<p>I am going to a senior this fall, so I am starting on my applications and have run into a snag:</p>
<p>I have been seriously ill for several years, requiring me to spend nearly all my time on school and medical care. I am still only able to work for a few hours each day, which has eliminated most of my ECs. However, I would have continued them had I not gotten sick and the old ECs say more about my interests than my current ECs do. </p>
<p>My guidance counselor has recommended that I include those old ECs on my applications this fall. However, since they were undertaken before high school (2002-2006), there is no place to put this on the activity list section of the common app. </p>
<p>So,
1: Should I include those older ECs (I was a volunteer and foster parent for a local animal shelter; I won several awards for the work, among other things) on the applications? If so, where on the application? </p>
<p>2: Either way, should I even bother to include my current ECs? I have spent several years training my dog to be a therapy dog and started taking her on visits to nursing homes last year. However, I have only taken her on a few visits (6) so far because of my medical issues and school obligations. I feel passionately about therapy dogs, but my limited time spent on it would suggest otherwise. My only other EC is knitting for the local children's hospital. While I care about these things, I would be spending my time on the many other things I am interested in if I could. As such, the current ECs give a skewed view of where my interests lie and, frankly, look kind of pathetic. </p>
<p>Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks ahead of time for all your help.</p>