Dear Parents,

I’m Daniel Lee from SAT Professionals. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been guiding our students through their summer activities and Common App preparations. Below, I address two of the most frequently asked questions, break down the official Common App activity categories, and introduce the new “Responsibilities & Circumstances” section for the 2025–2026 cycle. I hope these insights help your student make the most of their senior year and shine in the college application process

1. Is It Too Late to Start New Activities in Senior Year?

Answer: Absolutely not.
 Senior year is peak time—admissions officers know your child is at their most focused, mature, and driven.

  • Interest → Impact
    • Love coding? Create a small app to solve a real problem—track classmates’ study hours or model your family budget in Python.
    • Passionate about ecology? Organize a mini river cleanup with friends and partner with a local nonprofit to measure water quality.
  • Build Real Responsibility
    • Take on a part-time job or internship. Managing one’s own paycheck shows financial independence.
    • Lead a small team—whether it’s tutoring younger students or organizing a campus art exhibit.
  • Plan for Growth
     Launch your project by early September so you can demonstrate measurable progress by December. Four months of dedicated effort can yield a compelling story for applications.

2. Should I Fill All Ten Activity Slots on the Common App?

Answer: Quality over quantity.
 You can list up to ten activities, but more slots don’t earn more points. Admissions officers remember impact, not lists.

Three-Step Filter:

  1. Passion: Does your child genuinely care about this activity?
  2. Leadership: Are they a participant—or do they take initiative?
  3. Impact: Can they show real results or community benefit?

Select the top three to five activities that meet all three criteria. For each:

  • Set a clear goal (e.g., “Improve robotics team’s win rate by 20%”).
  • Track progress with data or testimonials.
  • Highlight the benefit to school or community.

Common App Activity Categories

When logging in, your child will choose from these official categories—use them to organize, but don’t let labels limit you:

  • Academic: Tutoring, research projects, subject clubs
  • Artistic: Theater, band, art exhibitions
  • Athletic: School teams, intramurals, martial arts
  • Career-Oriented: Internships, job shadows, career-tech programs
  • Community Service (Volunteer): Food drives, neighborhood clean-ups
  • Extracurricular Club/Activity: Debate team, Model UN, robotics
  • Family Responsibilities: Childcare, eldercare, household management
  • Honors: National awards, competitions, distinctions
  • Leadership: Student government, club officer roles
  • Music: Orchestra, choir, solo performance
  • Non-Academic Interests: Hobby groups, personal projects
  • Research: Lab internships, independent studies
  • Work (Paid): Part-time jobs, freelance gigs

Aim to show variety or specificity—but only if each entry adds genuine depth to your child’s profile.

New for 2025–26: “Responsibilities” & “Circumstances”

For the first time, the Common App asks students to declare any household duties or life situations that require significant time or present obstacles. Why does this matter?

  • Equity & Context: A student who spends 10+ hours a week translating for a parent or caring for a grandparent has less time for clubs or paid work. Colleges want to understand the story behind the résumé.
  • Holistic Review: By sharing these details, students help admissions officers weigh activities against real-life demands—so they can appreciate resilience and time-management skills.

Responsibilities (4+ hours/week):

  • Caring for younger or elderly relatives
  • Translating/interpreting, household finances, or unpaid family-business work
  • Driving family members or scheduling appointments
  • Paid work to support household income

Circumstances Experienced:

  • Daily commutes of 60+ minutes
  • Homelessness or housing instability
  • Lack of reliable utilities (heat, water, internet)
  • Living independently (not including boarding school)

Tip for Students: Frame this section not as a burden but as evidence of maturity, adaptability, and determination. For instance:
 “I commute 90 minutes daily and still maintain a 4.0 GPA.”

Case Study: Li Wei 

  • Background: Arrived from China two years ago and is now a senior at a suburban high school, still mastering English and adapting to a new culture.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Translating & Interpreting: Helps his mother at parent-teacher conferences, medical appointments, and school meetings.
    • Sibling Care: After school, he supervises his 6-year-old sister—helping with homework, preparing snacks, and getting her to classes.
    • Household Budgeting: Manages family finances, pays utility bills online, and sends remittances back to relatives in China.
  • Circumstances:
    • Long Commute: Two buses each way, totaling 90 minutes, because the family’s housing is far from school.
    • Unstable Internet: Frequent outages force him to study late at the public library.
    • Language Barrier: Fluent in Mandarin but still building academic English skills, which makes classroom participation and standardized tests more challenging.

How the New Section Helps Li Wei:

  1. Turns Gaps into Strengths: Colleges see his translation work and sibling care as leadership and communication skills, not “weak” extracurriculars.
  2. Demonstrates Time Management: Balancing a three-hour commute, family duties, and a 3.8 GPA shows extraordinary resilience.
  3. Highlights Cultural Adaptability: Navigating two languages and cultures signals he’ll thrive in a diverse campus.
  4. Humanizes His Application: Real-life stories—translating medical terminology, budgeting bills—make him memorable, not just another set of numbers.

Bottom Line:
 Senior year still holds immense potential.

  1. Launch a meaningful project by early September and show growth by December.
  2. Curate a focused activities list of three to five high-impact experiences.
  3. Complete the “Responsibilities & Circumstances” section to ensure your child’s achievements are viewed in full context.

