<p>I have the option of going on a 3 week trip across canada with my family or getting in 8 weeks of work experience...This would be my first summer doing any substantial sort of work (last summer i worked at a theatre camp for a couple of weeks)...it's at a retail store. I heard universities like to see that you are willing to do grunt work (esp. if you're low income, which i am). My question is, do you guys think the trip would be a "unique experience" for a univ. app. and outweigh the work experience, or vice versa?</p>
<p>Also, note: after the 3 weeks of the trip, I would probably be able to pick up the job.</p>
<p>I would take the trip. You might as well travel while your parents pay for it. Universities couldn’t care less if you have a job in retail or not.</p>
<p>Neither the trip nor the summer job are likely to influence your college admissions to any great extent. I’d say go for the trip. Travel is a wonderful experience, in and of itself, and not simply as something to help with college admissions. I’m sure your family would love to have you along and chances are that this may be your last summer to be able to take a trip of this length. Have fun and start work when you get back.</p>
<p>If you’re talking about Ivy League schools and their equivalents, you’re absolutely right that they like to see low-income students help themselves (and often their families) by working. It shows responsibility, maturity, and discipline. This is what my admissions officer told me – it’s not just my personal opinion. I myself worked in retail for years, and my admissions officer called my former manager for a character reference. So getting a job, especially if you’re low-income, can definitely help your application.</p>
<p>Since your family vacation won’t preclude you from getting the job, I’d do both, only because you might never have the funds or the time to go on such a trip while you’re in college. But don’t expect it to help your application: in a pool of high-achieving and wealthier-than-average applicants, there’s nothing “unique” about traveling for 3 weeks in your native land.</p>