<p>My son is a HS junior and has always had some kind of summer job, albeit all 3 of the last summer jobs were "volunteer." I am getting the message from his school that he should do "something," but doesn't it have to be rather flexible, as I foresee the summer of junior year as a time filled with visiting colleges and attending info sessions, especially if the colleges are a plane flight away. How did you manage the summer with your junior?</p>
<p>My D worked the summer before senior year, at job that also allowed her to take one vacation week. She was still able to use the internet to really narrow down the types of school she was interested in. The Boston school were close and easy. Then we took week to visit schools outside our geographical area that she knew she either wanted to consider, or really needed to see to know if she was actually interested.</p>
<p>Yes, they had/have summer jobs but flexible hours so visits/etc for the job wasn’t an issue. Marching band, however was. We started doing visits sophomore year because we knew time was limited. Did our last big swing of visits Labor Day weekend going into senior year. That was actually very productive. Classes were in session so students were on campus but we hadn’t started school yet. We also got some sight seeing in that weekend.</p>
<p>Yes, she had time for a summer job the summer after her junior year. She worked 20-40/hrs per week.</p>
<p>My D2 did not have a summer job, but she definitely did more than spending the summer visiting colleges. That took up about a week of time (we had done some over spring break, and did a couple more on long weekends in the fall). My D2 also went to an engineering camp for 3 weeks, Quiz Bowl camp for one week, took a free online Statistics course through Udacity, and volunteered for a local food bank. And I think we also went on vacation for a week. :)</p>
<p>D1 spent the summer before senior year abroad on a homestay (got a scholarship, so it was pretty inexpensive for us). She was gone for about 7 weeks. </p>
<p>However, D1 worked summer after senior year (got a paid internship teaching with the BreakThrough Collaborative). D2 is just starting her job search for next summer (summer after senior year). Both have to cover spending money and books in college, and I also think it is important for them to do some paid work for someone who is not a parent, just as a life experience.</p>
<p>Yes mine all worked that summer, generally 20 or so hours per week. In each case they did take a week off later in August for family vacation…they all just worked it out with the places they were working. One of the three played a fall sport so had to work around the workouts so to speak but there are many hours in a week during summers. With only one did we take college trips in the summer and my third and I did that the last weekend in August in lieu of the family vacation week while the college was in session but high school had not begun (we start after Labor Day).</p>
<p>None of my kids worked that summer. School here runs to the middle of June and starts near the end of August. Oldest D did state Governor’s school, which was 5 weeks in the middle of summer, plus preseason for her sport started in the middle of August. Son did a 6 week camp at a college which did not leave much time. Youngest D plays a summer club sport, went on a 3 week trip to Asia, went to a college sports camp, a high school team camp, and started preseason in the middle of August. We did squeeze a few quick trips to distant colleges in there also.</p>
<p>I believe the oldest 2 learned a lot about their readiness for college by living on a campus in the summer, eating in the cafeteria, getting to classes, etc.</p>
<p>How many colleges does your kid need to visit? Why don’t you start with that. Draw up a couple potential travel plans, work up the travel budget, and then ask yourselves whether that is truly the best use of your time, trouble, and money. If it is, fit the work/internship around the necessary trips. If you and your child decide that you don’t want to do all the traveling, then let your child work more instead.</p>
<p>Our college visits were fit inside the regular family vacation and into a couple days during spring break. But my kid’s list was very short, so YMMV significantly.</p>
<p>I guess it all depends on what type of job your son gets. If it is grocery or retail he might not have the flexibility other jobs have. My daughter was a file clerk at an office (and she still is this year) and they allowed her to take off as needed but she also took an art class at the local CC four days a week in order to free up space in her senior schedule to take an extra academic class. She worked about 10-15 hours a week during the summer and does the same during the school year.</p>
<p>We did most of her college visits during spring break her junior year and did go to a few info. sessions for particular programs at in-state colleges during the summer but they were only 60-90 minutes away and she could go to her art class and work a few hours before we left for the info. sessions. We did not get to the East Coast though (we live in Washington State) and if she gets into any of the three colleges she applied to on the East Coast, and they give enough aid, we will visit those during spring break this year.</p>
<p>Good luck with the college search, it gets extremely hectic and stressful during the fall of senior year.</p>
<p>Our HS only had a 2 day spring break last year due to snow days (was only supposed to be 3 days originally), and spring sport had a game one of those days. Junior year we visited colleges Columbus Day weekend, the Monday after Thanksgiving (day off for hunting season!), President’s Day weekend, and summer. Summer was 2 quick trips to opposite coasts. She will not be able to get to any of those for accepted students’ days in April, it’s peak sports season.</p>
<p>Nope. Jobs were scarce, and they mostly seemed to go to kids that could commit to school year hours.</p>
<p>DS worked 25-30 hours a week during the summer after his junior year. Played his sport on the other days. DD worked at a sleepaway camp after her junior year. Didn’t worry about work schedules as we prefer not to visit colleges during the summer. We visited schools Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Election Day and over weekends (not in sports season).</p>
<p>My son did work Jr summer but didn’t the summer after Sr graduation. We had some family issues needing him to have something flexible which did not appear. So instead, we traded gas and extra spending money for him to power wash our large deck and re-stain it.</p>
<p>We did some college visits Jr summer but chose the places that were closer driving distance to go there and back in one day. Spring break Jr year my husband and son did overnites to see 2 colleges. Then in the fall, they went during other days off from school that were against the weekend so they either stayed overnite after the visit or before eg Sun to visit Mon.</p>
<p>Blame my blue collar roots (and my blue collar parents), but I’d probably consider it too indulgent if they didn’t go get summer work. But unlike my parents, I simply don’t have the plethora of chores waiting for a kid who fails to find employment! Good thing making them responsible for their own spending money was motivation enough! </p>
<p>Anyway, to answer your question. Yes, I expect my current junior to work this summer, just like I expected her sister to work the summer after her junior year.</p>
<p>Mine had volunteer jobs and took a little time off for our vacation. (Actually older one also had a paid job at the end of the summer.) We didn’t visit any colleges with us in the summer, though my younger son went on at least one weekend visit with a friend. We used spring break, February break and an extended Labor Day weekend when colleges were in session to visit.</p>
<p>Son had 2 summer jobs totalling 20 - 30 hours per week. Both jobs had enough scheduling flexibility to allow college visits when needed. My son has been working since he was 16 even during the school year. I think it has been a valuable formative experience for him.</p>
<p>I think the right answer depends on you child’s ability to manage their time and focus.</p>
<p>Both of our kids participated in the summer program they applied for junior year. They were different programs, but they had to compete for and were free of charge to us. I think they were both around 6 weeks. They spent remainder of the summer to work on their college essays. We didn’t visit colleges in the summer because we wanted to visit when there were students on campus.</p>
<p>My HS Junior will be working at a Canadian summer camp for 8 weeks.
He (gently) lobbied for months to get the position.</p>
<p>Fresh air, exercise & responsibility.<br>
References.<br>
And some pocket money.</p>
<p>He’ll still have the last couple of weeks in August for test review
if need be.</p>
<p>Oh yeah …</p>
<p>(And +1 to oldfort’s comment about visiting colleges when they’re in session. IMHO, not worthwhile otherwise.)</p>
<p>Some schools on the list we could only get to in the summer. With a child for whom the campus is an important part of the equation, it worked for us.</p>
<p>Perfect. Whatever works, works.</p>