Hello! I’m currently a junior during my summer who is really worried about college admissions int he fall. Due to family situations, I couldnt do any summer programs (such as governors school, girls state, etc.) or even work. Instead i have to watch my siblings everyday as my mother works (as my dad is currently incarcerated and she is basically working as a single mom). Will this make me look negativity compared to other students or will college’s understand my situation? I am an unpaid intern/volunteer at my church on Sundays and Wednesdays but thats about all I’m able to do. I also help plan and set up VBS and the high school summer camp, as well as mission trips. I go to the #1 school in my state, my unweighted GPA is a 3.85, my ACT score is a 34, and I have taken 7 APs so far with 4s and 5s on all of them. If it helps, my top two colleges are Vanderbilt and Georgetown but I also have multiple safety and not as competive college’s.
Play the hand you’re dealt. It does stink that you’re stuck watching siblings instead of doing standard ECs, but this is the situation and it’s up to you to figure out how to make the best of it. Are there enrichment activities for the family you can plan and do? Do research projects on your siblings (yes, experiment on them.) Research child development to become a better guide, etc. Instead of just keeping your darn brothers and sisters alive for the summer, if you can figure out a way to learn and grow as a person at the same time then that would be interesting and awesome essay material… it would show that you make the best of hardship and find a way to keep developing even in suboptimal conditions.
Another idea - can you think of a small business or volunteering/neighborhood betterment activity you could create and have your siblings help? Put those little boogers to work! Whether it’s growing kitchen herbs to sell or picking up trash in the park, there are a lot of positive things you can do and have your siblings help with.
Colleges want you do something productive over the summer. Watching your siblings is productive.
But what do you do with them? Sit around the house?
What if you started a little neighborhood vacation club and had some other kids over to do activities/crafts.
What if you took your siblings to the library and started a book club/reading program for them where they would get a prize if they read so many book over the summer?
What if you taught them (age-appropriately) to program?
What if you had them volunteer at the church? Ask the Trustees, I am sure they could put you all to work weeding or cleaning windows or something.
There are ways you can show leadership even though you are watching your siblings.
I do alumni interviews for my alma mater and we had a kid who had to watch his brother because his parents were divorcing so he couldn’t do any ECs…but he noticed his brother was falling through the cracks and had his parents sign the brother up for baseball (and the kids took him to all practices etc) and helped him with his homework…those are leadership qualities. Looking for a way to improve the situation and taking action.
Admissions officers are especially understanding of situations like this. On your activities list, you will be able to select family responsibilities as one of your items and you will explain what you did and how many hours, etc. That is a legitimate activity… You can also use your additional info section to write about the extra responsibilities you have as the oldest sibling under these circumstances. Don’t apologize for stepping up and doing the right thing by helping out at home! Just give the facts… no school in the world will penalize you for not having other summer activities.
If you haven’t discussed your family circumstances with your GC then doing so is a good idea. You have a perfectly legitimate explanation for how you spent your time, but when the explanation comes from an impartial 3rd party it carries more authority.
Your GC is going to submit a letter for you, and the GC staff at the #1 school in your state are going to be very familiar with what selective colleges look for and how to best present things.
I agree with the other posters. Watching your younger siblings won’t hurt your chances in the least. What you have is the equivalent of a summer job, which are much more in vogue these days over the “travel across the world to volunteer at a place I’ve never been to before and never will be again but it did really did change my life!” experience. Try and come up with interesting activities to do with them (don’t just sit around the house), and make sure you explain the situation in a college essay or short answer.
It won’t hurt your application at all. In fact it shows maturity, responsibility, and the ability/willingness to help your family in a difficult time. It also shows that you have been able to persevere and succeed academically under less than ideal circumstances at home. You can list watching your siblings as a job since it is a commitment.
I agree that you should talk to your guidance counselor and ask him/her to note your family circumstances and how you are pitching in in his/her letter of recommendation to colleges.
Best of luck to you moving forward.
You will not be hurt by this in college admissions. My daughter had a similar issue since her father passed away and she (and her close in age sibling) were needed for family responsibilities. We explained this in the “extra info” section and made sure that her guidance counselor wrote about this too. My older girls took on true adult responsibilities during this difficult time. Their contributions to our family made it possible for the family to keep going. I think that is every bit as impressive, if not more, then going to a fancy academic camp or internship.
Don’t feel too much pressure to start a business or invent a charity while you are doing what you need to do. Caring for young children is work enough. Explain how you contribute to the family, the care you give to your siblings and how it enables the family to function. Talk about things you do with them that you are proud of. You will be seen as a mature, resilient young adult. Believe me.
Thinking ahead for college applications: if you are low-income, you may want to look at QuestBridge, if you have not already.
Good advice above.
Thanks so much! This really made me feel more confident for the upcoming admissions!
Yeah I’m actually considering applying through QuestBridge but it may be a long shot since my mother makes exactly 65,000, which is on the higher end
It actually maybe to your advantage. A job does not require pay. You are a mentor and a teacher at a mimimum to your younger siblings. It shows maturity and responsibility under an adverse situation. Do not look at it as a negative but potentially as a great thing and run with it.