By Rafael Robledo
Being involved on campus creates more opportunities for you. Now I bet that you have heard that statement before, and I would have to agree with it. As someone who is part of esports club and EOP R.I.S.E, I have some insight on how student clubs and organizations can help you out.
Clubs and student organizations aren’t just recreational, there can be academic related, cultural, honor society, leadership, etc…. They all offer different experiences and some may have different benefit outcomes compared to others.
One of the benefits from being involved is networking. Networking is interacting with others to develop professional and/or social contacts. So by joining a club you can meet new people with the same interests as you and probably in the same career field. Some clubs may have alumni who are working in the same field as you and as such, you might have a contact who can help you out in the future for example.
Another benefit that some clubs may have are internship opportunities. This may be through connections or partnerships with the club and they may grant some students internships. Now the most common requirement in job applications is experience. Clubs may be a nice way to gain an internship in your career field and get hands on experience. Additionally, the internship might be limited to a club so there’s much more of a chance to get the internship.
In addition, some clubs offer exclusive scholarships to only their members. This is a nice way to narrow down the competition for scholarships which gives you a better chance at getting scholarships. These scholarships could be from major related to simply experience related but it is up to you to apply for them.
Some clubs may be recreational but that doesn’t mean that you can benefit from them. You might get life experiences from them such as leadership skills, team building, organization skills etc…. For example, as part of the Overwatch team for the esports club, we play in a team of six and it is up to us to work as a solid team in order to win games against other schools or teams. So from there I can build up my social skills, team building skills, communication skills, and maybe even leadership skills. So don’t be discouraged to join a club simply for the fun of it. You may improve as a person by being in one.
If you are a commuter, I understand your pain and can relate on how busy your schedule might be. As a commuter I understand these difficulties but I will say to not let them discourage you from being involved on campus. Personally, I enjoyed school more when I joined the clubs since I had something else to look forward to apart from classes.
Hopefully you find a club or student organization that you come to enjoy! To search for clubs that are recognized by the school, you can click on this link.
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