Working while in School

As first-year students begin to move to New Orleans I’m getting asked quite frequently if it is feasible to work during your first year. I will say it is possible but I wouldn’t really recommend it. Last year I work 15-20 hours per week on top of my studies and it was pretty brutal. As a class, there were really only a handful of students who worked off campus last year. While it was nice making some money, I missed out on many extra activities like speakers and joining in some clubs I was interested in. Plus, you are only in school for two years so I think it would be wise to enjoy them and soak up as much of the experience as possible.
If you do decide to get a part-time job, you really need to plan your day, communicate with your team members, and get ready to not sleep a whole lot. I would recommend you make it through a month of classes and then gauge if you will be able to handle the extra work.

-Eric