Related Story Lending a Helping Hand Community service gives a panoramic worldview More On Once You're There Naked Slept the Stranger Yup, it's a roommate story, so be prepared Meet Your Mentor Making the right connection can make a big difference Not Your Father's Fraternity No more binge drinking, hazing or womanizing Junior Year Abroad A semester in Nepal changed one student's outlook — and life Bridge to the "Real" World Internships help students turn classroom theory into careers Student Entrepeneur No place like college to meet a partner, make connections and start your own business The Muddle Years Ah, the chaotic life of a college student. Embrace it while you can...

Many campuses have independent volunteer programs, but there are two national organizations that work specifically with colleges.

Campus Compact, with headquarters in Providence, R.I., is a national organization dedicated to promoting community service in higher education. It works directly with 639 college presidents to develop service learning and civil engagement. In 1999 its member colleges:

• Provided an estimated 32 million hours of community service
• Offered more than 11,000 service-learning courses
• Partnered with Volunteer Action Centers, religious institutions, United Way
• Found that tutoring, helping the homeless, environmental work and feeding the hungry were the most popular service projects
• Estimated that 46% of graduating seniors took part in service projects
• (40 Campus Compact members required students to complete a service-learning component to graduate)
• For more information, check compact.org

Break Away is an umbrella group for alternative break programs at 62 other colleges and universities. It pairs teams of students with service projects during school vacations. In 1999,

• 5,000 students went on Break Away trips to 500 different sites
• Trips included building homes in Appalachia, restoring the wetlands in Florida and working at a homeless shelter in Boston
• To learn more, see alternativebreaks.com

Source: TIME/The Princeton Review's The Best College For You 2001