<p>I know that adcoms are supposed to consider applicants in the context of their situation. While at first my ECs don't look too great, I feel like I've done just about all I can. I even have trouble managing my course work and the two ECs I regularly participate in. All I have is being the most active member of the Quiz Bowl team (only formal club at my school) all four years of high school, playing piano and participating in some competitions, and 102 hours of volunteering over the summer at a hospital. </p>
<p>How and where in the application do I address my situation to help adcoms understand my lack of ECs? I would hate to be rejected from my dream school because adcoms mistakenly thought I wasn't taking as much advantage of my situation as I could have.</p>
<p>Here are the details of my situation, if it makes any difference:</p>
<p>My school schedule is from 8am-5pm, leaving me little time to complete my course work. Even so, I can't get anywhere until 6pm. I am also completely reliant on my mother for transportation, and we live 20-30 minutes away from any city. My mother is a student who needs to dedicate a lot of time to her own school work in addition to house work, so it's hard for her to afford the extra one or two hours in driving. I also spend much time helping my mother with her school work and supporting her; she frequently says that she wouldn't be able to get through school without my academic and emotional support. A poor financial situation on top of that rules out many other potential ECs or summer programs.</p>