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Q:

For those who work-study, how do you balance it? Is it manageable?

A: Chase Harvey

Honestly, the term "work-study" makes having a part-time job seem quite intense on a college campus. However, having an on campus job is definitely a lot easier than you think! I have plenty of friends who all have jobs on campus that range from working for Dartmouth Dining Services at Novack (our library cafe) to doing research with professors. Even if you participate in music ensembles or sports, it is still quite manageable to have a job on campus. There are plenty of ways to balance and make having a part-time job manageable while taking classes. 

The first step is finding a job that you are interested in doing, and that also fits how much you are willing to work each week. At Dartmouth, you can find a job where you work anywhere from 4-16 hours a week. Typically, people tend to work around their schedules and work only 4-8 hours a week. I would always suggest working less and then requesting more hours if you feel it is manageable. 

Honestly, having a job on campus just means that you need to have a more structured schedule. In general, I would first look at your class schedule and then schedule a rough estimate of when you'll eat meals. Next, I put in all of my extracurriculars into my schedule and then block out time for doing coursework. Now, the next step is when you want to look at when you have free time, or time to potentially have a job! It sounds intimidating, but having a job is not that scary at all!

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