Four years ago, during my first semester at university—GOD, I am getting old!—a friend I met in dorms basically forced me to attend a Her Campus pitch meeting with her. As I wasn’t in a writing or journalism program, I was skeptical that it would be the right fit for me.
After attending a few meetings, I was hooked on the sense of community, but I was still far too shy to have my mediocre (at best) writing published. Despite swearing that I would never, ever write, after a few months of editing, I decided to try my hand at authoring…and with a Dance Moms-related article no less. This little story has evolved into a multi-year journey from editor to writer, then to Vice President to President! As I’m now entering my final year at university, I’ve taken a step back to just being a general member again to fully focus on my academics.
If you are a fellow Her Campus skeptic, here are just a few things I’ve learned from being a part of Her Campus UVic.
If you put yourself out there, you WILL make friends
In my first year, I really struggled with making friends. I knew a few people who had moved with me from my hometown, but outside of that small group, I struggled to make genuine and close connections. Her Campus UVic was the thing that inevitably changed that for me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like the first pitch meeting I ever went to resulted in a million new friends. But through getting involved with things like events and executive roles, I can now confidently say that most of my closest friends are Her Campus-related in some fashion.
Being outside of your comfort zone is the only way you’ll grow
Attending meetings where you don’t know anyone is scary. Planning events for the first time is scary. And believe me, getting posted on the Her Campus Instagram that has over 1,800 followers is scarrrrryyyy! Her Campus has given me a safe space to do so many scary things, and today, none of them can rattle me (except maybe managing the Instagram…). It’s through all of these opportunities that I gained comfort and confidence with new skills…the ones that not only look good on the resume, but also have made me a better person.
It’s okay to procrastinate… but it’s better to find a schedule that works for you
I could never tell someone not to procrastinate with a straight face because I am the number one culprit. While I’ve had my fair share of nights cramming Her Campus articles on top of a mountain of schoolwork, I will say that my life saw a significant improvement when I got serious about the calendar app and started properly preparing for things that weren’t just due that day.
Saying no is not only okay; it’s necessary
In the same vein as procrastination, you can’t properly organize your life if you are overwhelming your schedule. While it can be hard to say no when you feel like people depend on you, your yeses mean more when you’re actually able to follow through. There’s nothing I love more than signing up for a million articles week after week, but moderation has improved my writing quality and overall state of mind.
Being bad at something can actually be fun
While I’d like to say that I’ve gotten better at writing, I know I’m no 21st-century Shakespeare. And writing isn’t the only aspect of Her Campus that hasn’t been my strong suit. Even if the finished product isn’t always award-winning, the process of being involved and seeing it all come together is a reward in itself.
Collaborative/Group work isn’t always terrible
High school Jess’s head would absolutely spin at this statement, but it’s true. When you are able to find like-minded people that are passionate about the same things you are, I’d venture to say that collaborative work isn’t just not terrible; it’s amazing. Some of my favourite articles that I’ve written with Her Campus UVic have been the ones I got to make with others.
Everything you think is an innate quality is actually a learnable skill
While some people have god-given talents, that doesn’t mean it’s over for the rest of us. There are people who are phenomenal at public speaking; people who are great at listening; people who are amazing writers; people who are helpful in a crisis. Everything I just listed isn’t determined at birth, but rather, they are skills you can learn, practice, and maybe even master. Her Campus has been an avenue for me to gain so many skills that I didn’t previously think possible. If you give it a chance, maybe you’ll learn something impossible as well.
Even if you don’t think Her Campus is completely up your alley, come check it out—you might be surprised at what you discover.