<p>My mom and brother keep telling me it's pretty good to have a job during highschool to write down on your app. That whole "well rounded thing". Does it really make that much of a difference if I'm already committed to sports and have leadership positions?</p>
<p>i doubt that it’d make a huge difference except that it shows that you can commit to one more activity other than school. </p>
<p>i’ve concluded that colleges just want to see how well you can multi-task and still maintain acceptable grades.</p>
<p>I won’t lie; colleges do love the class president who plays a sport, holds down a steady job, volunteers all the time, and still manages to get good grades. But all their applicants are not like that, and you don’t need to be that person to have a good shot at getting in.</p>
<p>it also depends on the tax bracket of your family. if you are poor and need serious FA, its better to show that you are actually working toward helping out your family and saving for college</p>
<p>I think having a job during HS looks REALLY good in the eyes of the adcoms. I mean, it shows that you have the ability to balance everything on your plate. It also shows maturity and responsibility. IMO, having a job has taught me SO much more than any EC at school could. BTW - I’m the captain of a varsity team, and deeply involved in a lot of ECs at my school.</p>