Why should you get involved in extracurricular activities? After all, you could use that extra time to sleep, watch television, get an off-campus job, or contemplate your navel. Besides, aren’t you busy enough attending classes, keeping up with homework, and doing your laundry? Why take time away from studying? There are many reasons you should plunge into the college social scene.
Here are my 10 favorites:
Top ten reasons for getting involved in college activities
10. To improve your grades. Joining social groups helps you do better in your schoolwork. That’s because you’ll make friends who often become study buddies, provide tips about study skills, and tutor you (if necessary). In addition, taking a break from studying by doing something fun and worthwhile helps you look at the material with a fresh eye when you return to it.
9. To get the inside scoop. Which class should you take? Is it true that organic chemistry (“Orgo” to those in the know) is the toughest class in the entire university? Is it true what you heard about Professor Frankenstein? When you meet people through clubs, you’ll get the answers to questions like these—and many more.
8. To become socially savvy. Some lucky people are born with fabulous social skills. They know what to say and how to say it. The rest of us schlubs have to learn social skills by interacting with others. Joining clubs teaches you how to function in social situations and become more relaxed with acquaintances as well as strangers. Social savvy will prove invaluable later when you enter the wonderful world of work.
7. To learn valuable skills. Much of what you learn in college that you need in the real world takes place outside the classroom. For example, we joke around the house that my husband majored in yearbook and minored in math and accounting. As the editor-in-chief of the college yearbook for three years, he learned a great deal about printing and publishing that was never taught in his business classes. He used these skills during his 25-year career in publishing.
