As the semester comes tumbling to an end, I find myself reflecting on the highs and lows of what quite honestly seemed like the fastest few months imaginable. An addition that I made to my life this semester was joining UNH’s chapter of Her Campus. This move definitely landed in the “highs” column. If you are on the fence about joining, look no further. Here is some insight into why I think you should, from a fresh perspective.
1. It fosters a sense of community!
This semester, I was definitely feeling a little lost. I have a great group of close friends, but I realized that I don’t really know anybody else outside of that group, so I wanted to change that. My mom and my therapist told me to join a club. So, here we are! When I scrolled through the student organization page, nothing was catching my eye. I thought I was going to have to join the Chess Club. Thank goodness I kept scrolling. I knew from the minute I started emailing with Her Campus members that this was going to be a good place for me to be. Everyone was so nice and welcoming, genuinely looking to help me. Although I still haven’t really met anyone (thanks, COVID), I find it really reassuring to be a part of something bigger than myself.
2. It’s a great creative outlet.
As someone who was really creative in high school (cough, theatre kid, cough), I found myself in college feeling a bit unfulfilled. Not that I don’t love the field that I’m going into, but it’s definitely a shift in perspective. In such an academically strenuous setting like college, you don’t often get time allocated towards writing for fun. I personally find it to be cathartic. I have honestly written a couple of mock articles that I know I will never publish just to vent! Also, with a platform like Her Campus, it is so cool to see content that you created being published where the reach is nationwide. I absolutely flexed on all of my group chats and social media pages with the link to my articles. My grandmother thinks that I’m famous.
3. Professional opportunities are plentiful!
Seminars, internships, real-world-resume-building experience, careers, oh my! I have found that within my brief time with Her Campus, it is way more than an a student organization. From what I have gathered, you really can get out of it whatever you put into it! The nationwide Her Campus organization offers internship opportunities and professional development as well as full-time careers. Also, within individual chapters, there are leadership opportunities like the executive board positions and other teams. Our chapter also has had seminars regarding subjects like forming alumni connections, how to write a resume and cover letter, and so many more crucial topics for the emerging adult. No matter how involved you are, Her Campus definitely sets its members up to succeed for the future!
4. Quality content!
There are some really talented writers involved with Her Campus! I genuinely enjoy reading the new articles each week. Of course, you don’t have to be a member to reap this benefit, but I think it’s really cool to connect the articles to faces specifically from my chapter. I love seeing how creative people can be!
5. It’s an easy way to get involved on campus!
COVID has definitely hindered our ability to connect with people in general, but that evidently translates to campus life as well. I was feeling really detached mentally at the beginning of this semester, and was looking for a way to sort of establish myself in a bigger way at UNH. I joined Her Campus with a couple of quick emails. If you feel like your schedule is full, the commitment is honestly as much or as little as you want it to be, especially with the added convenience of Zoom meetings.
Just do it.