We have all heard it a million times – “Get involved!”
We hear it at Freshman Orientation, see advertisements for club or organization meetings, have huge involvement fairs, get e-mails and announcements about our different options, and more. Getting involved is something that is advertised so much yet based on a survey I administered on my campus, about 3.4% of students are not involved at all and are not interested in getting involved.
It appears that most of the people that are involved on campus in college were involved in high school (72.4% to be exact). About 20.7% of involved college students were not involved in high school. Most people that took my survey believe that getting involved is good to make connections, meet new people, and gain experience/build your resume. However, one individual said they believe that while it is important to be involved, it should not come before academics. These are all very true, and yet there is an overall of 6.8% of students not currently involved.
So, what’s the big deal? Why does getting involved matter so much?
MAKING CONNECTIONS
There are so many ways that you can make incredible connections by getting involved at your university! I have met some of my best friends by being involved in some great organizations on my campus. Not only that, but you can make connections with faculty and staff (alongside some amazing personalities you will come across, this can also be very helpful down the road when you need references for a job – going to office hours isn’t enough!).
Plus, you can be involved in organizations where you meet people that can have their own connections with potential employers. Something I have had said to me several times (especially for an internship) is to treat every day as if it were an interview. Don’t let any great opportunities for your future slip through your fingers because you chose not to get involved!
GETTING EXPERIENCE
Along with making great friends and getting to know awesome people, you can gain great experience to prepare you for your future professional career and build your resume. Throughout on-campus jobs, leadership positions, and countless club and organization opportunities that vary in topic, there are all kinds of experiences that you can gain by being involved.
You can work for and grow in many different organizations on your campus that can show you the way to become prepared to enter the working world professionally and with leadership skills. Studies show that approximately 90% of employers prefer their employees to have internship/job-related experience than just a good academic history (The Laotian Times). If that isn’t enough proof that you should at least consider getting involved, then I don’t know how to help you!
Not to mention that being more experienced when you enter your career will already set you ahead of your coworkers that do not have previous experience. Credentials are very important! We all need to start learning somewhere and starting sooner rather than later is the best option for you to have a successful jumpstart down your path.
Experience is the teacher of all things.
– Julius Caesar
MAKING THE MOST OF IT
We are only in college for a limited number of years. Refusing to get involved and enjoy your time while you can is something that you will look back on and know that you missed out on. Leave your university knowing that you fulfilled your potential and made the most of your higher education experience.
Not to mention, getting involved in a plethora of clubs and organizations allows you to better navigate yourself in your life journey and teach you about who you are as a person. You can learn things about yourself that you never knew and make achievements you weren’t sure were possible.
Hopefully, now you can see the importance of getting involved on your campus and why it’s something that you can regret not doing while you have the opportunity!
“You miss 100% of the chances you don’t take.”
Thank you to all of the students at my university that participated in my campus involvement survey to give me the statistics used in this article!