<p>Do schools care whether you work full-time during the summer and then maybe 10-15 hours per week and get good grades, or would it be better for your applications to have spent that time doing volunteer work or beefing up some other EC?</p>
<p>volunteer work and EC</p>
<p>Having a job and earning money toward your college education can look as good as volunteer work and ECs. It doesn't have to be an "either or" situation though. Most adcoms probably like to see a well-balanced student anyway.</p>
<p>I know a young lady from Silicon Valley who had a p/t job + one primary community service commitment. She really enjoyed both and stayed with them throughout her hs career. She is currently a freshman at Harvard after also being accepted to Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, UC San Diego and MIT.</p>
<p>I don't think she went the route of having a laundry list of awards, ECs and service commitments, but instead, concentrated on a few that she was truely passionate about.</p>
<p>And she is a product of, uh, public schools...eew...hehe!</p>
<p>I dont see why you would want/need a job if you are going to make $7 an hour, and then are going to put that money towards a $100,000 education which in turn is suppose to make you a lot more than $7 an hour. I believe holding a job should be the last thing that a high school student needs. But this is not what admissions thinks.</p>
<p>^you think money grows on trees?</p>
<p>I have a job. It's not for showing off to college. it's so I can buy things. I don't borrow daddy's credit card.</p>
<p>i don't think it's SO important...it might help, though. not having a job, however, comes in handy when you're trying to balance homework and activities. in my case, my mom wouldn't let me get a job during the school year--she was afraid it would be too much stress and i wouldn't get my work done.</p>
<p>it's better to not work and have an A average than sacrifice your grades and get a D average (believe me, i have friends like this) just for a bit of cash. but if you can handle both--go for it.</p>
<p>and gleech, that's a little harsh...not everyone w/out a job is a spoiled brat. i don't have a job, but i don't get money for stuff from my parents, either. i just don't buy anything. some people just need to focus on school, and colleges know that. that's why a job is not supremely important to them (or so it seems). sorry if that's not what you meant, but it came off a little strong.</p>
<p>Colleges want to see that you spend your time productively, whether it is by working, volunteering, playing music, or something completely different.</p>
<p>It is very good to have work experience, though, in the real world. I would be very skeptical of hiring any college graduate (from Harvard or not) who had never worked a day in his/her life. I highly suggest getting some kind of work experience, whether you're a waiter, an intern, a janitor, or a receptionist.</p>
<p>I agree with eruanneth. If your job is cutting into your academic performance, you may be better off taking some time off of your job and taking on ECs you're passionate about that won't compromise your grades. If you can manage to balance your job and classes though, it shows a great level of maturity, and can at times look even greater than a lot of ECs and community service, depending on your commitment to your job, the skills you develop, and what you do w/ your income.</p>
<p>lol, im getting a job so i can afford gas to take me to my various ecs. still, its kinda pointless, my parents can afford gas for me. im really doing it just so i have something better to do than sitting on cc all day.</p>
<p>I hire high school students every year to work in my retail pet store. I look for kids that are interested in business, marketing, animal science or similar subjects. I limit the hours that they can work (no more than 2 days after school, plus one weekend day) and we all understand that school comes first. </p>
<p>The girls are GREAT! (I don't have any guys at the moment.) The job offers them a lot of responsibility and the opportunity to make a contribution to a well known business within their community. I treat it as a entry level career spot. Right now I have graduates at Cornell, UConn, Boulder, Delaware Valley, SCAD and Hobart. This year's group is still waiting on their college choices. </p>
<p>In addition to their 10-14 hrs a week, they are doing plays, chorus, NHS, and other activities. </p>
<p>Get a job -- get the experience -- and get the money!</p>
<p>heey ^ wat store r u talking about hmm u should e-mail me about this</p>
<p>I work on a farm 40 to 45 hours a week during the summer and it became a huge part of my application through essays and such.</p>
<p>Theres nothing wrong with taking a loan from a parent, it is capitol. I took a $5k loan from my dad and I paid him back $5200 a year later. Fords interest was higher, but it was still cheaper because they gave 1k back for financing through them. I also have a job, but it is by no means $7 an hour. If I had to work like some of my friends do, I would say forget it. I rather study my ass off and do community service or just play sports every day, and be more likely to win scholarships, than to work at a restaurant of a movie theatre. I just couldnt do it. I was given clothes, food and a house to live at. I pay for my own food, if I go out, my truck, and the insurance for it. I do all the work outside of the house, and some of it inside. I will also pay 100% for my college, and will move out after graduation.</p>
<p>
[quote]
and gleech, that's a little harsh...not everyone w/out a job is a spoiled brat. i don't have a job, but i don't get money for stuff from my parents, either. i just don't buy anything. some people just need to focus on school, and colleges know that. that's why a job is not supremely important to them (or so it seems). sorry if that's not what you meant, but it came off a little strong.
[/quote]
yeah, you're right. i was in a bad mood lol.
it's the way he said "the last thing you need," assuming that money is not an issue and that people get jobs for the purpose of admissions....</p>
<p>yeah, don't worry about it...i see your point. getting a job just for admissions seems kind of pointless, unless you can really use the money. but some people don't need it, and that's fine.</p>
<p>lol i could use the money...i can't wait till the summer when i can make some.</p>
<p>I've been at the same job, 16 hours a week since before freshman year in order to help pay for my private high school education. Basically, I was given an option and chose what I felt would offer me the most opportunity, even if it meant giving up things.</p>
<p>I definitely made the adcoms aware of the fact that, yeah, I've had to drop clubs due to time restraints with my jobs, but hey, I think I made a good choice in the end.</p>
<p>I work 28 hrs a week and go to school also. I need the money to pay for a car, and if I can't pay for a car, I can't go to the high school that I want to, so it's like I have to do this to do that kind of thing. I think it helps a lot to have a job. It teaches you responsibility, and that should be important. I pretty much got accepted into Allegheny College because I worked, and they told me that on my acceptance letter. I also cut back on a lot of EC's, like track, cheerleading, and the spring musical. I did do one EC this year, and had a total blast. Other than that, I go to school and work.</p>
<p>I work about 33 to 35 hrs a week. Got a 4.0 uwtd gpa 1st semester, i'm kinda proud about that. I hardly have any ecs so thats basically my hook for college. A bad one but still better than nothing.</p>