How much weight does having a part time job in high school play on a college application? I just don’t think I will have the time and I’m not sure if it’s worth it. I don’t really need the money and I have a lot more extracurriculars that I need to worry about. Do colleges place a lot of importance on a job or will I be okay if I don’t have one? For reference, I’m looking at schools like Columbia University so I want to have every advantage I can in the admissions process.
Little to no importance.
You shouldn’t look for a job to pad your resume. Looking for an advantage means that your grades and scores are not so great.
A job is a very important EC if it is used to help support yourself and/or your family members.
Adcoms note that by the consistency in the number of hours, or years, spent having a high school job.