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How many hours are required to volunteer a week?

I would lie to be able to gain credit for this volunteer opportunity for graduate school. Would it be possible to earn hours for it? #graduate-school #volunteer

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Rich’s Answer

Dear Casey,

This is Rich Thompson from William & Mary

Yes, I would definitely seek out more information with the graduate program coordinator at the university that you wish to attend. Sometimes - they might offer some flexibility or have partners in your community that are already established. Another great resource could be your current university and their office of Community Engagement. Here at William & Mary our office of Community of Engagement actively works to develop relationships with non-profits in our community to develop volunteer opportunities for our students. Another option is to contact the career center either at your current university or the graduate school that you hope to attend. It is also possibly that they might have roster of internship opportunities.

Lastly, you just might be able to create your own internship or volunteer experience. That is what I did to finish out my graduate work. Of course, you will need to get approval from you graduate school department, but for me it proved to be very beneficial. Taking this path - not only shows initiative that many employers like to see, but having such an internship experience and an adviser that is willing to be a reference for you can be instrumental in obtaining future professional positions. For myself- it also did not hurt, that my graduate internship adviser was also one of the foremost authorities the field that I wanted to work professionally. Therefore, I cannot stress how important a well crafted internship can be as part of the graduate school experience both in short term and long term.

Sincerely,

Rich Thompson
William & Mary
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Wendy’s Answer

It really depends on your graduate school and what their requirements are. You would need to check with your graduate school and coordinate with them to see if you are able to gain credit.
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Elishah’s Answer

Most graduate programs offer credits for intenships and volunteering, some even require them as pasrt of the degree process. The number of hours needed can vary depending on the discipline and how much credit is available. Usually students are given a course code that isn't available in the regular class schedule and assigned an adviser to check in with a couple of times.

Elishah recommends the following next steps:

Not all volunteer work is accepted for college credit, so don't assume your efforts will work toward your degree.
The first step is to contact the department for your particular field of study. Even if you aren't a student yet you can plan ahead. This is an especially good idea if the program you're interested in earning credit for has a wait list.
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