<p>I'll be working around 30 hours a week this entire summer, so I don't have much time for anything else. I feel like I'm at a disadvantage though because people talk about taking summer classes at local community colleges, volunteering in labs, going to expensive summer programs, etc.</p>
<p>So am I at a disadvantage?</p>
<p>No. Working for pay is a perfectly respectable (and respected) use of your time, either during the summer or during the school year.</p>
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<p>On the other hand, as a middle-aged parent, I can’t help rolling my eyes at this part. Thirty hours a week isn’t that much. It’s about the amount of time you spend in school–and by “in school,” I mean just from the beginning of first period until dismissal, excluding clubs, practices, homework, etc. I bet one or both of your parents manage to work more than 30 hours a week and do a lot besides.</p>
<p>I’m sure you meant that you can’t work 30 hours a week and also do immunological research at a nearby university, or go to Tanglewood. That’s true. But working 30 hours a week really leaves you lots of time in your summer.</p>
<p>Haha yeah that’s exactly what I meant, as in not enough time for another huge time commitment. I also play summer basketball and I play soccer, so I’m in two full time sports during the summer as well.</p>
<p>30 hours a week seems a lot to me because I’ve never worked before haha.</p>
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<p>Ah, that’s very different! And then, obviously, the answer is, no, colleges and universities won’t think less of you because you worked for pay instead of doing one of those other things. Far from it.</p>
<p>Thanks. I’ll be volunteering on the weekends I hope, and I might look into doing some research at a local university (I live in Columbus Ohio so possibly at OSU?). I need some good “hooks” since I’m not star in math, chemistry, or physics haha, no olympiads for me.</p>
<p>Two full time sports and a job? Nope, not putting you at a disadvantage at all.</p>
<p>Lots of students think that they’re somehow better than everyone else from an admissions perspective because they throw money away on summer programs or desperately search for research opportunities and special volunteering programs when, in reality, regularly volunteering for any cause you care about or–shocker–working for a living will be just as (if not more) appealing on a college application.</p>
<p>Colleges don’t care how many trips you’ve taken to build schools in remote corners of the globe, especially if it looks like you’re just doing it to stick it on your applications.</p>
<p>In terms of how colleges want you to spend your summer, they really just want you to be doing something productive (i.e., just anything but hanging out with friends or playing video games/watching TV all summer).</p>
<p>Getting a job is probably one of the best ways to spend your summer both in terms of applications and finances. Colleges aren’t going to hold working for some extra money (or to pay the bills) against you. They’re going to see it as a sign that you’re mature and responsible–both personally and fiscally.</p>
<p>Thanks for that. What you said makes me feel a lot better haha. I’ve always been worried that even though I work really hard, my parents’ income isn’t up to par with all the kids that go to Ivy League summer programs.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, I also agree that a summer job looks great on an application. A lot of my friends took classes at local community colleges during the school year -they would go to class, go to their sports practices after school, then take more classes at a CC in the evening. Some of them used every holiday break to buy expensive overseas programs or fly across the country to do some research with a professor at a university. And, some of them spent thousands for their summer break to attend classes at another university out of state, and not at a CC. </p>
<p>I did neither of those things and worked instead, and applied to every internship that came my way to fill up holiday breaks. I just can’t stand studying on days where I’m not legally obligated to be in a classroom. We all got accepted into the same universities. Well, except, you know, the ONE kid that got into Harvard/ Yale and the ONE kid that got into MIT. But, yeah, jobs can’t hurt and they certainly do help.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input, I appreciate it. </p>
<p>And a quick question: what kind of “internships” are you talking about? Just anything that was offering or field-specific? And any advice on how to do that kind of stuff?</p>
<p>Hello, I’m also curious to know what kind of internships foiled did. I am currently looking for a summer job as well to go along with a local political summer program I might be doing, but I’m worried about what colleges will think because my summer plans so far have nothing to do with environmental science (my deep interest, most likely future major)…</p>
<p>My internships were always during the summer and spring. I found that was when there were more openings, but companies still hire in early fall too. I went to the career site of companies that I admired and applied as soon as they posted available internships relevant to my field. For smaller companies (less than 500 employees) and start-ups, I did cold calls and sometimes walked in if I was in the area.</p>
<p>I also asked friends, family members and anyone above the acquaintance level about the companies where they worked. One summer, I got to intern for city public affairs from a guy I knew who was in the restaurant business, and then was offered to intern for the mayor when summer was over. You kind of just never know about the people you know.</p>
<p>I don’t know what field you intend to go into but I can say that if you wanted to apply, for example, as a finance/ business major as a high school student, it’s not necessary to intern solely at an accounting firm (what I did for one internship) or investment firm, so long as it is relevant to your studies. For example: finance internships in the medical industry, energy industry, since every sector needs someone to manage funds. </p>
<p>I also liked working at a job more than internships, but that’s my own personal preference (it pays better and is lengthier than an internship on college apps!). If you find yourself working instead of interning, remember your boss; I asked my bosses to write recommendation letters for me for my college apps. Best of luck!</p>
<p>merrybon, during my internship search, almost every single environmental science internship I came across was national or for the city. If you’re aiming bigger than local government, the competition is obviously going to be tougher, like vying for a place at the National Science Foundation. In any case, environmental science is still pretty broad. What do you want to concentrate in? Renewable energy? Marine and ocean science? Forestry or agriculture? And then go from there. From what my science-oriented friends have had to say about their experiences, most science internships are either incredibly prestigious, research intensive with a mentor (such as at a big research university), or grunt work cleaning lab equipment (which is what one friend spent weeks doing as a sophomore bio-med major, haha). In any case, most science internships I came across were unpaid or had seemingly irrelevant tasks, but you benefit from the contacts you make, whether or not you build the relationship and job long term and how much you hustle.</p>
<p>I just want to jump in and point out that internships need only relate to your interests, not your intended field. Jobs don’t have to be related at all as long as you do well at the job and have a decent level of job satisfaction.</p>
<p>You’re allowed to have interests outside of your intended area of study. It’s actually a good thing. Having a broad base of knowledge and experience is all the rage these days, as most people on their way to college now can expect to work a variety of jobs in a variety of fields. Picking one job and sticking with it until retirement is no longer the norm–it hardly happens at all.</p>
<p>Oh, yep, that too, ^ what RedSeven said. You mentioned you play 2 sports. If 1 of them was soccer or something, you could also intern in your local area’s sports team in sports management, or (perhaps it’s easier to) even spend a holiday break or two finding a job to coach kids in soccer and build on that interest you have. It certainly wouldn’t harm your college apps to have an extracurricular item that shows your life outside of the field you want to go into, and to list that in your ECs.</p>