I am a junior, and this summer I got a part time job that pays a little better than minimum wage (what more could a girl ask for?). But the part where the woe comes in is when all of the things that I do as an “extremely involved” student are going to end up making scheduling for work extremely difficult. The “directly after school” ECs that I have aren’t the problem, it’s the most important ECs to me that are later in the evening that are clashing with work, and making it next to impossible to schedule around for work. These are marching band and the school musical.
This fall, marching band requires me to take off two days of work for practices, as well as the occasional football game and 5 competitions in the season. That is relatively manageable, as I can work on the days of practice but just come to practice late if absolutely necessary. But what I’m scared about is the scheduling around practices for the musical, as I was a lead last year and have a high chance of being a lead again this year. Leads usually have practice every day in the school week, whereas lesser characters and chorus members only have a few rehearsals a week. As a result, I would probably only be able to work on the weekends, and I might even have to work two shifts in one day to keep me on the payroll.
Not only does THAT sound hectic, but I also have to factor in homework. While I have two study halls during school (one every day study in the morning and one every other day after lunch), and will hopefully get all my work done then, I still worry about having boatloads of homework that I might have to do very late into the night. In the past I’ve had stress-borne issues, and I’m worried about them coming back full swing. I can’t quit this job, because I need to raise money for college as I am the only one paying for my education, but I also don’t want to quit musical because it is my passion and it is important to me as an individual.
I was wondering if I could get some advice from people who think they could be of any help. I also kinda just needed to get some of this off my chest, so I apologize for the extreme length of this post! Any advice would be appreciated Thank you!
I do, and I plan on applying to as many scholarships as I can to lessen the cost of college. As of the end of my freshman year, I was 7th out of my entire class (we do a Top Ten in my school, and I haven’t asked by GC about the updated soph year rankings yet), and my uw final grade for soph year was 4.0 (according to the college board conversion system, at least - I had a 96.56 out of 100), so I should get at least SOMETHING for merit-based.
As for need based, my older sister is getting aid through my parents filling out the FAFSA, so I should be getting some of that as well. That isn’t really the best indicator but it’s what I have to go off of haha
I want to minimize the need for any loans as much as possible, because it would me ME having to pay them off rather than my parents. But if I absolutely needed to apply for a federal loan, then I probably would.
Do you have standardized test scores that would get you automatic merit at schools like UA, UAH, Ole Miss, etc.? (there is a list here on CC somewhere).
If you were my kiddo I would be a bit opposed to the job when you have so many other worthwhile activities. But I also understand the financial side of it. Our son is going debt free.
My older son did a great deal of theater and I don’t know how theater kids hold any other jobs during big show runs (unless it’s something where you could multi-task).
I’m taking the PSAT for the first time this October, and the SAT sometime this school year (haven’t decided when yet), so I don’t have any scores quite yet. I’ve been researching the National Merit Scholarship and while it is extremely competitive and selective, I plan on studying hard and trying to get a high enough PSAT score, and later on a high enough SAT score as well.
@SouthFloridaMom9 I do the musical at my school, and the run time is only 3 nights, but there is an intense practice schedule, and the director doesn’t want people missing practice the last month of rehearsals because it’s crunch time by then. Also, I’m a very practiced multitasker haha in past shows I have done my homework backstage and, through hearing songs that are right before the scene I come in on, I can drop my homework and walk right up onto the stage!
I just realized that I didn’t answer half of the standardized testing question! The colleges that I’m currently looking at don’t have those sorts of scholarships, unfortunately, but they do have a lot of scholarships that they provide to students each year, many of which are based off of SAT scores/high school GPA.
There are a few supervisors at my job, and I think they all have a hand in scheduling. I’m friendly with a few of them, but I either haven’t gotten to work with or haven’t gotten to know a couple of the others. I work at a nursing home that is open 24/7, so I could also probably get a lot of hours during the holidays if no one wants to work. But I have a work friend who is a senior and is going to be working weekends only, and sometimes even 2 shifts a day if i remember correctly, because she is in track and it takes so much time commitment. So I think it would be possible to work weekends only.
What I’m most worried about is the stress that I’m going to get further into musical season. I have an undiagnosed (but still clearly visible and obviously occurring) stress-borne condition that started about 2 years ago, but I have been able to keep in check this past year. The only reason it isn’t diagnosed is because my parents don’t want me to be on meds that I don’t need, especially if I’m normally able to cope with it. Usually during musical season, I’m able to cope because the weekends were my time to relax. Unfortunately, that won’t be the case if I’m working on the weekends, maybe even 2 shifts in one day. I’ve started making a habit of meditating before bed to clear my mind and calm myself down after the events of a day, but I’m still quite worried. I’m thinking of maybe quitting one or two of my “directly after school” ECs, but I’m not sure at this point.
Honestly, I would quit. I understand your financial situation but it’s really not worth it, especially if you have a stress-borne illness. Your health is way more important here, and you sound like you have a strong chance of getting good scholarships for college anyway.
@MissSuzyQ I also need to pay for a car, as that is also fully on me and my parents won’t contribute at all. I am considering asking to be put on minimum hours to still be on payroll (7hrs/week, or 2 shifts/week) during the high-stress part of musical season (January-March).
Thank you!