<p>Hello everyone. </p>
<p>I have been offered a full-time job (40 hrs./week), but I am hesitant to take it. I'm confident that I can balance both school and work, but I'm worried that it might affect my transfer applications negatively. Do schools prefer EC's over a job?</p>
<p>Any thoughts/opinions? Thanks.</p>
<p>The only way it’s going to affect your application in a negative way is if it drops your GPA or conflicts with your school schedule so you can’t finish your pre-reqs. At the transfer level GPA and prerequisites are almost everything, I doubt they have a heavy emphasis over job vs ec as they just want to see what you are doing outside of school, and leadership skills, etc. I wouldn’t really recommend a full time job if you are going to school full time. 40 hours a week, however long it takes to get back and forth from school/work, sleep, class time, doesn’t leave you with much study time or time for anything else really. It’s one thing if you need the job for school costs/bills, but if you are just getting a job to have a job or use it for your ec’s then I might reconsider and look elsewhere.</p>
<p>Depends on what kind of job you have. I highly recommend working at a job where you don’t do much work and allows you to do your homework and study and get paid for it–preferably a desk job. If it’s a job that will drain you and effect your GPA, I would not recommend it.</p>
<p>I’ve talked to Berkeley counselors and they’ve told me that if I don’t have a job with significant hours then they expect me to have more commitments to ECs. If I am working full time then they don’t expect ECs at all.</p>
<p>They want to know that the applicant has things going on and isn’t sitting at home playing video games. And in their eyes an applicant that has responsibilities of putting food on the table or supporting children or what have you is more important than being a club member or whatever.</p>
<p>Being well rounded is always great, but life is difficult and sometimes a job is the only way a lot of applicants can even go to school. Schools realize and appreciate this.</p>