Examples of Language that Articulates the Importance of Family Responsibilities in College Admission

This document offers a collection of real college and application platforms’ language around the importance of applicants’ family contributions/the value of family-based service.

Family contributions constitute a large portion of many applicants’ out-of-school time and can speak to applicants’ character, including their perseverance, grit, and compassion/empathy. Information about family contributions also may put the applicant’s academic record in context.

Family contributions may be helpful to include in applications, essay questions, websites, or application support materials. The goal is to suggest explicitly to applicants that family contributions are valued and important in life and in making admission decisions, and for colleges to offer concrete guidance about where and how to report these contributions in the application.

This resource is part of Character Assessment in College Admission Guide. Read more →

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What does the full Character Assessment in College Admission guide include?

• Character Assessment in College Admission Guide Overview

• Definitions of Key Character/Non-Cognitive Terms and Skills for Use in Admission

• The Thrivers Study: A Tool for Understanding the Characteristics of Successful Students

• Character Assessment Readiness: An Audit Tool for College Admission Offices

• Sharing Institutional Values: Examples from College Admission Websites

• Examples of Character-Focused Essay Questions in College Admission

• Examples of Language that Articulate the Importance of Family Responsibilities in College Admission

• Exploring Character through Recommendation Forms: New Ideas for College Admission Leaders

• Ideas Worth Testing: Innovation in Character Assessment In College Admission

• Examples of College Admission Character Assessment Tools

• Deans Commitment Letter

• Character Assessment in High Schools: Recommendations for the College Admission Process and Beyond (for high schools)

• Writing Character-Conscious Letters of Recommendation: Tips for High School Counselors and Teachers (for high schools)

We welcome feedback as you engage with this resource and in this meaningful work. If you develop additional tools or wisdom to share, we hope you will tell us, so that we can share widely and better guide others. Please email collegeadmissions@makingcaringcommon.org to connect with our team.