<p>I am going to be an incoming freshman for the Class of 2014 and I would like to find a job working about 8 to 10 hours a week. I would like to find a very good job that a freshman wont have a hard time being hired for. I am premed and I know that Cornell can be a rigorous school that demands a lot of studies. I dont want a job that will impact my study time. I would like to find a job that is stimulating, allows me to sneak maybe a hour or two of reading, etc. Does such a job exist? Can anyone tell me of some of the better jobs they had at Cornell where a freshman can get hired? Also, is it difficult for a freshman to find paid research jobs? Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.</p>
<p>You should be attempting to find a job in a lab, even if it’s just washing beakers to start. You might get paid a few $ extra doing something else but that’s pocket change in the long run.</p>
<p>If you want something stimulating, do the lab jobs. If you want something easy where you can do homework and potentially get paid well (as I am luckily), get a library job.</p>
<p>Thanks guys. @Feral24, is a library job easy to find? @Norcalguy, any ideas on how much lab work pays?</p>
<p>if you’re interested in higher-paying jobs, student administrative assistant jobs usually pay around $10. i recommend getting a job in a department that has its own endowment too.</p>
<p>This was my child’s concern last year. Once he got his id# he started looking at the job postings. Then he corresponded by email over the summer with a few job opportunities and set up interviews during his first week on campus. He found a good fit at a library. The money was ample for his spending money and there was flexibility by exchanging times with other workers if a week was particularly busy. Good luck.</p>
<p>The students who work at the RPCC and Appel mail rooms seem to spend most of their time on their laptops/doing hw, lol…if that appeals to you.</p>
<p>My D has 3 jobs, but only 1 as a first yr. Her first job was, and still is, for the fitness center. There are several fitness centers on campus. You cannot do hw, but you do get free access. (She works out a lot.) Cornell charges extra to use their workout facilities.</p>
<p>She is also a TA. This will potentially be an option for you your second yr. and on. You have to keep office hours. There is potential downtime to do work, if no one shows up.</p>
<p>She also works for a library. But it is research, not sitting at a desk. So she makes her own hrs. and needs a computer. So it is very flexible.</p>
<p>There are many job opportunities. My D got her first job because my H and I were watching her take the swim test her first day at Cornell. Someone came around handing out pamphlets about working at the gym. I gave my D the pamphlet, and the rest is history.</p>
<p>Seems like yesterday. She graduates in May.</p>
<p>I worked as a research assistant for seven different professors over the years I was there. I loved the research (in Government, History, American Studies, and Anthropology; my major was Government with concentrations in History and American Studies), developed amazing relationships with the professors, learned a TON, and made between $7.50 and $12 an hour. (Only one paid $7.50; the rest were 10 or 12.)</p>
<p>I would try to get a lab job if possible. it does not hurt to send out emails to professors who you think seem interesting, and just ask whether they’re looking for any new undergrads. if they all ignore you, you can either email again or just find something else to do.</p>
<p>the “just washing beakers” jobs don’t always need to be that boring or menial. I am an expert washer myself, but you get WAY more out of it than that. I’m not doing any of my own research yet but I think of my lab job as being like half the point of being at Cornell. you get to be around people who know a lot about stuff you want to know a lot about, and a lot of them like it enough they want to tell you about it too. it’s a good deal.</p>
<p>how much do the fitness center ppl make btw?</p>
<p>And I think working in the dining hall is pretty sweet, they earn $8/hr, get raises every year, promotions, and discount on their meal plan.
One of the best jobs, however, is probably being an RA</p>
<p>Did someone just say working in food service was “sweet”?</p>
<p>Thanks guys. I will definately keep these jobs in mind. I dont know about food service though. When I was there for Cornell Days I saw those food service employees working their butt off, and sweating like there is no tomorrow, lol. It definately looks like a fast paced job. I dont think I would have a problem finding something in food service if I can’t find anything else, lol.</p>
<p>My friends who work at the Cornell Fund tell me that they like it very much. The pay is good for a campus job - I think starting pay is over minimum wage, and there are prospects for advancement (one of my friends is a student manager there) while working conditions are not bad at all (it’s a desk job where you call alumni and ask them for donations).</p>
<p>Yea, i did forget to mention the dining halls are a lot of work, I’ve never seen anyone more miserable, but like I said its good pay and comes with good promotions.</p>
<p>Also, apply to be a tour guide! It looks so fun! :)</p>
<p>I worked at RPCC dining my freshman year. Worst decision ever. Menial work, very fast-paced. It did give me an appreciation for being a steward of public places; always clean up after yourself, because otherwise some miserable worker will have to. Oh, and as you could probably guess, some of the full-time workers who worked there (not the cooks, but the people who clean and stuff) hated their jobs. </p>
<p>But then, the pay is pretty good compared to most freshmen jobs, and you get a free meal every night you work. Plus, if you work there long enough you get a huge discount on your meal plan. I know some students who really enjoy working in dining halls, and end up becoming supervisors.</p>
<p>Totally agree with getting a position in someone’s lab. Most of them don’t even get posted on the job site, so start emailing professors whose research interests you.</p>
<p>dining halls are not fun. library jobs are easy to find, there is a cornell job listing site, hidden somewhere on the internet (i lost the link, sorry), I just applied for the first one I liked the first week of school, and I luckily got it.</p>
<p>So we don’t need to worry about finding a FWS job until we get there, right?</p>
<p>Don’t worry about jobs until you get on campus. But apply during O-week in between all the other activities</p>
<p>When should I start e-mailing professors on working for their labs?</p>