<p>Which looks better on a college resume? I've seen this question asked before on here, but I've never seen a good answer. </p>
<p>Both are valuable, but one is not more valuable than the other. </p>
<p>A job is valuable because it demonstrates maturity, responsibility, and work related skills, such as getting along with co-workers, dealing with the public, etc. Some of the best additional letters of recommendation college receive are from employers who attest to the character, integrity and work-ethic of the applicant.</p>
<p>An internship is valuable because it demonstrates continued interest in a field of study. For example, if you’re thinking of majoring in computer science in college, getting a computer related internship for the summer is a great way to learn new skills and show that interest.</p>
<p>What you need to do, however, is to change the way you are thinking. </p>
<p>Don’t do something because you think it might enhance your college resume – Admissions Directors have years of experience and are keenly aware that students resumes are often filled with stuff that’s there just to “look good” and they can smell those things from a mile away. Instead choose something that interests you and pursue it – that’s what colleges are looking for. MIT has some great advice on their website about how to gain admission to the college of your choice: <a href=“Applying Sideways | MIT Admissions”>http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways</a></p>
<p>Some admissions counselors say that a high school student shouldn’t go through high school without a paying job</p>
<p>Depends on the job. </p>
<p>If you can get experience relevant to your desired profession, I like the job. Even if its an internship that isnt paid. </p>
<p>If you are talking about working fast food, retail or any of the other typical min wage job volunteer instead. Again, look for something that is related to your interests and helps tell a story about you. </p>
<p>Unless one or the other is impressive enough to really knock the socks off admissions, I don’t think it matters much which one you do. What matters more is what you get out of it and how you sell that on your application. Even a fast food job can be a learning experience.</p>
<p>@gibby Thanks for the reply, but I am just deciding between a summer job and community service. An internship is out of the question at this point.</p>
<p>If I get a job, it’d be one at a local grocery store. I am definitely volunteering this summer at various urban gardens across the city.</p>
<p>Take the job and do some volunteering on side. Adults do that all the time and it gives you best of both worlds. Unless you are doing substantial volunteering, as in leading a program or basically doing a “job” for the non-profit, then working is more valuable IMHO. </p>
<p>Colleges understand that many students need to work so it is totally fine to say you took a job to help pay your expenses when you get to college. It is also great if you can do community service work. In the end, whatever you do is fine. </p>
<p>My D volunteered that summer with the headquarters of a community service organization working with homeless men and women that she was very heavily involved with throughout HS (was VP of the HS club junior year & Pres senior year) so that made a lot of sense and was a very meaningful thing for her to do. My S worked at a camp the summer between his junior and senior year. Both did just fine with college admissions. </p>
<p>@Scmom12 Is volunteering about 25 hrs/week substantial? I want a job too, but I don’t think a manager would like it if I can’t work during the day due to my volunteering.</p>
<p>I basically just want to know if it would hurt me to not have a job in high school. I honestly don’t care about getting paid; I just want to put something else on my college app.</p>
<p>^^ For selective colleges, your transcript, course rigor, GPA, teacher recommendations and essays are the most important factor in determining acceptance. Colleges use extracurriculars to judge how the applicant has used the resources available to them outside of classroom – and they look for reasons to accept the applicant, not reject them. So, there isn’t anything that’s going “to hurt” you besides having lots of blank spaces on your EC list. Having a job won’t help you any more than volunteering or vice-versa. </p>
<p>FWIW: Many students assume that colleges look favorably upon volunteering or community service. While that might have been true years ago, many colleges have gotten wise to that fact thousands of high school’s now require community service in order to graduate, so volunteering is not the big plus it used to be. My kids applied to bunch of schools with absolutely no community service on their resumes – zero, zilch, none. Each had summer jobs though (busboy, waiter, camp counselor) and were accepted at many top colleges. </p>
<p>@gibby so is it better to juggle the job and volunteer work or focus purely on one thing?</p>
<p>It’s better to do what makes you happy, as you have absolutely no control over what a college thinks of your EC list. Juggle both, or do one – it really doesn’t matter. Please read this: <a href=“What College Admissions Offices Look for in Extracurricular Activities | HuffPost College”>HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost;
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<p>Also, the place I volunteer for is not open on Mondays. So, would going to a different place on Mondays look good or would colleges think I am just doing it for my app?</p>
<p>Colleges won’t know that the volunteer place is closed on Mondays unless you tell them. The Common App does ask how many hours per week you spend on each activity, and 25 hours per week on one activity for the summer is fine.</p>
<p>You really need to change your way of thinking – STOP trying to think of how things will look on your application, and do things to make yourself happy. Both my kids are attending the college of their choice because they pursued stuff THEY were interested in – sometimes 2 or 3 things at a time – and couldn’t care less about what colleges thought about those activities. That’s what you need to do!</p>
<p>The 25 hrs/week things brings up another question. They give me 4hrs/day for volunteering, but I am really there for from 8am-2pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays and from 8am-3pm on Fridays. So, I am there for 25hrs total per week, but they will only give me 16 hours/week for whatever reason. (We do take like one 15 min. break though.)</p>
<p>A job shows a level of maturity that goes beyond volunteering, since a volunteer organization will give you more leeway on performance than will an employer. When you are costing an organization money, you have to make sure that you are performing to the highest level–showing up on time and doing your job well. My D’s college counselor was very happy that D was getting a job this summer. And it is a minimum wage job that has no prestige value and has nothing to do with her future field. The counselor said that was terrific, because it shows a work ethic and that she is not “spoiled.” </p>
<p>@jm9715: Since you seem to be having a difficult time making a decision, I’m going to advise you to do AS MUCH as possible. Volunteer during the week and get a job on the weekends. Fill your time with as many productive things as possible. Earn some money, do some good, be nice, demonstrate responsibility and maturity . . . and have a fun summer!</p>
<p>Thank you very much, @gibby. I think that is what I’m going to do.</p>