Student story: Extracurriculars that are nontraditional
About this video
A student who didn't do many traditional extracurriculars explains that she looked after her nephews so her hard-working parents could come home to a calm house. During applications she realized this counted as an extracurricular because it shaped her, so she listed it and wrote about it in her personal statement to help her stand out.
You'll be able to
- explain why family responsibilities can count as extracurriculars.
- describe how a unique experience can help an application stand out.
Key words
- traditional extracurricular
- Common activities outside class, like school clubs or sports teams.
- personal statement
- An essay in a college application where you tell your own story.
Transcript
- So even though I didn't participate in many of the traditional extracurricular activities, I did play a large part in my family. My nephews lived with us while I was in high school, and I watched them a lot. I wanted my parents to come home to a house that was calm and tranquil and somewhere that they could somewhat relax, and I didn't want them to be doing all of the work just because my parents worked five days ...
well, my mom worked five days a week, and my dad worked six days a week, and they deserved the break, and it was important for me to be able to help them. I realized that when I was doing the college application process, that this was considered an extracurricular because it's something that has shaped me and my experience, so I was able to put that on my college application process, not only in the extracurriculars, but I also wrote about it in my personal statement, and that was an experience that was unique to me, an experience that not everyone had, and I was, hopefully, able to stand out to my Admissions Officer.
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