How important are jobs?

<p>Hi. I was wondering how important work experience is in the admissions process. If your extra-curricular activities are ok, as are your grades, then is a lack of work experience really going to harm you?</p>

<p>not sure, it would be interesting if someone could shed some light on this...im wondering how it looks...does it matter if the job is to simply support your social life or if it is to finance an extra curricular activity...?</p>

<p>Also, does it matter if the job is just a few hours of babysitting and tutoring here and there? Or does it need to be a regular job?</p>

<p>According to my (excellent) guidance counselor, the job thing there is to let colleges know how you've been spending your time. Obviously, if you have a ton of extracurriculars, you don't have time for a job; but also vice versa. So if you have a job that takes up a lot of your time, then that would explain why you don't have very many ECs. Does that make sense?</p>

<p>I wouldn't be surprised if it figured in, showing that you're a responsible adult and so forth, but at the same time you shouldn't take a job JUST for college apps--and if you are a senior now, it's too late to change whether or not you have had jobs in the past, so don't sweat it. If you spend your time outside of class valuably, there's no need to worry about not having a job.</p>

<p>But isnt working a job considered an EC? At least in my case I think it is (but let me know if im wrong)- Im in my school's co-op program and I'm working at a bank, by the end of the year I'll have 600 hours working in loans, accounting, and as a teller. Considering my business related classes in school, wouldn't this job be considered an EC?</p>

<p>very impotant; i heard that if you arent employed at the time that you're applying that you have no chance. so, if i were you. id freak</p>

<p>is that sarcasm?...tough to tell...i kinda hope you're right though, cuz my toughest competition has been pretty sheltered and never had to work her whole life</p>

<p>Hey, does EBennett stand for Elizabeth Bennet (of Pride and Prejudice)? She's one of my heroes too!</p>

<p>yes. Elizabeth Bennet is unbelievably cool.</p>

<p>I know! I love how she's so independent and, at the same time, a complete lady.</p>

<p>I'm sorry, twistedlogic, I shouldn't have said that a job wasn't an EC. I was just sort of using the Common App's way of defining ECs--how they separate jobs from volunteer/clubs/hobbies/etc. So by ECs I meant the volunteer/clubs/hobbies/etc. part. Sorry if I was being confusing.</p>

<p>micheeatsfish, I don't think that's true. I know people who have gotten into lots of very selective schools--including Yale--and I don't think they were employed at the time they were accepted. Where did you hear that?</p>

<p>P.S. I too am a total Lizzy Bennett fan :)</p>

<p>it is said that adcoms usally take notice of applicants who worked during his/her high schools- so its a plus</p>

<p>does it look even better if the job was to support an extracurricular, or do they not really care...?</p>

<p>wee i've worked every day of the week for 3 years now ;) </p>

<p>good money</p>

<p>I worked to pay for my dance classes.....but I had to quit because I have too much school work. I hope I have enough dough to pay for the rest of the year.
:(</p>

<p>where'd you all work during high school? I just thought it would be kind of interesting to see what kind of jobs people have had.... maybe not, haha, but I bet some seniors out there have had some really interesting ones. </p>

<p>Me... I was a sales associate/cashier at a clothing store for a year,
concessions stand employee every winter since 8th grade,
inspected polker chips for a couple months (soo boring!),
and also teach piano lessons.
& Hopefully I will be certified to teach swimming lessons this summer (good pay, but takes a lot of time that I don't have in order to get certified). If not teaching lessons, I plan to work at the golf course this summer driving the beverage cart!!!!!!!! (what an awesome job... little old grandpa's golfing with their buddies give good tips, I've heard!) haha.</p>

<p>So how about the rest of you? any interesting jobs out there?</p>

<p>I've been lifeguarding off and on for a while. Over the summer I was a medical records clerk. Most boring, God-awful job in the world. I literally filed things for 8 hours a day. Ouchie.</p>

<p>that's what you'll do if you don't get into yale. :p</p>

<p>AAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHH!!!
Kill me now!</p>

<p>:D</p>

<p>I hope they look at jobs as better if they are used to finance an EC...I work at CVS to pay for my French trip, so I will definitely put that on my app. Its better than working for money just to have it....</p>