I have a lot of activities so I filled out all 10 sections in the activity section of the common app, so now I’m trying to figure out which activities are worth adding. I have one summer of work experience as a cashier as well as babysitting year round all four years of high school. Is work experience important to add over a club like student council??? (I was just a participant but I did speak at a few board meetings). Either one of these would go at #10.
Also, for a club like Key Club, should I label this as “Community Service (Volunteer)” or “Other Club/Activity?” Key club is a volunteering club but I’m not just a volunteer.
Key is a Volunteer Club yes - assuming they did something. If you had a role - like leadership - the club itself is still community service …
The truth is few will be seen as having depth at ten different activities. I’d get the four year babysitting in there - summer job too although I like tenure. Jobs demonstrate having to operate in a more responsible and sometimes professional environment. Babysitting certainly shows responsibility.
My two cents is there is not actually a wrong choice here, as long as you focus on the right question.
The right question is which activities were actually most meaningful for you. This is a really important question to take seriously, and answer honestly.
Because different people value different things for different reasons, and so the choices you make in this context illuminate your values and priorities. But again, there is not a right or wrong answer, there is your answer, and the most helpful thing you can do is give your answer. Because if you do that consistently throughout your application, that maximizes the chance your readers will get a clear, compelling vision of what you would actually be like as a member of their college community. And that is your goal.
The wrong questions, then, are variations on what you think would be most impressive, what colleges want to see, what other people applying to college think is most meaningful, and so on. This is a bad idea precisely because the danger of writing applications with such thoughts in mind is you end up presenting a confused, possibly unconvincing, picture of what you would be like in college. And that is not helpful.
And again, there is in fact no wrong answer. If work was more meaningful for you–which it often will be–then that is your answer. But if a club where you were a participant was actually more meaningful, then that is OK too. Just be really reflective and honest about it, and that will work out fine.
I wouldn’t. I note there can actually be licensing and tax implications to operating a business. But usually (and note this is not actual legal advice), if you just provide informal, in-home care on an occasional basis to a low enough number of children, you would probably not be subject to any of that.
You babysat four years. Leave it at that. If you can quantify to how many times or kids at a time, it’s great. It’s got tenure and responsibility. . They’ll understand. If you need a category and one doesn’t fit (I forget the categories and there’s likely an open one for other) - they’ll understand babysitter.
There is a “Work (Paid)” category. I think the OP’s confusion is there is also an Organization Name box, which is where you would usually put the name of your employer. But if you are babysitting informally, then Self-Employed would be fine. Or you could actually put N/A. It really doesn’t matter in my view, because the point is there was no organization employing you as a babysitter, and that is fine.
I would make sure you include paid work in your activities. It’s difficult to make a recommendation without knowing all the activities listed, but paid work (including babysitting) > a club where you didn’t spend much time on it/don’t have a leadership position/don’t make much of an impact. Ideally your cashier and babysitting jobs take two separate activity slots.
It doesn’t matter what category you choose. If you are more than a volunteer, then say that in the position/leadership description line.