<p>So I'm a current high school junior and I was hoping I could get some advice. I was originally going to post this in HSL, but I decided parents would be able to help better due to their experience.</p>
<p>How important is previous job experience when applying to top-tier (think HYP) schools?</p>
<p>I only say this because I am fortunate enough that my family makes enough money so that I don't have to work (around 100-120 K). However, do colleges look highly on job experience? Can it be a major/deciding factor?</p>
<p>I think a better question would be…what would you do if you didn’t get a job? Having a job shows some responsibility. Sitting around all summer does not really show much in terms of motivation. Also, having a job gives you some money of your own, which you can learn to manage.</p>
<p>Is having a job a “tipping factor” in terms of getting into a school like HYPS? Who knows?</p>
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<p>The cost of attending HYPS etc is above $50,000 a year. With a family income of $120,000 a year, your family will be expected to make a significant contribution towards your college costs. If their income is $120K per year, their take home pay isn’t nearly that amount…and the costs of attending these schools could easily be 1/3 to 1/2 of their annual take home pay each year. PLUS all of these schools require a student contribution which is something you can earn during the summer.</p>
<p>With an income in the $100K range, your family contribution will be in the $25K to $33K per year amount at all but the most generous schools. Can your parents REALLY afford to pay that amount? Wouldn’t it be nice if you worked during the summer to at least fund your own discretionary spending and perhaps books? Just saying!</p>
<p>Well I ask because this summer, I have a research position set up at a local state university in the Neuro-Opthalmology department. However, I was also thinking of simultaneously getting a job in the evenings/night after my research time. </p>
<p>With that extra time, I could possibly prepare papers for Intel ISEF/Siemens, start on my college applications, etc.</p>
<p>I was just wondering which option would be most beneficial to me. </p>
<p>Also (in regards to your last paragraph), at schools like Harvard/Yale, families with an income between 65K and 150K only have to pay 10% of their income. So in fact, my parents will have to pay about 12K/year which should be very manageable (considering IF I get in…5.7% acceptance rate, smh).</p>
<p>"Well I ask because this summer, I have a research position set up at a local state university in the Neuro-Opthalmology department.
With that extra time, I could possibly prepare papers for Intel ISEF/Siemens, start on my college applications, etc.</p>
<p>I was just wondering which option would be most beneficial to me."</p>
<p>My advise is forget the job and do as much of your college app work as possible. Participating in ISEF/ Siemens is going to help your “chances” more than a summer job, unless it was in a related area of interest to you- such as also working for an Ophthalmologist, or volunteering at a hospital, for instance.
The more of your college apps that you can get done, or ready to submit this summer, the better. That way you can continue to focus on your classes and grades in the Fall.</p>
<p>DS did not have any job experience but he did have 2 summers worth of college level research under his belt when he applied to colleges- I think it made a huge difference in where he was accepted. College admins at top colleges want kids who show a passion for learning. That often shows up in the way students choose to spend their free time.</p>
<p>Op…I agree that your summer plan is a good one…research will definitely be viewed favorably in your admission packets. Spend the rest of your time getting your college stiff done. </p>
<p>I would also suggest that you run the net price calculators on the college websites. These will give you an estimate of your family contribution and need based aid prospects. This will likely vary even at those generous schools as they all use different formulas to compute aid. </p>
<p>You definitely have a full summer…it was not clear in your OP that you had this research plan.</p>
<p>“I have a research position set up at a local state university in the Neuro-Opthalmology department. However, I was also thinking of simultaneously getting a job in the evenings/night after my research time.”</p>
<p>Jeez, a research position is enough, and probably more impressive as a high schooler than a job. Take some time to relax, don’t burn yourself out during the summer. If you have extra time, get a heads up on college, but really…see a movie or two at night, don’t work also.</p>
<p>Having a real job might indicate to the school that you see yourself as a self-empowered individual that has a strong sense of personal responsibilities and everyday reality.</p>
<p>It may depend on the kind of job you pursue. Don’t do it merely for the purpose of having something to add to your resume. Do it because you want to or have an area of interest and you want to learn something in that area. Working in an intel science project sounds like a good thought.</p>
<p>It all depends on the perspective. In our HS almost all kids have internships at the state flagship. Many parents work there and therefore it is not difficult/competitive to secure one.
