In addition, I know this type of addendum is not common so I think the circumstances are important to mention: I started college at 17 credits a semester (since I double majored) but eventually dropped to 14 and even 12 credits, took two semesters at community college mid-college, and took five-and-a-half years to graduate all for the reason described below. Looking at my transcripts it all looks pretty messy and confusing and I do not want any of that to reflect poorly upon me when I had a legitimate reason.
Feel free to message me or responds here with comments. Thanks!
Significant Non-Employment Activity Addendum
Although the past five years of my life have been largely centered upon my education and my business, there is one important focus that I believe an application alone cannot do justice. In May 2005, my mother gave birth to Giavonna - my first sister from her new marriage to my stepfather. Our family continued to grow even larger with the births of Sophia and Isabella (twins, in 2008) and Max (in 2009). As my mother and stepfather are both busy professionals (a nurse practitioner and cardiologist respectively), and as the responsibility of caring for my siblings has been a great one, our family has adapted through collaboration and shared responsibility.
Our family's sudden need for childcare in 2008 necessitated a change in my busy schedule. I adjusted my class schedule to allow me more time at home to help my mother and stepfather and to spend time with my siblings. I decreased my credit load from 17 credits during Spring 2008 to 14 credits during Fall 2008; in later semesters I reduced my credit load even further. During Fall 2010 and Fall 2011, I temporarily transferred to my local community college so that I could like at home and thereby be more available to my family. As I was determined to complete a double major the circumstances eventually necessitated an extra year-and-a-half of classes. Hence, I have dedicated myself to five-and-a-half years of undergraduate education.
Spending so much time with my young siblings and family has imparted new wisdom upon me. I have come to value cooperation, as a family or neighborhood cooperates to raise a child. The greatest successes our family has experienced have been the result of collective effort, whether it be as simple as keeping a clean home or as complex as nurturing four infants into caring and considerate children. Through these experiences I have come to seek an educational environment that rewards teamwork and reciprocity. My siblings now reaching school-age and my mother now a full-time mother, I apply to XXXX Law School eager to embrace the close-knit and cooperative atmosphere fostered by the school's small class sizes, accessible faculty, and focus upon community involvement and pro bono practice.
