Hey everyone! I regularly babysit my siblings and occasionally other kids in my neighborhood. Does this count as an extracurricular activity? I'd appreciate any opinions on whether to include it on my application or not.
Hello! Babysitting is absolutely a valid extracurricular activity that you can include in your college applications. It shows your responsibility, commitment, and ability to manage time effectively, which are all qualities that colleges value in their applicants.
It's important to describe your babysitting experiences in a way that highlights these characteristics. Include how many hours you spend babysitting per week, any particular challenges you've faced, and any extra responsibilities you've taken on to support the families you work with. This will help admissions officers understand the significance of your role.
You can also discuss babysitting in your essays if you want to showcase qualities like your maturity, responsibility, or compassion. This is a nice way to include your activity if you don't want to explicitly include it in the activities section of your application.
In addition to babysitting, make sure to include any other activities that you're involved in or passionate about. Colleges like to see a variety of interests and commitments. You might find this CollegeVine blog post helpful for ideas on how to list your extracurricular activities: https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-fill-out-the-common-app-activities-section/.
Best of luck with your college applications!
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