Should I mention my work experience at all?

Parents Forum
1

<p>Hi Parents,</p>

<p>I'm a rising Junior and was looking at college applications, just to make sure I don't receive any shocks when Senior year rolls around.</p>

<p>I noticed they have a place for work experience. I worked like 10 hours a week at the same place my mom did, but the thing is my mom received a bump in the paycheck (for me working there...).</p>

<p>In other words, I worked under my mom's name. Stupid decision - I don't know why I did that.</p>

<p>So should I mention it at all? I worked there for like 3 months (2 months and 3 weeks to be exact).</p>

<p>I've also been looking at Financial aid calculators and they have a place for Students Income. According to the Admission Matters book, the government sometimes asks for verification of W2s and stuff. So if I don't mention my "income" on the FAFSA, colleges will think I'm lying. If I do mention it, when verification comes around - I'm screwed.</p>

<p>So what exactly should I do?</p>

2

<p>You could list your work as interning, for 10 hours a week for 11 weeks or so. Explain the nature of your job.</p>

3

<p>Yes,call it an "unpaid internship," and describe what you did.</p>

4

<p>I never expected I'd receive a response so early. Thanks marite and Northstarmom.</p>

<p>Hey that's not a bad idea. Thanks, but what if it exactly wasn't what you'd expect in an internship. Meaning not quite white collar, more along the lines of cashier...</p>

5

<p>Internships can be go-fer jobs or very ordinary jobs. If you're working in a regular business and not getting paid, that counts as an "internship." If you're working at a nonprofit (like the Scouts, March of Dimes, Urban League, etc.) and not getting paid, call that "volunteering" or "community service" or you can also call it an "internship."</p>

6

<p>Unpaid intern in 'customer service/customer relations' duties include cash, check, credit transactions
Will the employer verify employment and give reference if asked? If so, be sure to clarify that you will be calling the experience and 'internship'.</p>

7

<p>It's still a job. It was probably easier for them to "pay" you by using your mother as a pass through. The fact is you still worked there.</p>

8

<p>As I recall (and I may remember wrong, or it may have changed), the spaces on college apps for work experience are really there to show <em>what</em> you did, not whether and how you were paid. To show that you did something productive with, say, your summers. Many (most? all?) colleges value work experience as much as they might a variety of ECs or volunteer jobs. </p>

<p>To my memory, they don't ask what your pay rate was.</p>

<p>So, if it were me - or my son - I would simply put in the Work Experience space something like:</p>

<p>June-August 2007. Cashier at XYZ store. 10 hours/ week. Responsible for good customer relations, balancing receipts at end of day,..... Supervisor: Jane Doe.</p>

<p>And you should <em>definitely</em> mention it. It is a plus to your application.</p>

9

<p>jmmom, I think aznchick was worrying about how the work experience might affect the FAFSA verification because she didn't legally get paid. I might be wrong though.</p>

<p>Like others said, mention it if colleges question you get a letter from your employer (more higher up) or something.</p>

10

<p>In rereading the original posting, if the concern is reconciling mentioning the job in the college application, but not having it show up in the FAFSA and being accused of misrepresenting things, then just mention in the college application that you worked, but your pay was reflected in your mother's income, not yours.</p>