Now that the semester is in full swing and most have found their routine, it is a great time to start to get involved on campus! There is a bit of a stigma that being involved is unimportant and uncool. I won’t lie and say that the people involved tend to be nerdy about the things they like, but who isn’t? I truly believe that worrying about how your level of involvement changes others’ perception of you is a bit silly.
Campus involvement is just as important for your life both in college and post-grad as your actual schoolwork is. Clubs and other organizations allow you to make friends and build professional connections.
I have been involved with many different clubs since my freshman year. I joined Hawk TV the second week of my freshman year, not knowing the exact avenue of media I wanted to follow. I went expecting to sit in the back and watch the upperclassman control things, a little bit afraid of them. I could not have been more wrong; I was immediately thrown into different positions, and those upperclassmen became some of my closest friends.
Now, despite knowing I likely do not want to work in television, I serve as the club’s Station Manager because of how much fun I have had while being a member.
I also started writing for The Outlook my freshman year, getting the opportunity to follow the baseball team that spring semester and have been doing that since then. Around the same time, I joined the Sports Industry Club where I got to meet professionals in my field and go on trips to Boston and Philadelphia.
Clubs are not the only way to get involved on campus, there is also Greek Life and campus-based jobs that can allow for the same professional and social benefits as clubs.
Obviously, the social benefits of campus involvement are largely important. You can meet so many new people that you might have otherwise assumed you have nothing in common with. I find that meetings serve as a break for me and my friends’ very hectic and stressful days.
Campus involvement can also help build time management skills. According to CollegeData.Com, the commitment to an increased volume of responsibilities almost forces students to manage their time in more efficient ways. You will have to be able to do that post-grad, so it is better to learn how to do it now!
Being involved can build your resume in many different ways. Being a general member alone can be a space filler and, in certain fields, serve as proof that you have the hard skills to execute tasks. It can also show that you have at least some experiences in that world. In a field like Communication, your experiences matter more than your GPA. You could have a 4.0, but if you have no proof you can do stuff, your grades do not really matter.
Student involvement and clubs will also give you the chance to put together a portfolio or reel to show future employers. This is a conglomeration of your work done throughout college; it is the “proof in the pudding” of your abilities.
You also have the chance to step into leadership roles in clubs and other organizations. Serving as president, vice president, a chair or any other role that student leadership can over is a huge resume builder. Being in a leadership position is something that is earned, so it makes you stand out more in comparison to other applicants.
Those reasons, to me, are enough to get yourself out there. However, I think the most emotionally beneficial aspects of getting involved are the friendships you build. I touched earlier on this, but you meet people you would never think you would be friends with while in student organizations. These relationships are a special type of bond that is hard to recreate in everyday life. You are not going to be best friends with everyone, but why cut yourself off from the chance of doing so?
I really believe that being involved on campus anyway is one of the best decisions you can make in college. If you have the opportunity to get involved, do it!
