Mentoring a sibling as an EC?

Applying to College
1

<p>Yeah, I'm sure it sounds pretty ridiculous, but I'm serious. </p>

<p>My parents were born outside of the united states and have a lot of difficulty understanding the language so they often can't help my sister with her studies, many times simply because of the language barrier. On top of that, they also are constantly busy with one thing or another and spend a lot of time at work so in general they let my sister pretty much to fend for herself academically. </p>

<p>So, for a couple of years now, I've decided to take it upon myself to look over her schoolwork, help her make corrections, and read along with her. More recently, I've begun to teach her about some new concepts that she's interested in and expand on concepts that she has learned in school. Nearly every night, before I start my own work, we read together, practice spelling, explore maps, and practice math. I'd say that she's become pretty proficient in what I have taught her and probably has a much greater knowledge than most of her peers, and not to sound egotistical, but I believe and am proud of the fact that I played a role in that. </p>

<p>I really do have a lot of fun helping her out, and it truly is pretty time consuming- I'd say I probably spend a good 5-10 hours every week helping her sharpen her academic skills. </p>

<p>So my question is this, is this merely a hobby, or can I put this down as a legitimate EC? Currently, I can't really see myself going into pedagogy, but you never know.</p>

<p>Thanks for responses.</p>

2

<p>I wouldn't consider that as an EC, but as being a caring family member. I'd raise my eyebrows if someone claimed mentoring their sibling as an EC. The person would sound like everything that they did was for self gain.</p>

<p>Colleges, though, understand if one isn't able to do a lot of ECs because one has family responsibilities such as helping a sibling who can't get homework and other help from immigrant parents. In fact, such responsibilities can be far more impressive than are many formal ECs, which have little real responsibility.</p>

<p>You could highlight what you are doing by writing one's essay about your experience with your sibling or by including information about it in the "extra info" section of your application.</p>