<p>hey everyone! i'm applying early binding to Wharton, and early nonbinding to MIT and UChicago this year. I was just wondering how the role of a job comes into play in an already competitive application. </p>
<p>I work at Starbucks as a barista, so around 30 hours when school is out and ~20 hours when school is in. It means that I don't have time for much else, although I'm taking 4 AP classes and volunteering and president of a club that means a lot to me. I just feel like I'm not doing enough things to pad my app because I'm always so busy/dead tired from work (i.e. sports, although I would love to do them), so I was wondering how much it means for a kid to have a job when in terms of application competitiveness.</p>
<p>I have a 2360 SAT and a 4.5 GPA, so I don't think it looks like work is causing me to slack off or anything like that. Sorry if I sound a bit incoherent, it's 2AM here! Thank you in advance! :) </p>
<p>I disagree, it is much better than most ECs.</p>
<p>You cannot compare a 20 hour per week job, or a full-time job in the summer, to any EC except sports. It does not even matter what kind of job it is, as long as you spend a lot of hours at it.</p>
<p>I was a secretary and receptionist at my mom’s company during summers of high school, often more that 40 hours per week because she was a workaholic. I firmly believe that was a differentiating factor in my college application, and I got into two Ivys despite a poor class rank.</p>
<p>Not having a job is read as “my parents are well-off and I don’t have to work”. It would be even worse if your family is poor and you don’t have a job or at least an internship all summer. Doing something in the summers is important.</p>
<p>Think about it - if you and nine others had identical applications, but you were actually able to hold down a job and still get those numbers, isn’t that more remarkable?</p>
<p>I am not sure a job is much better than most EC if at all. It may be depending on what kind of job and why your need that job. Not having a job also does not mean “my parents are well-off and I don’t have to work” and a student with a job does not mean “my family income so low that I have to work” either. The bottom line is that it shows how you use your spare time. One may work for money, for interest, or for building career plan. There is no generalization. Without knowing the rationale behind, a job is just an EC.</p>
<p>I have spoken to several admissions officers who believe that a student should not go through high school without a part time job. They hold more weight than other ECs.</p>
<p>In my personal opinion, I have done other ECs and my job at Starbucks is honestly one of the most stressful responsibilities I have taken on. Minimum wage service jobs demand A LOT, and I’m truly glad to have this experience just because it’s taught me an incredible amount about the world around me that I would not have gained on my own. In terms of hours, I can only compare it to varsity volleyball, which I did in my freshman year. </p>
<p>Working an 8hour shift and coming home to finish homework on the weekend is… not even close to volunteering 3 hours at a soup kitchen. Especially when you have a paycheck that depends on it. And by that extension, I wasn’t able to do any internships this year because I couldn’t just drop my job, I couldn’t really do college visits because I’d just been hired, etc. </p>
<p>Even though my family is not necessarily in need of money, I took a job because I wanted to have some independence and I also wanted to contribute towards my education in any way possible. Thank you for all your opinions! I’m taking them all into consideration. (But keep 'em coming!)</p>
<p>It’s taken a lot out of me, so I just wanted to know if admissions officers weighed it the same. :)</p>
<p>@senior201412345 @billcsho
Because MIT/Chicago are non-binding, you can apply to both MIT+Chicago and Wharton. However, if you are accepted to Wharton, you must go there as it supersedes the nonbinding applications. If you apply to two binding schools than you’re going against the ED contract. I believe Brown is the only Ivy League that restricts applicants from applying to other EAs. </p>
<p>that is not true. if you file ANY ED or SCEA application you CANNOT submit an early application, binding, single choice or neither, to any PRIVATE school. Since MIT and UChicago are both private, you cannot apply to either if you choose to apply to Wharton. You should do your research before you get blacklisted.</p>
<p>@senior201412345
“Can I apply Early Decision to multiple schools?
You cannot apply Early Decision to more than one school. Do keep in mind that Early Decision at Penn is a binding agreement. If you are accepted to Penn, you will be required to withdraw all other applications.
You can apply Early Decision to Penn and early action to other schools, as long as they are not single-choice or restrictive early action programs (which restrict you from applying early to other schools). It is best to check with any schools to which you are applying early to see what their policies are.”</p>
<p>@senior201412345 presque is right. This is something that may vary by school, but Penn’s rules seem to be the norm. I think you are confusing this with some school’s SCEA rules. Some SCEA (Id say most or all, but I haven’t done the research on that and don’t want to say something incorrect), will allow you to apply EA to public universities in addition.</p>
<p>Check the Common Data set for each school you’re looking at. They indicate how highly they weigh work experience. I think overall though they are taken with just a little more weight in general.</p>
<p>I read on a Tulane admissions blog that they compare having a job to a varsity sport, for one example.</p>