<p>I've been told if I've been doing something prior to high school and have continued doing it, then I should list it.
My family owns a dog kennel and a boarding facility. I have never been off from home one night, nor have I taken a vacation ever since we started this. For the past eight years, almost every day, twice a day, I have worked in the kennel. Seven days a week, two hours a day (JUST kennel work). Itis a rarity that I miss a day, usually it's due to being sick. The kennel is not associated with my family's last name, but it is considered a business and is licensed by the state as a business. I have not been paid for it, nor has my family insisted I participate. It's just been life for me ever since I was a kid. Not only do I work in the kennel, but I am the developer and webmaster of our website, I schedule appointments, I am the book-keeper, I help whelp the puppies, I manage breeding and scheduling the breedings, I am listed as the main person to contact for routine inspections and licensing through the American Kennel Club and State Agriculture Department. I hold a certification and registration through the American Kennel Club as a handler, I've shown dogs at the national level, etc.
Does this count?</p>
<p>Of course this counts! Colleges want to see what you do with your time when you are not in school. They prefer depth to breadth, but they like some variety of activities. All your activity has been focused in one business, but the variety of things you do for this business is large, so you have both. Colleges want to see dedication and passion, which clearly you seem to have demonstrated with the hours you put in and the different ways in which you help out.</p>
<p>I felt that 5,500 hours of volunteer work sounds kinda sketchy for someone who is seventeen, though. lol. I didn’t want them to think I was lying and them deny me for that or want proof.</p>
<p>But thank you (:</p>
<p>It’s both a job and a family contribution. Great. But 5500 hours is kind of a judgment call. Why not 25 hours/week, which instantly shows how you balanced this resp against schoolwork and ECs? (Many kids do work 20 hours/week.) And remember, it’s not passion, per se, but your ability to take on this responsibility. If you need to break it up into management, breeding and showing, that’s a possibility.</p>
<p>I thought I need to put the overall hours I’ve completed?</p>
<p>No you do not. They specifically ask you for hours per week and weeks per year, they can figure out the total hours. I would highly recommend against putting 5,500 hours down and go with what lookingforward said.</p>
<p>They are only interested in the number of hours starting with 9th grade, so unless you mention in an essay that you’ve been doing this since you were a kid, there is no place to indicate 5,500 hours. </p>
<p>And yes, working in a family business - or enterprise - is as important as any other EC. Sounds like a great experience and something that will set you apart from many other applicants with comparable academics.</p>
<p>Well, actually the college I’m applying to changed the application format that you now apply online and you can send in (by snail mail) your resume. I e-mailed, asking if I could send in a “summary of extra-curriculars” that lists what I am doing with details, and they said it’d be fine. I was going to include the activity, details of it, and how long I’ve been doing it.</p>
<p>Also, I was a piano student from 1999-2011 (lessons EVERY week). It IS acceptable to put down that I participated a decade before high school, correct?</p>
<p>Laurren, what they allow and how they look at your response or input can be slightly different. It’s not about the length of your involvement, back years and years, before hs. It IS what you did during the hs years- and especially how well you made choices and commitments during 10th-12th, as you matured. </p>
<p>The exception would be if you are applying to a program focused on animal management or animal science, pre-vet, husbandry, etc.</p>
<p>Also, remember most of the app- how you list ECs, answer questions, write essays, etc, is a series of judgment calls. You want to show you understand the context.</p>
<p>Be cautious that any resume is not redundant or so detailed you take time away from adcoms reading/focusing on the body of your app. Try to to remember this is about showing your college readiness and potential. Eg, lots of kids have music back to 1st grade. Run your decisions through the “so what does this say about me today?” filter.</p>
<p>You can’t count 8 years, only 3 and senior year.</p>
<p>Actually, I’ll be applying for Pre-Veterinary Medicine/Animal Science.</p>
<p>I hate that, though. I felt like it showed dedication :/</p>
<p>Then write your extracurricula essay about it and mention you’ve been doing it since you were however old. But on the EC page, they don’t care about pre-HS. </p>
<ul>
<li>Mike</li>
</ul>
<p>Yes, that does change things a bit. Maybe your ECs reflect hs activities and the level of responsibility, then a last line entry offers a pre-hs summary, relevant to your major.</p>
<p>You can also write a bang up main essay abut all this experience with animals. “Show, not tell,” an engaging tale. Many kids who want pre-vet still focus on “I love animals.” You have substantially more to offer. Let them see your dedication and the growth in your resps- not just the number of years. Good luck.</p>
<p>Actually, I wrote my essay about my time working (10th through 12th grade) as a veterinary assistant.</p>
<p>I just felt like if I put: Piano 2009-2012 it’d look like I just started right during high school, not that I had been a decade prior to high school.</p>
<p>Laurren -</p>
<p>But that’s what everyone does, they’re only asking for what you’ve done in HS. If you feel so inclined to include that you’ve done it before HS, you really should do so in the EC essay or personal statement.</p>
<ul>
<li>Mike</li>
</ul>
<p>You put piano 2009-2012 and then, in the description, can say, piano 10 years plus a bit more wording.
Better: you list one of your piano activities, eg, accompanying at school, have a few words about that, then indicate lessons 10 years. Bottom line, music is good, the commitment is good- using it in some way, especially one or more ways that have some impact, is better. </p>
<p>Make sure your essay is “show, not tell.”</p>
<p>Your work experience is significant, as well as your piano proficiency. I would find some way to work this into an essay. I like the part about your dedication and never missing a day, and also working in the family business without pay. This shows that you have contributed significantly to the family. Many kids do some chores at home, but not everyone works in a family business ( some parents are employees of other businesses) or is certified like you.</p>
<p>Putting the number of hours does not give as much information and the total number may be questionable. I agree with the “hours per week” and then “since age…”.</p>
<p>This is different from the vet school application that does want total animal hours. In your case, you are going to have “animal years(!)”</p>
<p>Here on CC, where people post stats- they are all described by “numbers” but the only way for a college to understand who you are is through your essays- and your experience is significant.</p>
<p>While you did not get paid, I would list this as work experience, rather than volunteerism. It was done for a family business, not for a non-profit. I know our high school would not allow those hours to be used to fulfill our Community Service requirement, because it was for the benefit of your family, and indirectly for your own benefit. This type of commitment is common for those with a family business, and the commitment is great, but it’s not community service in the usual sense.</p>