How should I describe family responsibilities in the Common App?

I don't have a ton of formal extracurriculars, but I do have significant family responsibilities that take up my time. How can I frame this in my Common App to show colleges the real work I do and skills I've gained? Don't want it to sound like I'm just doing chores, because it's a lot more than that.

Colleges definitely recognize that family responsibilities are a significant commitment and can be an integral part of who you are, just like more traditional extracurriculars. To help them understand how your responsibilities have shaped you, focus on the skills and qualities you have developed, such as time management, responsibility, and perhaps caring for siblings or managing household duties in the absence of parents.

You can definitely list these things in the description sections of the activities list, but if you still don't feel like that quite captures anything, you can turn to your essays. That could mean writing about these responsibilities in an "extracurricular" essay (https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-write-most-important-extracurricular-supplement-essays/), or even focusing your personal statement on it, if you feel that this aspect of your background is truly fundamental to your identity.

If you do end up writing one of your essays about these experiences, use specific examples to illustrate the impact of your contributions and the level of responsibility you take on. For instance, if you prepare meals for your family, discuss any planning, budgeting, or nutritional considerations you manage. If you help siblings with homework or act as the primary caregiver when parents are working, elaborate on how you've supported their educational or personal growth.

Colleges will appreciate the maturity, commitment, and ability to handle pressure that family responsibilities demonstrate, and will also understand that these duties have impacted your availability for formal extracurriculars. If you want to underscore that sacrifice, you might want to highlight a moment or two where you've had to prioritize your family obligations over another opportunity that you really wanted. Just make sure to focus on what you learned from that moment, rather than coming across as bitter or resentful.

If you want to say something directly about how family responsibilities may have put you at a disadvantage compared to some other students with more freedom in how they use their time, you may consider writing about that in the "Additional Information" section of the Common App.

Good luck showcasing this element of your identity in your application!