This week I want to discuss one of the biggest keys to finding success in college. Many students try searching for an easy way to make friends, feel connected to campus, and finally feel like they are in college. It is such a simple thing, that it seems like many college students overlook how valuable this one simple tip truly is to their college success. The big secret that colleges keep, is you find success once you get involved and join a club. You are probably questioning how this the secret to finding success but if you continue reading, all shall be revealed.
I know at freshman orientation, students hear, “get involved and join a club” constantly and it makes them want to do it even less. Students feel as though they are getting nagged by their mother to clean up their room which only makes them want to do it even less. However, it is incredibly valuable for students to find clubs or organizations on campus that they connect with. These clubs can offer a plethora of opportunities to their members. Aside from meeting new people and making friends with others who have the same interests as they do, you can also hear industry leaders speak, attend conferences, present at a conference, win awards, and make connections. I think the last point is the biggest element of this key to success. Students who are successful in college feel connected to their peers, their campus, and their professors. Students who continue their success after they graduate, created connections beyond the classroom, these are the connections that you develop through the opportunities clubs and organizations provide you. In today’s world there is a club for anything and everything on a college campus, and if for some reason they do not have a club you want to join, then I encourage you to take the charge and establish it.
While interning at Northampton Community College’s Student Life Office this summer, I learned about the mindset they have when developing programs: “Students learn half of their knowledge from college inside the classroom, the other half is learned outside the classroom.” The half students learn outside the classroom I would argue is the more important half. This is the half that students learn who they are as a person. If it were not for the clubs I joined and the mentors I found along the way, I would have never even considered going to graduate school for Student Affairs; now I cannot even imagine doing anything else.
Therefore, if you are a new student on a college campus and you are struggling to find your rhythm or motivation to do anything then I challenge you to join a club. You can find the school’s complete list by just searching “clubs” on your school’s website. If you are a Kutztown student, click here to see the club offerings through Engage. Most colleges and universities offer intramural sports, academic based clubs, honors-based organizations, interest/hobby clubs, and Greek life. Colleges know every student has their own interest because they all came from diverse backgrounds, and that is why they offer so many different clubs and activities. Colleges want to be able to embrace all their students and have them find success. However, the student must take the step to meet the college’s efforts and sign up for a club and attend one of their meetings. I know from my personal experience, as soon as I felt connected and accepted to a club on campus, finding my rhythm in coursework and on campus was a lot easier.
Below are some photos and a video highlighting the campus involvement opportunities Kutztown University (Kutztown, PA), offers their students. Hope if you are a Kutztown student this helps you find a club you are interested in joining, or if you attend another school spark an idea to start that club at your college.
Please like, share, and comment below. I want to hear about your experiences you had with club involvement in college. Also let me know what other tips you would like to learn about. Thanks for reading and talk to you next week.