Incoming College Freshmen: Should you work?
Credit: Pia Roca/Achona Online
Senior Pia Roca works as a cashier at Hollister and plans on continuing during the summer.
April 28, 2016
Academy seniors prepare for the next chapter as senior year comes to a close. Many plan on leaving for college in the summer and are faced with the question of whether or not they will work a part time during their first semester.
Gillian Anthony will be starting as a student at Auburn University in the Fall and plans on getting a job during the summer.
She states, “I always knew I would get a part time this summer, because I will have time and want to save up for when I go in August.”
When asked if she would continue a part-time during the fall, Gillian stated that she would not be getting a job because she doesn’t know what the new year will demand in time.
Seniors are hesitant to get a part-time job their first semester away from home as it is a period of adjustment. Achona lists both pros and cons of picking up a part-time job freshman year:
Pros
- Credentials: It’s a resumé builder
- Extra spending cash
- Network: An opportunity to meet others, especially if it’s in the same field.
- Balance: A job requires time management, a skill important for life.
Cons
- Conflicting Commitments: As a Freshman you must ensure that you have ample time for extracurriculars, school, and other activities.
- Time: A job may require you to pick and choose activities that you actually want to do.
- Energy: After a long day of class, working a shift after will leave anyone exhausted and unable to study.
There are many pros and cons of having a job in college.
Senior Lily Oliva will be starting at Florida State University in the Fall and states,”I will not be working my first semester because I need time to adjust, but I may pick up a part-time in the Spring.”
Maddy Matter (A’15) is a freshman at Loyola University Chicago and has been working at a coffee shop on campus since she began school in the fall.
She states, “It was hard to juggle a job and begin school but I quickly got accustomed to it. Having a part-time in college is manageable and I highly suggest it because you will have extra spending money.”
Regardless of whether Academy Seniors choose to get a part-time in college, they will be forced to manage their time in different activities around campus.

Pia Roca, Senior Staff Writer for achona, loves to fill her long days immersed in her work for Ambassadors or Mayors Youth Leadership Council; which she...