by Meagan Barrett ’15

Working a part-time job in high school should mean just as much to colleges as extracurricular activities do. While joining clubs shows you participate in the school community, it is purely a social outlet, and it doesn’t necessarily show that you’ll be a reliable student or member of society. Besides that, the clubs a school has to offer don’t always suit every student, so students end up joining clubs they don’t even like because “it looks good on college applications.” Having a job, however, shows students are ready to participate in society, take responsibility for themselves, and learn real life skills. Those who choose to have a part-time job, often times in order to save money in order to pay for college, may even have to sacrifice participating in after-school activities. Making money for a school proves they have the desire to attend a university. It isn’t fair to students for extracurricular activity to have as much weight in the eyes of colleges as it currently does, while having a job in the real world doesn’t.