<p>I'm a high school senior right now but I was wondering if it was common for freshman at college to be working during the school year?</p>
<p>It probably depends on where you’re at, but I doubt that it would be uncommon anywhere. On my floor, quite a few people have work study jobs that are right on campus and not at all time consuming.</p>
<p>I don’t know too many freshman who have jobs. Out of the 40 or so guys on my floor I think like 4 of us (including me) have a job. if that means anything to you.</p>
<p>I honestly don’t know anyone who isn’t working while in school, but then again I’m at a community college a vast majority of us are taking full time courses w/ a part time or full time job.
Some people can handle and some can’t. Freshman year I’d probably get a job that is flexible w/ hours and just work 5-15 hours a week if you’re a full time student and see how it affects your coursework. That’s if you NEED a job while in school. It is helpful having one though.
My first year I worked 30 hours and had a full course load, bad mistake now I only work 15-20 hours a week…but I know some who work 30-40 hours a week and take 12 credit hours and still manage to excel in their classes.
It all depends on the individual.</p>
<p>i should’ve clarified: i intend on attending a 4 year college, but thanks for your reply anyway papertiger87</p>
<p>the problem is, if i want to go do something (which requires money) i don’t want to have to depend on my parents.</p>
<p>Soooo if you don’t want to rely on your parents for money then get a job. Wether or not many or not so many freshman’s work their first year is irrelevant to you. It’s up to you. You need some extra money, then work. If you find it is getting overwhelming then cut your work hours down. </p>
<p>Or are you going to disregard this comment as well b/c I go to a CC and not a 4 year college.</p>
<p>I have a job and I’m a freshman. I only work 10 hours a week so it doesn’t really interfere with my studies. And it’s always nice to have some extra money on hand. A lot of people I know are always complaining about how they never have any money so it’s nice to not be in that position.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, I work about 8 hours a week.</p>
<p>As a freshmen, I worked about 20-30 hours a week depending. It breaks down pretty evenly here: if you don’t get money from your parents, you have a job. If you do, then you do not.</p>
<p>well, i’ll get money for food and whatnot</p>
<p>but yeah, so i can safely assume that a job won’t be too much work next to school work? like… it constitutes the existence of a social life?</p>
<p>Yes. Job, school, and social life are easily manageable.</p>
<p>If I were you, and you can financially do this, I would put off getting a job until your a little ways into your freshman year so you know you can handle the workload, and after that start looking for a job. Obviously, if you’re working your way through college, this doesn’t apply, but otherwise, after you wait a little while, go for it.</p>
<p>I’ve worked about 8-10 hours a week in addition to schoolwork, a social life, and a varsity sport. It’s tricky at first, but manageble once you learn how.</p>
<p>I work 8 hours a week, and it’s really super manageable. It’s a little annoying because I work Saturday and Sunday so it cuts into my weekend, but I have plenty of time between classes to get everything done. I’m a junior though. That being said, my freshman year a LOT of my friends on campus had jobs working at the dining facilities on campus, given that the work study was a common part of financial aid packages. This was at a four year private, by the way. </p>
<p>If you’re concerned about it, I wouldn’t jump into 15 hours a week, but you can always take on a shift or two and see how it feels. If necessary, if you give them notice you can drop a shift if something comes up, and since it’s a college campus you’re usually really replaceable so they don’t really care that much (unless you’re one of the rare student employees that doesn’t suck, in which case you get a pretty sweet reference). </p>
<p>It helps to have some job experience on your resume. You can have great grades and whatnot but it doesn’t necessarily mean a whole lot if you’ve never worked a day in your life. At the very least, it might give you some perspective as to why you want to stay in school. I know I don’t want to work at a dining hall when I grow up. 
(And yet I’m majoring in psychology…)</p>
<p>I only work during the summer (but I make enough to have savings and spending money during the year). I find that my schoolwork IS my job during the school year. That said, I only know a few people who work during the school year (4 year school).</p>
<p>thanks for all the awesome replies. very insightful.</p>
<p>as my username suggests, i’m a constant worrier.</p>
<p>It depends on how many classes and if your major is demanding. Also it depends on your time management skills. I have a demanding major (electrical engineering) so most of the people in my classes don’t work during the year, but make up for it with internships in the summer. I used to work 24 hours a week and it was pretty hard, but now I work 8 hours and it is managable.<br>
I’d say around 10-15 hours a week is fine for working.</p>
<p>I go to a large school in a big city, and I have a workstudy job where i work about fifteen hours every two weeks. I earn about 150 dollars every two weeks, which is enough to eat and stuff. Doesnt allow for too many trips and things, but i survive and handle my heavy courseload.But ill admit, when i found out i had to pay 200 dollars in a couple weeks, i had to ask my parents for a little help, but it made them happy to help a little since i insist on being so independant.</p>