611: Admission Nutrients (Part 5 of 6: Service to Others / Community Impact): Important Ingredients for a Well-Balanced College Admission Process—And Life with Nathan Faust

In Episode 5 of our series on Admission Nutrients, Tom Campbell is joined by Nathan Faust, Admission Counselor at Loyola Marymount University, to talk about Service to Others / Community Impact. In their conversation, they get into: 

• Why service to others and community impact is a valuable nutrient to fold into your high school experience—and life
• Tips on communicating your service and community-impact initiatives to admissions officers
• Examples of how this nutrient may overlap with the others
• Advice for counselors on how to explain the value of this nutrient to students and families
• And more!

Nathan Faust is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University where he earned both his B.A. (2019) and M.A. (2023) in English. After brief stints in finance and sports management, he joined the admission team in 2021 as a regional recruiter in the Pacific Northwest, where he works with students from Oregon and Washington. Nathan is passionate about educational opportunity, enjoys connecting with students, and values demystifying the admission process.  In his free time, Nathan enjoys creative writing, the highs and lows of cheering for the Portland Trail Blazers, camping in mosquito-less places, and spending time with friends also in mosquito-less places.

We hope you enjoy.

 

Play-by-Play:

• 4:40 – Why is service to others important at Loyola Marymount University (LMU)? 
• 6:36 – How does LMU view service hours differently and why?  
• 16:55 – How does service to others impact wellbeing? 
• 23:56 – How can students best communicate their service work on their application? 
• 29:40 – How can students weave in service to others in the personal statement? 
• 33:45 – Where else does service to others show up in the application?
• 41:03 –  FAQs about service to others
  • 41:43 – What if I want to talk about my mission trip?
  • 43:30 – What if I quit my service endeavor?
  • 43:47 – What if my service program was discontinued?
  • 44:42 – How do I know what really counts as service?
  • 45:34 – What if I didn’t really take anything away from this service opportunity?
• 47:10 – Closing thoughts and advice for students

 

Resources:

• Why Giving Is Good for Your Health (Resident Psychologist Susan Albers, Cleveland Clinic, 2022, )
• Why I changed my mind about volunteering (Rachel Cohen, Vox, 2024, )
• Workplace Wellness Programs
• Why Meaningful, Long-Term Volunteer Opportunities Are The Key To Engaging Your Top Talent (William Aruda, Forbes, 2022)
• How to Use the Common App Additional Information section and Challenges and Circumstances section: Guide + Examples
• College Essay Guy’s Personal Statement Resources
• College Essay Guy’s College Application Hub