It is a grave oversight on any student's part to recklessly throw away the pursuit of getting involved on campus. It is a phrase overly-used, of course, the moment you enter campus, but “getting involved on campus” is a suggestion that should not be taken lightly. Campus involvement expands your portfolio, allows you to exercise and build a razor sharp skillset, teaches you time management and helps to build your confidence.
It seems as if the second you enter college, you’re thrust into the impossible aim of building your resume or expanding your portfolio. Internships, jobs and volunteering opportunities seem to be endlessly offered. But getting involved on campus is one way to expand your portfolio. Especially in organizations where a leadership opportunity can be pursued, campus involvement can help to add positions on your resume. After all, “individuals in these roles could potentially manage money, create relationships with outside vendors and execute high-profile events, all valuable specialized skills” (1).
Besides allowing the paper documentation so incredibly important to building a portfolio, campus involvement has an infinite supply of skill-building exercises. Whether it be writing for the student newspaper, or dancing as part of a cultural club, or even honing your arguments in political organizations, campus involvement will always serve you well in any area, because your direct involvement will influence the expansion of your skillset. This campus offers a wide variety of skill-building opportunities, from writing to managerial positions to debating.
One thing that I personally have learned from wading in so many campus involvement opportunities is time management. I have been forced to learn the true value of time and never take it for granted, and this has in actuality yielded to a much more productive me, since the less time I have to complete things, the more likely I am to get them all done. And this lesson, an important one, can be learned by anyone who is involved on campus. The grooves of time management, especially when it connects to balancing a social and professional life is so essential to creating a successful individual.
Campus involvement also encourages a glorious budding of confidence. The surrounding relationships developed in such niches only serve to cement a person into creating a home away from home. The opportunity to lead fosters a sense of capability within a person. The collaboration of working with other individuals to achieve a common purpose creates a sense of unity that is essential to one’s confidence. Juggling academics with extracurriculars and being successful at it stretches one’s potential and allows them to poke around in the landscape of seeing what they are truly capable of. Student who do get involved on campus "gain confidence as a result of practicing the art of leadership and real-world skills through a campus activity" (1).
Campus involvement is vastly underrated. It is often foolishly brushed aside in the face of academics, when in fact, it may be more influential than the academic part of college itself. I cannot stress the benefits of campus involvement enough; it is a wise choice to take advantage of the multitude of student organizations and campus activities that are offered. I can only hope I have articulated this well enough to convince you of the wisdom in getting involved in campus as well.