I’ve just realised that I don’t have many ecs… Could you help me identify a few activities that are considered ecs by colleges? So, I live with a relative and I have to do ALL the chores around the house. He won’t let me live there unless I do so, so I have no choice. My house is too far and the transport would cost too much. Anyway, I have to cook, clean etc. I spend 10-15 hours every week doing this. Is this an EC? Also, during summers I have to work when I come back home (garden, animals etc. etc.) for at least 14 hours/week.
PS: I’ll apply at some top universities - should I mention those activities? There aren’t many ec opportunities in my country…
ANYTHING YOU DO other than schoolwork is considered as EC.
That means working for your family also counts as EC. It doesn’t have to be a fancy EC, like expensive volunteer trips. IN fact, that’s NOT what colleges want.
How much can you pay per year? Will your relative pay for you? Make sure to discuss it thoroughly becasue there are actually a number of students who can’t go to colleges because their guardians/parents didn’t want to bother paying for it.
@paul2752 thanks a lot for replying. If anything I do can be listed as an EC, then I guess the question would be: are those ECs good enough to be listed? I have good SAT scores. I expect to have very good recommendation letters, essays, and my story is unique, so that may differentiate me from other applicants. My biggest problem are the ecs… 
Regarding my ability to pay, I’m low income so my only hope would be to be admitted at an elite college that offers A LOT of financial aid to internationals. I know they are incredibly selective, but still, there are quite a few of them. 
@WeirdUserName
In case you have to pay ANYTHING(after getting scholarship and whatnot), will your relative payfor that? Or will he/she be like “pay on your own”? Because that will be a disaster, or at least I think it will be.
What is your GPA? Test score? ECs? What do you want to major in?
Also, there ARE not-so-tippy-top but still good schools who give MERIT scholarships to international students.
@paul2752, do you think I’d have 0% chances at need-aware schools if I couldn’t pay anything? Anyway, I should mention that going to US is just a dream, and I have another option if I fail. However, I must do my best to increase my chances, and the lack of ECs are my biggest problem. Do you think I could list unreported employment as an ec?
The chance would be <5% at need aware schools. Even at need blind, it’s still low since those schools want to limit internatinoal student body.
@B@r!um can you help this person?
@MYOS1634
It’s impossible not to pay anything. You’ll have to pay for your airfare, your health insurance, and your books, even if you get a full ride (where they pay for your tuition, your housing, and your food, called “tuition, room & board”); some colleges, like Howard, have full ride+ (that include books) but they’re rare and you must apply in September. Furthermore, Howard requires an external evaluation of your credentials, which costs money too.
Odds are always very low. If you’re very poor, you can apply to Berea. THe odds are about 5%, which is better than in other cases where they’re 1-3%.
What country are you from (this may also affect your situatin. Namibia>China…)
Are you a boy or a girl?
TO answer your original question, yes, work (paid or unpaid, voluntary or mandatory) is considered an EC.
About the only place where you don’t have to pay anything is Harvard. Harvard will pay for international air travel (even your tickets home once a year) and even give you money for winter clothes if you’re from a tropical country.
But of course, you have to get into Harvard…
@MYOS1634 What about unreported employment? Is it an EC? I think it may be illegal…
@katliamom yeah… I’m pretty sure I won’t get into Harvard.
Thanks for commenting!
Chores done for a relative in exchange for room & board is NOT underreported employment and is NOT illegal. I would guess that the vast majority of posters have done / are doing some amount of chores. You are a member of the household and there is no reason that an able bodied person should not contribute to the communal pot. It may be that your relative is not very nice about it, it may be that you do more than other kids you know, and you clearly feel sorry for yourself, but no.
And no, it is not an EC. You can say that the time available to you to do ECs is limited by your responsibilities at home, but neither the time nor the type of work is extraordinary- even by your reckoning (which is almost certainly somewhat exaggerated, b/c that’s human nature) you do about 1 1/2 hours of chores / day. You can also say that you work part-time on your family’s farm during the summer.
But…what are you doing with the rest of your time?
@collegemom3717 I think I was unclear. Besides working in my relative’s house and at my family’s farm, I also worked as a babysitter and I do other kind of odd jobs, but I pay no taxes for them. I think those kind of jobs are called ‘‘under the table jobs’’.
Also, I should mention that my estimation (10-15 hours/week) is actually the minimum I do. I wanted to be fair so I thought it would be better to mention the minimum, the amount I’m absolutely certain about. I probably spend much more time than this, because after I come home and do all the stuff, I don’t have much time left. I also combine some easy/mechanical tasks with studying or other activities, and I didn’t take this into account in my estimation. With the tasks that I thought are not worth considering (e.g. going to buy croceries etc.) and the work I do in combination with other activities, I’m pretty sure I spend 3-4 hours a day working. Should I take into account all the things that can be considered work, even the easy ones…?
Also, I should say that I studied alone for the sat, and I bought all the preparatory material myself with my own money. My family doesn’t care much about my education…
Where are you from?
