Disclaimer: The names in this article have been changed at the request of the interview subject.

On Thursdays through Saturdays, Emma stands with a smile behind the counter at a restaurant on Avenue M. She greets those who come off the street into the somewhat small building and gently guides them to their seats, handing them the large menus and letting them know to not hesitate to ask for anything. She answers the phone with fluid efficiency and a professional air, and examines seating charts with a practiced eye. She is the first impression guests make of the restaurant, and she is a friendly one.

 “I’ve been working here for almost two years now,” Emma says. Today she’s wearing a red blouse with capped sleeves and crisp black pants over low heels, and behind her cat’s eye liner, her eyes seem a little tired. “I get here at around four o’clock in the afternoon, and I’m generally out at ten, eleven.” Although she acknowledges that her co-workers definitely have longer shifts than she does – “I guess I’m pretty lucky there,” she says with a grin – the days can get a little long for her.

Emma applied for the job at the beginning of the summer in 2012, to earn some money toward paying for her first college semester. Through the summer, she grew to enjoy the job and didn’t want to give it up during the school year, but wasn’t sure whether or not she could manage it simply due to the differences in expectations and difficulty between college and high school, and mere class availability. “That’s actually always the hardest part,” Emma sighs, “registration. The higher you go with the program, the fewer your options. I have friends who are in school until nine at night because that’s the only section of whatever pre-req or degree required class the college offered this semester.” She counts herself lucky that, so far, registration hasn’t been too much of an issue for her.

“I do remember that there was one semester where I had class up until three forty-five on Fridays, which was a little strange,” she laughs, “and I was sprinting out of class to the bathroom to get changed, doing my make-up on the train, on the bus. I’ve kind of become an expert on doing eyeliner on the train.” Generally she tries to avoid afternoon classes near her work hours, but often has classes on Thursday that end by three-thirty, due to the popularity of the slot. Thankfully, as she lives in Brooklyn, her commute on the weekends isn’t too bad. “At least I don’t live in Staten Island,” she quips.

Other than the looming threat of scheduling conflicts, Emma, a full-time student and declared English major, says that the relationship between school and work time isn’t too difficult to manage. “It’s been rough a couple semesters when I’ve taken classes where the professors are really homework heavy, or assign an essay like every other week – and that definitely gets more common with the upper tiers – but I’ve had some time to figure it out, organise my life and make sure I can get things done. This isn’t the first year I’ve been doing this, so by now I’ve sort of determined what I can do, what my limits are.” She claims she’s had success in this area so far and plans to keep it up through her junior year and beyond.

Does she recommend if other college students hold jobs during their schooling? “I’d say absolutely, but I think it really depends on people’s personal limits and skills. I mean, it took me a little while to get myself together and figure out what I was doing, but I’m fine with having a job and being in school at the same time. For people on the pre-med track, I’d say probably not, but if they know they can manage it, and if they’re not going to fall behind in school over their job, then I say go for it. It’s a great experience to have, and no matter where you work, it’ll definitely help you in your future career. And it never hurts to have some extra money.”

Her plans for the future? “I’m sorry, but right now my only goal for the future is getting through this semester and finals week,” she laughs, “and I’m really trying not to think about that right now.” And in that respect, we connected.