As my sophomore year is coming to a close, I have begun to reflect on this past year that was plagued by Covid-19 and online classes. Through many Zoom meetings and online assignments, it has undoubtedly been hard to meet new people. What has been even more difficult, though, is finding ways to occupy my time which would normally be spent doing normal, in-person activities.
One thing I’ve noticed that has been the silver lining in my days spent on my computer in my apartment were the various activities I am involved in. Those meetings — even though they were on Zoom — made my day better and brought me joy in the midst of such a weird year. I thought I would share why I believe it is so important to get involved in college, and why I wish I had gotten even more involved.
First and foremost, getting involved is how I met some of my closest friends. Last year, as a member of a service organization, I met two of my closest friends who I plan on living with next year. They were some of the closest friends that I’ve made at Penn State, and without being involved, I would have never met them.
Even this year after joining a sorority, I’ve already met so many great people who I can’t wait to become closer friends with as the years go on. Making friends in organizations is one of the main reasons why I believe that people should get involved, because that’s where you meet people with similar interests. Due to the online nature of classes, making friends has become difficult, if not impossible, so joining clubs and organizations has been one way for people to make new connections.
Getting involved also means discovering new interests that you didn’t know you had. At the activities fair a year ago in the Hub, I saw the booth for Her Campus and was intrigued by the organization. After talking to the girls at the booth, I decided to apply. When I got accepted and joined Her Campus, I had no idea what to expect, but one year and many articles later, it helped me realize how much I love writing. As a result, I realized I wanted to go into a career in communications.
Joining Her Campus was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and I encourage anyone who is looking for ways to become more involved to just take the leap and go for it. You will never know if you enjoy something unless you try — and I highly recommend trying.
This is self-explanatory, but getting involved also allows you to add more to your resume. Academics are extremely important to future employers, but getting involved outside of the classroom in clubs that are related to your major or academic interests shows that you have a passion for whichever field you want to go into.
Employers also want to see that you can balance getting good grades with involvement outside of the classroom — meaning that you have good time management and organizational skills. While I am not yet involved in many academic clubs related to my major, I plan to become more involved in the fall semester when I have more time, but if you can get involved, get involved now.
Even though the school year is almost over, it’s never too early to think about next year and how you want to spend it. If you have an interest in something but there’s no club for it, start your own. There are so many ways that you can get involved at a college, and I recommend scrolling through the list of clubs or going to the involvement fair for ideas when it’s time.
That’s all I have for now. Stay involved, collegiettes!