As other posters say, it’s impossible to pay nothing. Only school that would work for you is either top tier schools like Ivy leagues or merit-generous schools like Howard University.
And @collegemom3717, not all countries have abundant extracurricular activities like US does. US is the probably only country where you can create your own EC. Also, working for LIVING can be EC.
^Actually, even “caring for siblings” counts as an EC (it’s even a category in C4). Due to the fact these activities mostly befall lower-income kids, and for some tasks more girls than boys, elite colleges are especially interested in the qualities these represent, typically greater maturity, self reliance, “grit”, responsibility than is expected from typical teenagers. When those activities are concerned, the traditional criteria of “impressiveness” don’t apply. When kids shoulder adult responsibilities and work more than 15-20 hours a week while maintaining excellent grades, that’s considered good.
It may not be good enough for an international who has no income, but circumstances are taken into account (for example, being a girl in a Gulf country severely restricts possibilities. Living in a slum, gangland, or remote village also.)
Yale also provides money for travel and clothes. Berea remains a good choice and with 5% admissions it’s about as “easy” as Yale REA in terms of acceptance rate, but with less competition since top academic competitors aren’t too interested in Berea.
OP DOES NOT live in the US. The blithe way the above poster states “what are you doing with the rest of your time” makes me think she doesn’t quite realize what it entails to live in a developing or moderately developed country. There may not be any “rest of your time”. OP may spend all his/her time at school, doing homework, and serving the house needs.
As for the fact the number of hours is exagerated: we have to take that at face value, like all information posted on this website. Indentured servitude still exists in many countries and using a cousin’s kid as a servant is very common (like Haitian va-avecs).
We don’t know where OP lives, but since the US has the highest standard of living in the world, even a middle level country (where average yearly income is about 10k a year) would have serious work to keep things going.
BTW, 2hours of housework or farmwork a day isn’t considered “chores”, but the equivalent of a part time job.
Now, @WeirdUserName: what country are you from; are you a boy or a girl?
No, working as a farmhand for a relative or being the maid in the house in exchange for room and board isn’t illegal. It may be illegal on your uncle’s part depending on your country’s law but it means you’re a victim in yoru uncle’s scheme (if there is such a scheme, since employing a relative may very well be considered legal on oral understanding/agreement). However for your commonapp, you’ll need to be able to describe precisely the tasks you complete.
I completely get that farmwork and other home-based work is work, and is a big piece of time- I would just count it as work, not an EC.
@paul2752 and @MYOS1634 , having lived in remote parts of very underdeveloped countries, and worked with students from those areas, I am very familiar with the challenges those students face. I know students who work full-time jobs during the day and pay (b/c secondary school is not free) to go to high school from 7pm-10pm each night, going back to houses without electricity. I am not ‘blithely’ asking about the rest of the OPs time. The OPs opening statement suggested an average of 1 1/2 hours / day. Depending on where the OP lives, it is likely that s/he is in school 4-6 hours/day. I made no judgement about the rest of the time- just asked what it went to. The OPs follow up post begins to elaborate.
And I absolutely agree that
. But that is not what the OP started with.
OK collegemom, I understand what you mean but your earlier message didn’t imply all this.
School may last 3 hours as it may take 10. It really depends on the country and the situation.
For the record (any reader reading this), for the purpose of college application, work is an EC (ie., what a student spends time on when not in school.)
I’m from Southeastern Europe. I won’t mention my country because I have a few friends who have CC accounts and I don’t want them to know that I do ‘‘under the table’’ work… According to statistics, there are a few hundred applications at top US schools each year. Also, I’m male. For my country’s standards, my family is low income (5000/year), but we’re not poor. My parents do have things that could be considered luxury. Of course, our standard of living is pretty low and it can certainly not be compared to that of an average american. My circumstances are not as harsh as those mentioned by @MYOS1634, but I do have to do everything my relative says, and I do absolutely every task there is in our house, and this is stressing and time-consuming. As I said earlier, if I take into account everything I do (even the ‘‘easy’’ tasks) I spend 3-4 hours a day doing house chores. I am however OK with this, because I have a confortable place to stay that is close to my high school - it’s the best option I have…
Should I mention the ‘‘under the table’’ work I do from time to time? I used the money to buy books, prep material, and my pc. My parents also pay the internet connection with my money/
“Should I mention the ‘‘under the table’’ work I do from time to time” If you’re Greek, perhaps not 
@katliamom I’m not from Greece. I don’t think babysitting or other unreported activities from this category are one of the main causes behind Greece’s problems anyway. But I guess you’re right, I shouldn’t mention those, since they’re considered illegal…
Hope you guys don’t start thinking I’m a bad person.
Part of Greece’s problems is widespread tax evasion – so that’s what I was referring to. Jokingly.
@katliamom yes, I know. I thought you’re implying that I’m contributing to the problems of my country or something.