<p>I’m late to this, but glad to hear you’ve accepted the award. There really is no downside to saying Yes at this point. </p>
<p>My D also has done WS every semester so far, and will continue as long as she gets the award. Think of it this way: WS is money that you (or your parents) don’t have to pay, and it’s money that you (or your parents) don’t have to borrow. D’s award last year was a little under 2K, and that worked out to 8 hours a week – hardly a crushing burden of time. The jobs are usually quite easy and in some cases, you can even study at work. They’re just trying to help you with college expenses. Don’t freak out.</p>
<p>Upthread a poster said that WS students are not guaranteed a job. That is not always the case. At D’s college, all WS students are guaranteed not only a job, but enough hours to earn the award. However, they are NOT guaranteed they’ll get a job they like. So my advice: when you get to campus, check in with the Financial Aid Office right away. They will have info on jobs available and how to apply. If there is some kind of requirement that the college tells you about – a meeting, a form, a signature – for goodness sake, don’t blow it off. And don’t delay – the best positions go the fastest.</p>
<p>In terms of working a few extra hours a week for extra money. You can only work the number of total hours at your WS job that add up to your WS award. So, unless your school has a policy that allows students to work over their WS hours, you will not be able to work more hours. If you also have a non-WS job (many schools have WS jobs on campus that are not WS) you can work extra hours there.</p>
<p>I had work study my freshman year, but had no luck finding a job. A lot of my friends were in the same situation, so I think the school gave out more WS than they actually had jobs for. But I plan on trying again sophomore year!</p>
<p>Asked fin aid office at orientation about working extra hours, and they said its up to the employer to allow the student to continue working after the pre-determined work study award has been reached (the thing is that the employer has to pay 100% of the student’s salary, as opposed to 70% federal government/30% employer during the work study hours)</p>
<p>This will vary depending on the job. My son works for a sports team at his university. They are extremely happy with him and have hired him for the entire summer - so he is earning well in excess of his WS award. So - it can happen.</p>