As a college student, you are given a lot of freedom in how you choose to spend your time. There are classes to attend and homework to finish. But as you decide how to spend your time, many students have to choose whether or not working fits into their school schedule. Before deciding whether a part-time job or internship experience is worth your time, consider the following:
- The National Center for Education Statistics (Horn & Malizio, 1998) found that students who worked 1–15 hours per week had the lowest risk for enrollment interruption, even when compared with students who did not work.
Retrieved from: http://rer.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/76/1/63
What does this mean?
Working students are more likely to graduate on time vs. those who don’t work.
- In a study by Van de Water (1996), student grades tended to improve as students worked more hours per week, up to a total of 20 hours per week.
Retrieved from: http://www.acui.org/content.aspx?menu_id=122&id=2170
What does this mean?
Working 20 hours or less while in school can actually help improve your GPA!
So, if you are considering working or looking for an internship, don’t necessarily assume you only have time to do so during the summer. Working during the school year will increase your exposure to career fields and continually enhance your set of skills that can transfer to a full-time job upon graduation. You may even see a boost in your GPA!
