<p>I've heard both sides of the argument:</p>
<p>There are those who say that any work experience is better than no work experience.</p>
<p>Then there are those who say that working for certain places, i.e. fast food restaurants (McDonald's), discount stores (Wal-Mart) and the like may hurt your chances at a top tier school.</p>
<p>What are your thoughts on this?</p>
<p>I don't think it will hurt your chances.</p>
<p>It depends on the situation. If you are working all the time and your grades are suffering there might be a slight problem. But if you are working because you need to help support your family, it might actually be in your advantage.</p>
<p>I've always heard that work experience is a good thing. How could it not be? Do you think that top schools would see working at Mcdonald's as a bad thing? Working is always a valuable learning experience.
That being said, it's not at all necessary - my D had no real paid work experience and it didn't hurt her.</p>
<p>i worked at shoprite over my summer between 9-10 andn subway over my summer 10-11...i dont see why that would hurt. i had nothing to do and i wanted to get experience working</p>
<p>anyone can stay home and study and get 100s, those are nerds. Collegees dont like nerds. They want to see people that have expereince other than perfect Grades. Therefore, ANY type of work is better than staying home and studying.</p>
<p>I think it matters more that you find a job that you really enjoy doing and spend time working there. To colleges it shows dedication, responsibility and maturity.</p>
<p>Finding a work experience that relates to your major(s) of the school you're applying to is defintely a plus. For instance, I've been working as a Teller at Washington Mutual Bank for the last 2 years. That relates to banking/finance and those are the exact majors I'm going into for colleges.</p>
<p>Work is good. Any work is good. Not everyone has a father who can get him a plush job in a law firm or big business. Some of us have to do real work during the summer.</p>
<p>Working at any job shows responsibility.</p>
<p>working at a fast food place will not hurt your chances at top colleges. Colleges like to see applicants who aren't afraid to work, and get their hands dirty, and even those who aren't afraid to start (gasp) at the bottom of the pay scale. If you put on your application that you have worked x hours a week at McDonalds, or busing tables, or washing dishes, or doing groundskeeping, etc. it will not hurt your chances whatsoever! Any work experience is good, but I've read that the hard, gross, least desirable jobs are actually the best looked upon by colleges, especially if you show commitment to one of these jobs by working there for a year or more. These jobs suck, but they build character... colleges know this. There are lots of kids at my school who've worked at fast food places for a couple months but then they quit right away because the job is so gross and hard and underpaid... but not all high school students can be so choosy, because frankly they really need to work to help support their family... the hardest working kids I know have worked at McDonalds, or Culvers, or Taco Bell, etc. since Middle School. Just my honest opinion, but I know that I've also read this in a magazine article about college admissions written by an admissions counselor at a top school...</p>
<p>bottom line is, it definately won't hurt you, and it may even help you!</p>
<p>According to NorthStarMom's previous posts, work experience is good for everyone. However, it's viewed in a much higher respect if you work at a grocery store 30 hours a week to save for college and pay for bills or whatever and not to have just for spending money. Think about it. Most people who don't have year-round jobs and plan to go to ivy schools spend about the same amount of time on ECS each week as those who work nearly full-time. It's always a good thing, bottom line.</p>
<p>Not many ivy league applicants work nearly full-time at mcdonalds or the grocery store down the street, so it actually is an advantage if you NEED the job for college or to help support your family ---- IT sets you appart from the croud. It's a tip-factor, a plus, whatever you wanna call it.--- with this new hook thing that everyone's so excited about, you could probably even write an essay about how working changed your whole life and attitude or something like that.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the great opinions and insights!</p>
<p>Oh, man. I would love to see a school reject somebody for working. Or rather, I would love to see them explain exactly WHY they rejected him.</p>
<p>Will having NO work experience kill my chances? Do colleges assume that if a kid doesn't work, then he/she is a privileged brat who just studies 8 hours a day for those good grades?</p>
<p>Definitely not. Unless you ARE a privileged brat who studies 8 hours a day. ;)</p>
<p>^^ no, but keep in mind, most employers weigh work experience/history heavier than education on a resume (i.e. ceteris paribus, Accountant grad#1 with no work experience will lose out to Accountant grad#2 who worked 4 years while going to school)...thus, unless you are able to land a top knotch internship, you are smart to start building some solid work experience while going to school.</p>
<p>The best work experience for students, IMHO, is working for the same employer (part time or full time, whichever works for you) throughout college...it shows commitment, and stability...even if it is with Pizza Hut.</p>
<p>Will having NO work experience kill my chances? Do colleges assume that if a kid doesn't work, then he/she is a privileged brat who just studies 8 hours a day for those good grades?</p>
<hr>
<p>Yes they do. Anyone can maintain a GPA of 4.0 UW if he/she just sends all her/his time at home studying. It is not that hard, try thinking of it logically, this question doesnt need an analysis. Getting a job is not only good for college it is good for your well being. Isolating yourself at home just adds to the program; some of those people can not even hold a conversation ourside of school and/or in interviews. Other people cannot even look directly into another person's eyes and speak at a relaxed pace... which is quite embarressing. Therefore, a job teaches more than time management, it teaches you to mature at a quicker rate.</p>
<p>As much as i would like to agree and make it seem as though it wont hurt you... i would be lieing and giving false information which will hurt you in your future</p>
<p>That really sucks for me. What's even worse is that their assumption would be completely inaccurate, because I rarely study or do homework at home. I wish there was some way to reveal how much of a slacker I am without sounding bad, so they at least don't assume I study all the time. Also, not anyone could get a 4.0 UW at my school if he/she studied all day. Many people couldn't even get into my school. </p>
<p>Most kids I know that have jobs work for personal material gain, and many do mainly it so that they can get drunk more often from the money. At least I don't do that.</p>
<p>how good is telemarketing as a job?</p>
<p>I have had the same 3 jobs for four years. One is year-round, the other seasonal (help when needed) and the last one is only in the summers. But, the important fact is that I have done the 3 same jobs for all 4 years. I think this shows a lot of commitment. Even my interviewer thought that it was a bit unusual. I have to work to pay for my ECs and half of my summer studies.</p>
<p>there is no such thing as a "good" job. From experience if SUCH a job existed then i would be eagered to go to it everyday. But, everyone that has a job does not want to go to that job becuase it is "good" or fun (there is no such thing as a fun job) but they go there to get $$. If a "good" job existed in the world where you are eagered to go to it every day, every morning, for the rest of your life then i would like to know and have that job. All jobs are stressing, time consuming, etc.. so there really isnt anything "good" (except for the $$ :D) about a job.</p>