<p>I am going to be applying to college this year and I'm not sure how to let colleges know of any of these activities. How would I let colleges know that I take care of my little sister every school day(5 hours after school) and that I work for my parent's small business every saturday during the school year and every day in the summer(8 hours per session)?
Thanks for your time!</p>
<p>On the common app, under the writing section the have an area to add additional information. It says, “Please upload a document here if you wish to provide details of circumstances or qualifications not reflected in the application.” If you’re using the common app this is where you would explain these things and how they’ve affected you.</p>
<p>Okay, thanks for the idea! However, I was looking for some sort of way to integrate this into other parts of my application. Could I perhaps use tie this into work experience or EC activities?</p>
<p>Definitely put working at your parents store under work experience; it’ll show how big of a commitment the job is. I’m not sure where else you could mention watching your little sister - maybe someone else will.</p>
<p>Alright, thanks for all the help so far!
Do you know Colleges will ask for if they decide to ask for more information about my parents store? I wasn’t paid at all so I’m worried if that will be a problem…</p>
<p>If you weren’t paid then maybe you would put it down as volunteering instead of a job. I’m not positive about this though, so you might want to double check with a guidance counselor or someone else.</p>
<p>Yeah, I thought about that too. I was just unsure if it would qualify…</p>
<p>Any other opinions?</p>
<p>Any other opinions?</p>
<p>If it wasn’t paid then I would put it as volunteering.</p>
<p>As far as the sister thing, you could put it as an EC (“babysitting little sister”) or the additional information section. I’d ask your GC.</p>
<p>Alright, that helps a lot!</p>
<p>How would you suggest that I phrase the work as volunteering on the common app? My parents own a small business but I’m not sure how I could say its volunteering.</p>
<p>Any opinions?</p>
<p>I think that working in your parent’s store is an excellent EC and you should definitely hype it up in the ECs part of the common app and put it on a brag list. However, I would not advise putting your sister in there as well. Just write an extra essay about it.</p>
<p>Thanks! Should I list it as work even though I am not being paid, or as volunteer experience even though it is for a company?</p>
<p>Any opinions?</p>
<p>The business work would be a great EC! 
I’m not sure about the babysitting though. Maybe you could put it in the additional information section, so that they know you couldn’t do some activities because you had to babysit?</p>
<p>I’m thinking about that, but I’m afraid it would seem like I was complaining.
Is there anyway to put it in a positive light?</p>