Students volunteer at a local animal shelter to groom dogs and help them take photos for their website image for adoption. SSL Students studying environmental studies research and note on different types of trash they find on the side of the road while cleaning, then they propose a new waste management program Those in a child behavior course use three different techniques while tutoring children with behavioral needs, they then discuss which techniques worked best with their classmates.Students in event planning courses plan and manage an event for a local nonprofit looking to raise money. Marketing students take photos of adoptable dogs and create social media campaigns and advertisements for the animal shelter and the dog. Oftentimes, community service and SSL hours for college students can be similar, but SSL hours tend to have more reflection and more responsibilities than those who work in community service volunteering.

In the end, community service hours for college students are beneficial if the college students want to gain more skills or access to the community, and reap the benefits of volunteering out of the goodness of their hearts. SSL hours for college students are a great way for students to learn in a hands-on experience, and dig deeper into topics within their future career path. SSL hours provide more long-term benefits, while community service hours for college students might be more short-term and progress into long-term.

Benefits of Community Service For College Students 

  1. Community service is done out of free-will, which can have more benefits for moral and mental health for college students.  

  2. Community Service for college students is often not very time-consuming, so it is not overwhelming. 

  3. There tends to be a more obvious impact on the community - college students can see exactly how they are helping. 

  4. Community service in college is a great way to meet others around the community and get involved in programs around the community, on their own! 

  5. College is a great time for individuals to push their boundaries socially, and community service is something they can do on their own to do just that! 

Benefits of SSL Hours For College Students 

  1. SSL Hours provide real-life examples and experiences of lessons taught so college students can better remember and understand important concepts. 

  2. SSL hours for college students require self-reflection, which is an important practice for individuals throughout life.

  3. SSL hours are organized on behalf of the student and ensure that college students can focus on the act and reflection - giving them a better chance to learn real-life skills. 

  4. College Students can gain experience that is relevant to their prospective career path while earning SSL Hours. 

  5. SSL hours encourage students to learn in different ways beyond sitting in a classroom! 

What To Do With SSL Hours or Community Service Hours 

College students who are volunteering, whether in community service hours or SSL hours will want to note how many hours they have spent volunteering in either option. The time that college students spend volunteering for the community can be used on their resumes and help them gain a connection to their career. 

College students can easily track their community service hours or SSL hours through an app or software. It is important for students to easily be able to check their progress, so they are motivated to keep volunteering and they can see how much of their time has been spent helping others. This is an important reflective process to help motivate college students to do community service or feel impactful in their community through SSL programs. 

Track It Forward is a great option for colleges and universities to use for their students to track their volunteer hours and progress. There is even an option to set up milestones and goals for college students to reach for in their community service hours or SSL programs!