Summers are a glorious time in high school, a taste of freedom, a chance to explore your own interests, free of the confines of the school day. We advise using this freedom wisely, investing in yourself in your interests, and pursuing those passions you have, for colleges watch what you do with this freedom with interest, to see what you really care about and value.
Many summer programs, unfortunately, cost a lot of money. Free ones do exist, but are rare and competitive. Some students can’t afford these, while others want spending money of their own, and the freedom that brings. This brings us to summer jobs, often a staple of teen life. But are these a good way to spend your time in this era of hypercompetitive college admissions? In this article, we’ll explore what admissions officers think of summer jobs, and what some options for you are. Let’s jump in!
What Admissions Officers Think of Summer Jobs
On the whole, admissions officers approve of summer jobs. This is not universally the case, but getting and keeping a job for the summer shows a degree of maturity, the ability to work with others, manage your time, and complete tasks as assigned. These are all things you have to do in high school of course, but jobs have a higher stress level and are seen as a step up in maturity; high schools generally can’t fire you.
The reasons you get a job can impact perceptions as well; students who need to help support their family are often seen as valuable additions to a campus. Interestingly, getting a job is also one of the best ways for well-off students to demonstrate grit, and convince admissions officers that they don’t just live lives of privilege.
You do have to tell admissions officers about this job of course, but we have found that many jobs make for fertile essay writing material. The lessons you learn interacting with the public, managing your income, or filing taxes for the first time are all beneficial, and showcase your maturity, how you had to grow as a person to handle what these new responsibilities threw at you.
Jobs are not necessarily better than other options, and are not always the best option for your own summer. They are, however, generally regarded as a positive thing by admissions officers, and are a good way to spend your time if you aren’t taking part in a more formal summer program. As always, the only really bad way to spend your summer is doing nothing at all.
Potential Summer Jobs for High School Students
There are myriad employment opportunities out there, and while we can’t go through all of them, we will go through some of the most common, and list pros and cons. Note that the jobs you can get will also depend a lot on your state’s child labor laws.
In most cases, we recommend only working part-time, especially if you are working during the school year. You should also know your rights as an employee, and not let your bosses take advantage of you. Many will try if you are a teenager, scheduling you for longer hours or not paying what you are owed. Even if you are still a minor, you have rights, and employers need to honor them.
Food Service (Including Fast Food)
Food service jobs are a quintessential experience for many teenagers, and for good reason. They offer a number of upsides, though they aren’t right for everyone. Working in fast food is very different from being a waiter at a sit-down restaurant, both in terms of responsibilities and atmosphere.
Pros:
- Easy to find. Every town has restaurants, and a rush of summer business means many of them hire teenagers for a few months in the summer.
- On the job training. Restaurants are used to hiring and training new people regularly, so this is an expected part of the experience.
Cons:
- Pay rate. Waiters at restaurants have a lower minimum wage, with tips meant to make up the difference. They can, and usually do, but these jobs can be much more erratic in terms of income.
- Customers. We recommend not working at any restaurants which serve alcohol, especially for young women.
- Hours. Hours at restaurants are often irregular, and tend to be busiest during times of relaxation; afternoons, evenings, and weekends. They also tend to be busy during holidays, though this is generally less impactful during the summer.
Retail
Stores need employees, people to man the cash registers, help customers, and make sure there’s actually something on the shelves to sell. Not all shops are created equal, but this is a job that often has high turnover, and is willing to take on students for a limited-duration employment.
Pros:
- More consistent hours. You won’t always get the shifts you want, and they can change week-to-week, but hours are more consistent than in food service.
- Easy to find. There are stores in every town, and many are hiring on a regular basis. This is more common in towns which see a summer tourism boom however.
Cons:
- Customers. This is going to be a con for a lot of jobs, but customers are often somewhat mistifying to interact with.,
Camp Counselor
Summer camps often hire former campers to return as counselors. Sometimes this is only available to college students, but many high school students get to take advantage of these opportunities as well. These can be excellent opportunities, and help you keep connecting with a community you have already built over previous years.
Pros:
- Enjoyable. These are often some of the more enjoyable jobs available to high school students. It’s not the same fun as being a camper, but you do get to take part in a lot of the same activities.
Cons:
- Limited availability. These jobs primarily go to students who have already been campers at these camps (though others are hired as well). There are just fewer of these jobs, and that makes it harder to get.
- Limited duration. These jobs only last for as long as the camps do, less than the full duration of the summer.
Informal Work: Babysitting, Petsitting
These are some of the most common jobs high school students hold, during the school year or over the summer. These jobs are most commonly gained via word-of-mouth; beginning with family friends and then spreading as you build a reputation. These jobs are best if you are looking for something part-time, rather than a more full-time formal job.
