Requirement FAQ
Your Questions, Answered.
What is the difference between internal and external hours?
Internal hours are fulfilled by providing service to the school. This may include but is not limited to: admissions events (not touring), peer tutoring, drama productions, or modeling for the visual arts department. External hours are fulfilled by providing service to the greater community. This includes BUAMUN, outings organized by the community service club, as well as opportunities you organize on your own. If you are unsure if your volunteering opportunity is considered internal or external, please reach out to Ms. Perrone.
Why is there a cap on how many of the eight hours can be fulfilled by internal opportunities?
There are a limited number of hours and opportunities that may be classified as “internal.” Further, it is important that BUA students pursue volunteering experiences outside of campus to explore other interests and experiences.
How do I report and track the number of hours I completed each year?
You are responsible for keeping track of and submitting hours via this Google form by the end of each academic year. You may submit hours through the form one of two ways. 1) have your supervisor, BUA or otherwise, send you an email confirming your service and how many hours you completed. A screenshot of the email can be uploaded to the form; 2) submit a PDF or image of the physical community service tracking form signed by your supervisor as an attachment to the form. BUA will track how many hours you submit (up to a maximum of eight each year) and where you completed the hours. You may submit up to 16 hours in either your freshmen, sophomore, or junior year to fulfill your senior year requirement early.
Note that you are responsible for submitting your own hours. Teachers who supervise your service will not submit for you.
If I complete more than four hours internally or more than eight overall, can those hours be applied toward my graduation requirement?
BUA will not log more than eight hours of completed service per year with one exception. Students may submit up to eight additional hours over the annual requirement that will count towards their senior year requirement. Though we will not track service hours additional to the requirement, we encourage you to stay involved with volunteering opportunities that you enjoy and find value in doing. Further, there is an opportunity to share about your commitment to service on your college application if you so choose.
Below is an example of hour submission. Note, you can only submit more than 8 hours once.
- Freshmen year: 8 hours
- Sophomore year: 16 hours (8 go towards senior year requirement)
- Junior year: 8 hours
- Senior year: 0 hours
What happens if I don’t fulfill the eight-hour requirement within the academic year?
If you do not earn eight approved service hours by the end of the academic year, your grade and comment report will be withheld until hours are completed over that summer.
If I volunteer over the summer, do those hours apply to the previous or upcoming academic year?
Hours completed over the summer apply to the upcoming academic year. This means it is possible to complete your hours for the school year before it officially starts (this includes incoming students!). The only time hours would apply to a previous year would be if you failed to complete the requirement for that year by the last day of school.
What if I complete 32 hours in one year, does that mean I am done with the graduation requirement?
Not necessarily. Under the new policy, students must complete eight hours within each academic year they are enrolled at BUA, with the one exception for senior year. This exception allows students the opportunity to focus on the many other commitments of their senior year.
Are community service experiences shared on my transcript?
No. If you would like to write about a community service experience, there are opportunities for you to do so in your college essays or in recommendation letters written by your teachers or college counselors.