I'm in the upper middle class and relatively quite financially privileged. My parents, however, are all about financial independence and want me to work paying jobs in the summer instead of attend pre-college programs or unpaid internships. As my interests are humanities with a focus on creative writing, there are very few paid opportunities in the fields for high school students.
Colleges, looking at my application, will know that my parents could afford to send me to a pre-college program, but chose not to. Will they look at me not going as a lack of initiative? I don't want to make excuses for not going in my application, because I don't want to take away from the people who genuinely need to work jobs to help support their family. I understand that this question is coming from a place of privilege, but it has become a slightly stressful issue.
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