Soon you’re going to be going to college. Your time there is going to shape the kind of person you’ll become after you graduate. That means you’ve got to do what you can to get involved around campus.
Volunteering, taking on jobs, joining organizations, writing for your school paper, and taking part in research opportunities can all make your resume look amazing. Having any of these activities on it will improve your chances of forging a career down the road.
The question is, how do you get started? How do you know what organizations you should join? We can help you work all of that out.
Keep reading to learn how to get involved in college and find out what extracurricular activities are available to you.
1. Join an Organization
At the beginning of every year, many colleges have a club fair. Here, representatives from every organization will be around with large signup sheets.
All you have to do to join is to write down your name and student email address. The only one that’s a little more difficult to join is the Alpha Lambda Delta honor society. All of the branches of the honors society have rigorous joining requirements.
There are interest-based groups. If you’re super into collecting comic back issues and anime, there’s a club for that. If you enjoy cooking in your spare time, there’s a club that needs your expertise.Â
No matter what kind of organization you join, you’ll most likely have to attend weekly or monthly meetings. It’s a great way to get a break from your studies and make some new friends.
If you want to join a club and it doesn’t exist, you can make it exist. Get approval from a governing board at your school and go from there.
2. Get a Job or Volunteer
The thing about college is that it tends to be expensive. Even if your scholarships and grants cover most of your tuition and books, you’ve still got to think about food, gas, and other necessities.
Since you already spend so much of your time around campus, why don’t you get a job there? If you qualify for your school’s work-study program, you can help out and get paid for it.
These programs are catered to work around your schedule, so you never have to worry about being late or having your boss yell at you for not picking up a shift during the day when you have classes.
We also recommend looking for ways to help around your community by doing volunteer work. You can put it on your resume the same way you would your work-study program.
Some of your options for volunteer work include tutoring kids in the area, helping clean up around your neighborhood, and building homes.
3. Participate in a Sport
If you’ve always been decent at sports, now is your time to shine. There are many benefits to joining a team. For one, playing a sport can help relieve some stress from your studies.
For two, it can help you beat the freshman fifteen. You’ll also be able to bond with your fellow classmates, and it can push you to do better in school.
If you’re not the most athletic person in the world, that’s okay. You can still participate by going to games and cheering your team on. You can also join your school’s eSports team if they have one, and that’s where your talents are.
4. Go to All the Campus Events
One thing you’ll quickly realize when going to college is that there is some kind of event going on almost every night. We recommend attending as many of them as you can.
You never know what you’ll learn by walking into a random lecture. Not only that, but your school uses the money they make from these events to do more for the university.
5. Look For a Research Opportunity
No matter what department you’re in, you can help graduate students and faculty members alike by participating in research. We will say that there are more opportunities available in this regard for those majoring in the sciences, but it’s not always a requirement.
You won’t get much for participating during your time as an undergraduate. If you plan to go to graduate school, however, that’s a different story.
Professors will be willing to write you letters of recommendation. Even without that, going after research opportunities can make you an impressive candidate in the eyes of many graduate schools.
6. School Newspaper
If you go on a job search site, there’s a common skill requirement that most of the postings will include. That is a strong understanding of the English language.
There’s no better way to polish your writing skills than to join your school’s newspaper. It’s a welcome addition to any job resume, and there are tons of opportunities available. You can dabble in editing, writing articles, or contributing some of your scientific research.
7. Study Abroad
You would think that leaving your school would be the opposite of participating, but that isn’t true. By studying abroad and taking part on campus in another country, you’ll interact with a brand new culture.
You’ll meet people from all walks of life, and become a more accepting individual overall. You can take a lot of the new concepts you learn back to your home campus.
Get Involved Around Your College Campus
As you can see, there are a million ways to get involved once you step on your university campus. You can help others by volunteering, getting a job at the school, or joining the school newspaper.
Look for clubs to join, and if you can’t find one you like, make one of your own. All of these things will help shape your career after you graduate and help you make tons of new friends. It’s a win-win!
For more tips that will help you make the most out of your time in college, feel free to explore the rest of our blog.
Ronald is a business editor who writes about various topics such as technology, health and finance. He works along with the colourful folks that build a nation through tech startups. He is also a professional football player and video games enthusiast.