From where I look at things it does not add much to the college resume -and I can’t believe all the kids are THAT interested in doing research ;)</p>
<p>If you were my kid, I would say not to get the job. Research and application/Siemens prep is a good plan for your summer.</p>
<p>However… I also agree with those who say having some financial skin in your own education is very good for you. My kids are both responsible for books, supplies, and spending money at college. Each is also required to work for money the summer after their senior year. That is not just earning to cover those expenses, it is also a GREAT thing for kids to work for money for someone who is not their parents. But this summer you already have a great plan.</p>
<p>Seriously dude, you need the summer to work on your college apps? Do it in the fall like everyone else. Is the research something you got because of where or who your parents know? If it is, it’s not going to give you an advantage. If it is something you applied for and was chosen over other applicants, then go for it. </p>
<p>A job shows you are independent. It shows that you are not satisfied living off of mom and dad. AND… The cost of college will be a lot for your parents. You need to be responsible for contributing. What if you don’t get into a college that only costs 10% of their income? </p>
<p>I would only consider the internship if it is truly prestigious. If its something most kids could do with a little effort, go for the job.</p>
<p>I don’t have an opinion about your research opportunity, but generally speaking, I believe wholeheartedly in teens having jobs before they enter college. I live in a well to do area where many kids spend their teen years in various enrichment programs and make it all the way thru college without ever having had a real job. By that point, it becomes a bit of a handicap. Just don’t let that happen to you.</p>
<p>Focus on the research and spend the time preparing papers and doing other tasks that enable you to get the most out of the research project. If you have extra time, you could always babysit or mow lawns or whatever else you can come up with that is not so committed that you would lose focus on the research.</p>
<p>We debate this kind of thing in our house all the time. I feel strongly that certain unpaid activities (like your research) contribute to long term employability more than working in a restaurant, store etc. for short-term gain and that therefore there is some financial justification for doing the thing that helps you develop in an area of interest, versus pay for your own books right away. You might end up with a better paid job in a lab while in college, for instance.</p>
<p>Now focusing on development versus immediate funds depends on you and your family having enough money for basics, which your family apparently has.</p>
<p>In two cases that I know of personally, highly qualified students were rejected or WLed from highly selective schools, and one of the specific reasons given was a lack of any activities that were not paid for.</p>
<p>It’s one thing to be doing some research that you have truly put together as an issue of interest, and find the outlet to do this. A whole other to apply to some canned program that requires a check from mom and dad. A lot of these “research” opportunities and programs at colleges during the summer are just something that are bought for you, just as cruise or tour would be. When your entire resume, or much of it is for things that were paid for you, it does not look so good for those schools selective enough that they can go for the true academic aficiando, not someone who is good in finding great summer camps and other “play” outlets. Such college admissions officers have a very good eye, the knowledge of what’s out there and the instinct to be able to pick out “bought” opportunies vs earned. When you work a job, YOU are usually earning something (if the job isn’t “bought” for you).</p>
<p>If my kids want to drive, they get jobs. If they want spending money, they gets jobs, so totally different situation here. If you truly have no bills to pay and no financial expectation to save and contribute to your own education, there is probably no benefit right now for you to take a job over your other opportunities, at least in terms of college applications.</p>
<p>Your family income will not allow you to get off scott-free from having to contribute financially towards your education, in some way, with summer earnings during college. I don’t know whether your research post was “bought” for you in the way described in Post #14, but if so you might decide to demonstrate some “oomph” and character by going out to hustle an evening job for pay. </p>
<p>You’re young enough to be able to handle both, as long as you’re in good health. I would also look at something that has a sociable aspect to it – coffee shop barista, ice cream scooper, for example. You’d work with other people your age and slightly older, talk with customers ages 3-93, so it actually can be enjoyable fun. I’d avoid jobs such as back-room cook at a fastfood joint, stacking boxes in the wee hours for a big box store, or anything less sociable. This might make a nice mix with your research job. And if you absolutely hate it, you’d quit mid-summer but I hope you’d like the evening sociable job enough to do it all summer. You’ll still have time for a movie or swim, as some of these jobs are part-time. They are hard to find in some communities, so if you want it, go out now to find it. </p>
<p>Another thought might be to do some receptionist work at a medical or dental clinic open during the evening hours, although some of those offices require prior experience. If you can get one that’ll train you, it has a public component as well as related to medicine. Good luck!</p>
<p>Sounds like your research is equilvant to getting a job. That being said I would still try to get some type job. I know a kid who was offered 3 excellent summer internship jobs b/c of the many previous jobs he held and what he learned from those jobs (waiting tables, caddying, lifeguard, etc) through HS & college. With a B+ average and just a few extra curricula college activites, one interviewer told him he was the most impressive candidate yet. </p>
<p>Real work experience changes your view & experience of the world.</p>
<p>Kelowna stated exactly what I was thinking. Most high school kids that I know who have some sort of summer research opportunity at a university have gotten it through their parents’ connections. I do know a few kids who worked with a university professor over the course of a couple of years, or as a part of a year long independent research project, and who were clearly deeply interested in the subject.</p>
<p>The important thing is not to sit around and do nothing the whole summer. If the research is something you are interested in then do it because you will learn something from it. Do I think it would make you a better person or better applicant by getting a job? No. If you need a job to pay bills, then get a job. My older kid didn’t get a job until she went to college. When she was in high school, her time in the summer was filled with ECs and summer enrichment programs. </p>
<p>I would also focus on your college essays over the summer. They are very important part of your college application, better to do them over the summer when you have less demand on your time. I think that’s better time spend than working in a mall or restaurant.</p>
<p>Wow I didn’t expect so much helpful advice!</p>
<p>I think I’m going to settle for the middle ground on this issue.</p>
<p>I have a one-week summer program (related to Neuroscience) towards the end of July. So from June-July, I’ll be engaged in my research project (plus work on College Application stuff). For the month of August, I’ll be involved in both the job + the research project.</p>
<p>Then during the school year, I’ve been invited to continue my project so I’ll do that.</p>