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Are there benefits to doing extra curricular activities in college?
I know that doing extracurricular activities in high school help with getting into a better college but once I'm in college is there any real benefits that they give me other than personal things?
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Maeve’s Answer, CareerVillage.org Team
Extracurricular activities in college definitely have benefits! When you are looking for a job out of college, employers will ask you to speak about leadership opportunities, working in groups/teams, time management etc. These are all things you can gain from joining clubs or participating in extracurriculars. Anything that shows you taking initiative or getting involved in your community is really important for your resume.
But something that is WAYYY more important than resume building, is that extracurriculars can be a lot of fun and help you grow as a person! Joining these clubs/volunteering/playing a sport can help you stay active, form social circles, and give you a great sense of community and purpose. In college, students experience a lot of freedom for the first time, and participating in extracurriculars provides structure to your day and helps you meet new people who can become great resources. The connections you make while doing these activities will be so important to making the most of your college experience!
But something that is WAYYY more important than resume building, is that extracurriculars can be a lot of fun and help you grow as a person! Joining these clubs/volunteering/playing a sport can help you stay active, form social circles, and give you a great sense of community and purpose. In college, students experience a lot of freedom for the first time, and participating in extracurriculars provides structure to your day and helps you meet new people who can become great resources. The connections you make while doing these activities will be so important to making the most of your college experience!
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Julia’s Answer
Extracurricular activities in college are still very beneficial! Like you mentioned, there are a lot of personal benefits that come with extracurriculars, such as meeting new people, finding new activities you like, staying busy, and many more. There are also many ways that extracurriculars can benefit you professionally. Being involved can definitely help you get a job! When you're creating a resume, you will typically have a whole section dedicated to extracurricular activities/experiences, so you want to have things to be able to include. Also, once you get a job interview, for questions that require you to explain a time where something happened / you did something, you can use examples from these extracurriculars! There is often many leadership roles you can take on with these activities so they give you great experiences to talk about, and most jobs will be impressed if you have been actively involved.
I don't think you need to take on too many extracurriculars at once, but I do recommended finding 1 or 2 activities you really like and being as involved as you can!
I don't think you need to take on too many extracurriculars at once, but I do recommended finding 1 or 2 activities you really like and being as involved as you can!
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Madi’s Answer
Hi Johnathan,
Extracurriculars in college have many benefits! Firstly, you can meet new people. By doing extracurriculars like sports, a gaming club, etc you regularly meet with students who share the same interests. By meeting regularly, you can establish familiarity and subsequently, friendships and connections. Personally, I've met many lifelong friends through the extracurricular groups that I joined in college. Secondly, extracurriculars can help you with skills after college. These skills can include communication, team work, writing or even planning and organizing events. When you interview for jobs after college, you can tell them about how these extracurriculars helped you sharpen your skills and how you will apply them should they give a position with their company.
Extracurriculars in college have many benefits! Firstly, you can meet new people. By doing extracurriculars like sports, a gaming club, etc you regularly meet with students who share the same interests. By meeting regularly, you can establish familiarity and subsequently, friendships and connections. Personally, I've met many lifelong friends through the extracurricular groups that I joined in college. Secondly, extracurriculars can help you with skills after college. These skills can include communication, team work, writing or even planning and organizing events. When you interview for jobs after college, you can tell them about how these extracurriculars helped you sharpen your skills and how you will apply them should they give a position with their company.
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M’s Answer
Hi Jonathan! This is a great question! I would recommend maybe joining a club at your university. The club will provide resources related to your major and furthering your career but it will also allow you to meet like-minded individuals. Also, in your second or third year I would recommend looking for internships as this experience is important when it comes to your career. I would focus on one or two extracurriculars that you could include in your resume to discuss when applying for jobs. Good luck, hope this helped!
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Kyle’s Answer
Extracurricular activities in college offer many benefits! If you decide to join specific clubs at your campus (ex. a business club), they can connect you to certain internship programs to help you land a career in an area you would want to work in. Also by joining different extracurricular activities, you will make many new connections and find like-minded people who will help you succeed in every way possible!
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Elle LaQuaya’s Answer
Depending on what the activities they are, extra curricular activities can definitely can be asset for you. There are networking benefits, the ability to garner experiences in your field of choice within different social groups. It can aid your work experience and your skill set.
For example, I founded a RSO (Registered Student Organization) in undergrad where I was able to hone in on my marketing skills for large scale events. I also, was in pageants, acting and radio and the people I’ve met have been invaluable to my career growth even until this day.
Take the opportunity to leverage extra curricular activities to your benefit.
For example, I founded a RSO (Registered Student Organization) in undergrad where I was able to hone in on my marketing skills for large scale events. I also, was in pageants, acting and radio and the people I’ve met have been invaluable to my career growth even until this day.
Take the opportunity to leverage extra curricular activities to your benefit.
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Eric’s Answer
College is not just a time and place for education but also exploration. I suggest using that time in your life to explore your interests beyond your eventual career. Trying out new hobbies and recreational activities and becoming involved in various community organizations will help form important friendships, will make you more well rounded, provide you important life skills, and will help establish important work / relaxation patterns later in life.
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Jeff’s Answer
Great question - In short, you'll find that the more activities you participate, the more well rounded you'll become in life. The more "volume" you'll be able to create in your life, which will increase the opportunities that are available to you. Some will stick, others will become memories.
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Elizabeth’s Answer
Yes!!! It can be very hard for someone to land a good job right out of college. By joining a club or doing something meaningful on campus, not only do you have the chance to meet new people, but you will also gain valuable skills that you can mention on your resume. For example, if you join a club and then become treasurer for that club, you can put your experience with handling financials on your resume. Obviously, you don't want to stretch yourself too thin, but joining a few extracurriculars that are meaningful to you can really help give you a boost when it comes to looking for jobs. Plus, they can be a lot of fun!
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Gerardo’s Answer
That's a great question. In my experience it depends on what you may be majoring in. Some programs have heavy course loads that may make doing extra curriculars difficult. You don't want to jeopardize your grades for extra curriculars. However, doing extra curriculars helps you get into better programs if you decide to further your education such as applying to med school. Having extra curriculars also helps you with job opportunities such as internships or job placements if they see that you have experience in certain groups.
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Helen’s Answer
Yes! For a few reasons:
1. You get to interact with with different people, learn from them and potentially make some really great friends.
2. Its great to put extracurricular activities on your resume when you're initially applying for jobs.
3. They often will give you talk points, or examples, that you can expand upon in future interviews. The more experiences you have the more you're able to talk about. Its not fun to only talk about the curriculum from your classes.
4. You may have the opportunity to gain some leadership experience. This could teach you much more than you ever thought about yourself and how you interact with others. Invaluable!
Don't join a club or activity if you just want to go through the motions - do something that excites you and you will get so much out of it!
1. You get to interact with with different people, learn from them and potentially make some really great friends.
2. Its great to put extracurricular activities on your resume when you're initially applying for jobs.
3. They often will give you talk points, or examples, that you can expand upon in future interviews. The more experiences you have the more you're able to talk about. Its not fun to only talk about the curriculum from your classes.
4. You may have the opportunity to gain some leadership experience. This could teach you much more than you ever thought about yourself and how you interact with others. Invaluable!
Don't join a club or activity if you just want to go through the motions - do something that excites you and you will get so much out of it!
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