Do students do on campus jobs during their first semester of college? And is it advisable to do so?
Some do. I think it’s better to wait until second semester. Settle in first semester. Also, campus jobs might not hire students without one semester’s GPA.
It all depends.
Some do. My daughter’s roommate who qualified for work study has a work study job on campus to earn that money.
okay thank you !
Whether or not you should work your first semester also has a lot to do with what the job entails – if you’re in a position that has a lot of downtime (receptionist, etc.), it would be a lot more manageable than a job where you’re on your feet the entire shift (dining hall, etc.)
I’m a CS pre-major who took 17 units this semester and earned a 3.7 gpa while working for my college’s catering company. Definitely possible.
@stugace That’s amazing!
It’s just a state school, though.
@stugace most of the schools i have applied to are also state schools. But let’s just see how things go. I most probably will start with the job 2nd semester.
People also hire mid-way into the first semester, at least at my school. What’s important when you’re looking for a job is that the schedule fits yours-- so for me, I’ve found there are some jobs (grading, working with a certain program) that have more flexible hours or evening hours, which is perfect for me because I take five or six classes easily. There are other people who are heavily involved in student orgs (which mostly happen during the evening at my residential college) and so have an office job (that restricts them to 8-5). There are some jobs where you can study, some jobs where you can’t-- I find for me, the best jobs are ones off campus because being on campus all the time can be overwhelming, or where I’m working with kids-- that’s all stuff I had to figure out.
Work study is use it or lose it, so get started as soon you are settled in. Some schools have campus job fairs early in the semester. If you have a particular interest, go for it before it is taken. Work study students usually get preferential treatment for campus jobs.
Some do.
For what it’s worth, research shows that there is a correlation between higher GPAs and working a moderate amount (~8-10 hours). Of course, correlation is not equivalent to causation.
Personally, I think it’s important for students to have jobs from the start but that’s just my opinion.
@nw2this I am not eligible for work study since i am an international student. However, the visa and university policies do allow me to do on campus jobs.
@romanigypsyeyes and @purpleacorn thank you for your inputs! 