Pros:
- Flexibility. These jobs only require as many hours as you’re willing to put in, and are the easiest to work around other activities in your schedule.
Cons:
- Effort. These jobs often take more effort to find; you need to actively pursue each customer and opportunity, rather than simply working the same job each day. This is the flipside of the flexibility these jobs offer.
Your Parent’s Company
Working for your parents has been a thing for as long as parents have had tasks they needed kids to do. If your parents have their own company, then working there is often anywhere from natural to expected. This can be a valuable experience, but we recommend taking it seriously. Getting paid for your labor and not taking advantage of your relationship with the business owners.
Pros:
- Easy job to get. If your parents own a company, it is generally pretty easy to get a summer job there. Now, they might not always want to pay you for it, but it can bring many of the other benefits of summer work.
- Chance for enhanced responsibilities. Your parents are well aware fo what you are capable of, and may give you opportunities or responsibilities you wouldn’t encounter in other fields.
Cons:
- Access. Not everyone’s parents own a business, or have enough pull at where they work to land you a job there too. This isn’t something all students will be able to take advantage of, and it’s pretty much down to luck whether or not you can.
- Expectations. Your parents may have their own expectations for what you will be doing (and what you will be paid for it), especially if this is a family business. You should have a serious discussion with your parents ahead of time before embarking on one of these work experiences.
Jobs We Advise High Schoolers Not to Do
While jobs are generally weighed equally by colleges (more on that in the next section), there are some kinds of work we advise high school students not to do. These generally encompass jobs which are not safe for high school students, and which can cause disproportionate harm. These include:
- Industrial jobs. These often require extensive safety training and checks, and any company hiring high school students is likely looking to cut both costs and corners, and is unlikely to provide a safe workplace.
- Construction. Construction is a high paying career, especially in specialty fields. These have their own training programs, and learning on the job as a high school student is not advised.
- Anywhere alcohol is served. Some states allow teenagers to work selling alcohol. We generally advise against working in these positions, especially for young women.
These jobs are not inherently worse or unworthy, but create unreasonably high risks to expose students to.
How to Tell Colleges About Your Work Experience
This is the real trick. Just as a tree falling in the forest doesn’t make any sound unless someone is there to hear it. Things you do in high school don’t actually happen unless you brag about them to colleges. We’re being a bit facetious here, but only just; colleges only know what you tell them, and can only evaluate you based on that. Thus, telling them about all of the cool and interesting things you did during your experience of employment is rather essential.
There are two places that you should do this. The first is in your activities list. This is generally one of the first things admissions officers read when reviewing your application, and it gives them their first impression of who you are, the outline of the story of you. You can’t cover every detail of your job here, but you should definitely mention it. More intensive and long term jobs should end up higher on the list, to emphasize the time and effort you put into them.
Here is an example of what an activity list entry about a job looks like:
- Cook, prepare, package food, train and oversee newer employees when needed, ensure coworkers are supplied, working well, not falling behind
This student was working an entry level job in a fast food restaurant; this is how they spent their summer. They got into UCLA and UT Austin; not directly because of this, but their work in this job did help them demonstrate the traits those schools look for in students.
Summer Jobs and Essays
You do not need to devote one of your essays to a summer job, but they often provide fertile soil for essay topics. Explaining how a job taught you time management, or teamwork, or allowed you to take on responsibilities you’ve never held before are all things that demonstrate your maturity to colleges.
Your essays are how colleges get to know you, and writing about a job can showcase beneficial elements. Here are the most common ways students write about a summer job, and how each can work.
- Personal statement. If a job has been your main extracurricular, or was truly transformational for you, then it can make a good topic for a personal statement. This shouldn’t focus on the job itself, but on how having this job, this new level of responsibilities, helped you change and grow as a person.
- Leadership essay. Even if you don’t have a leadership role at your job, talking about the responsibilities you have been trusted with shows you have the traits associated with being a good leader and team member.
Note that if you worked a job specifically to support your family, that information should be included in the additional information section, even if you discuss the job itself elsewhere in your application. This is important context for colleges to understand you and the choices you made.
Final Thoughts
Getting a summer job is rarely the best possible option to set you up for college success, but it is far from the worst way to spend your time. If you didn’t manage to get into the summer programs you were aiming for, or if you want a bit of extra cash, now or for college, then getting a job can be highly beneficial. We hope that this article helped you understand the range of possible employment opportunities for you, and which might be the most beneficial.
If you are looking for the perfect summer program for you, or aren’t certain how best to tell colleges about what you’ve achieved, then Ivy Scholars can help. Our mentors excel at guiding students to opportunities that best suit their passions, and crafting their stories for college applications. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more, we’re always happy to hear from you.