With thoughtful planning and authentic storytelling, colleges will see not only that your student is ready for their campus—but that they will thrive there.

尊敬的家长们：

我是 SAT Professionals 的 Daniel Lee。过去几周，我一直在指导学生们制定暑期活动计划并准备 Common App。以下内容将解答两个最常见的问题，梳理 Common App 的官方活动分类，并介绍 2025–2026 申请年度全新上线的“家庭责任与个人境况”模块。希望这些建议能帮助您的孩子充实高三生活，在申请中脱颖而出

一、还来得及高三再做新活动吗？

答案：绝对来得及。
 高三是孩子最专注、最成熟、最有动力的一年，任何富有意义的小项目，都能为申请增色。

  • 兴趣→影响
    • 喜欢编程？做一个小应用，比如统计同学学习时长，或用Python模拟家庭预算。
    • 对生态学感兴趣？组织一次河流清理，与当地公益机构合作，做水质监测。
  • 培养真实责任感
    • 课余找一份兼职或实习，用自己的工资管理财务，展示经济独立。
    • 组建小团队——带领低年级同学补习、策划校园艺术展，都能凸显领导力。
  • 规划成长节奏
     9月初前启动项目，12月前呈现可量化成果——四个月的专注投入，就足以写出有说服力的申请故事。

二、Common App 要不要填满 10 项活动？

答案：宁缺毋滥。
 招生官看重的是“深度影响”，不是“空洞篇幅”。

三步筛选法：

  1. 热情：你是否真正喜欢这件事？
  2. 领导力：是参与还是主动承担？
  3. 影响力：能否产生可量化的成果或社会效益？

只保留最能打动人心的3–5项活动，分别：

  • 设定清晰目标（如“提升机器人队比赛胜率20%”）
  • 用数据或反馈跟踪进展
  • 强调对学校或社区的积极贡献

Common App 活动大类

填写时请按官方分类整理，不要被标签束缚——关键看内容：

  • 学术：学术俱乐部、科研项目、辅导
  • 艺术：戏剧、乐队、艺术展
  • 体育：校队、社团赛事、武术
  • 职业导向：实习、职业影子项目
  • 志愿服务：义卖、社区清洁
  • 社团活动：辩论队、模拟联合国、机器人
  • 家庭责任：照顾亲人、家务管理
  • 荣誉：全国性比赛奖项
  • 领导力：学生会、社团干部
  • 音乐：管弦乐、合唱、独奏
  • 兴趣爱好：个人项目、小众社团
  • 科研：实验室、独立研究
  • 有偿工作：兼职、自由职业

重磅！2025–26 新增 “家庭责任 & 个人境况”

为什么要填？

  • 公平与背景：翻译、看护老人、长途通勤……这些义务占去大量时间，影响课外活动多寡。招生官想了解“简历背后的真实故事”。
  • 全面评估：如实标注可帮助招生官衡量孩子在特殊情境下的韧性与时间管理能力。
  • 家庭责任（每周≥4小时）
  • 照顾年幼／年迈亲人
  • 翻译、家务、家族企业无偿劳动
  • 驾车接送、安排家人约访
  • 有偿工作支持家庭开支
  • 个人境况
  • 每日通勤60分钟以上
  • 流动或不稳定居住
  • 无稳定水电、网络
  • 独自居住（非寄宿制）

给学生的小贴士：
 不要将其视作“负担”申报，而要当成展现成熟度、适应力与决心的机会。比如：“我每天通勤90分钟，仍保持4.0 GPA”，就是一条非常有力的信息。

案例分享：李伟（Li Wei）

  • 背景：两年前随家人从中国来到美国，目前是郊区高三生，正努力适应英语学习和新文化。
  • 家庭责任
    • 翻译：帮助母亲参加家长会、医生预约、与校方沟通
    • 照顾妹妹：放学后辅导功课、准备点心、送去兴趣班
    • 家庭理财：在线缴纳水电费、汇款国内亲属
  • 个人境况
    • 通勤：每天两趟公交往返共90分钟
    • 网络不稳：常去公共图书馆自习直到深夜
    • 语言障碍：学术英语仍在提升阶段，课堂参与与标化考试更具挑战

这一栏如何助力李伟？

  1. 化“空白”为亮点：招生官看到的不再是“社团只有中文俱乐部和超市兼职”，而是他在家庭与学业间展现出的沟通力与领导力。
  2. 凸显时间管理：三小时通勤＋家庭义务＋保持3.8 GPA，彰显“在压力下仍卓越”的能力。
  3. 体现跨文化适应：中英双语切换、东西方文化桥梁能力，预示他能在多元校园环境中游刃有余。
  4. 人性化呈现：真实场景刻画，让评审官记住他独特的人生篇章，而不仅仅是“空洞数据”。

总结：
 高三依然大有可为——

  1. 选择有意义的小项目，9月启动、12月见效。
  2. 精炼活动清单，聚焦3–5项深度经历。
  3. 务必填写“家庭责任与个人境况”，让孩子的努力与成长被全面看见。

祝您的孩子在申请季中脱颖而出，迈入理想校园！