College Involvement

So, I am a double major and I don't live on campus. I am also a transfer student. I have my A.A. in liberal arts and I am at junior/third year. My college stresses student involvement, but I'm usually either in class or at the library doing work. My free time is coming on here or watching anime online. So, I don't live on campus where a lot of bonds are formed, I didn't know a soul before the semester, I have 5 300 level courses, and I'm expected to participate in Greek life or join clubs. On top of that, I lost my grandfather, the man who raised me, lived with me, provided much for me, and was my best friend two weeks before college started. I wasn't even given a tour of the college. I showed up for class one day. I made friends the old fashioned way. Going to an anime club, a Catholic club, and talking to random strangers. I have people to talk to. I'm not that bad. I just don't see the point in being super involved. The tuition is $44,000 a year (though I get much in financial aid) and I'm there to learn. Does it really matter if some free event is going down or a party? Tell me how involved your college life is.

Well it sounds like you have it covered with clubs darkhorse. I was in auto and anime clubs, VICA/SkillsUSA, and sat on the student union clubs council as a treasurer and auto club council rep a few times. I was also a theater techie and got paid for a few contract jobs running sound or lights for certain events for some extra money. I got my first job out of school via a referral from a professor who gave a letter of introduction. Make contacts they can open doors. IMHO college is more than just learning your future career it is learning how to navigate a world full of different people and ideas and deal with it especially if you are younger. It helped me get out of my shell. You could get stuck in a group project with someone you hate/hated you or was flaky dragging everyone down but the work still has to get done by the deadline or you all fail the assignment/course. The council meetings that ranged from brilliance to boredom, or just bickering. The emotional roller-coaster and spirit of competition and the bond with your teammates nd competitors. The dick professors who lorded over your hard earned GPA vs. the ones that were so cool you would buy them a beer any day. The illogical rules of the admin office and it's endless labyrinth of cold bureaucracy full of forms and lines. Crunch time for finals. The 'good enough' paper. The few times you got to take a break with your peers and celebrate surviving the madness of it all so far. Welcome to the rest of your professional life. I think that is why they push you into doing stuff for the extra practice and discovery.

Since I'm in grad school, all the organizations I'm in are professional organizations that I kind of have to be involved in for resume/CV purposes. For me personally, I'm in 1 club and I'm rushing for a pharmacy fraternity which is really the max I can go with 19 credit hours. It really depends on you though. I think it's worth it to get the most you can out of your college experience, networking included. If it's something that can really help you down the line in terms of starting or improving your career, I think it's worth adding in so long as it won't negatively impact your school work. Because while it doesn't do you any good for job hiring to have a degree but no extras on a resume that will get someone to seriously consider you, having a lot of good contacts won't help if you failed your classes and have no degree. Getting a job is like getting into college. They want to see a whole individual character who is geared towards the position, but you still gotta pass your classes.

I only got involved with Extra Curriculars my junior and senior year of college. ALso, my social life never revolved around my college. I regret both things I strongly recommend being AS involved as possible. You'll be better off in the long run.

Hmm I was part of a scholars organization whose leaders and members helped prep for grad school. Then socially I was part of a campus social media group made up of everyone with the only thing in common was the school we went to. But I worked a lot through college. Having up 2 and 3 part time jobs at a time. I think it was fulfilling but even the stronger bonds of friendship didn't really last after graduation. Ultimately I only miss a handful of people, but mostly miss the college setting. While there are idiots in every walk of life, there really aren't as many in a university setting as the general public. I miss that.

School related activities? Nah. I'd go to classes, come back and watch anime and play video games. Just like nowadays. I go to work, come back and watch anime and play video games. It's a vicious cycle - that's taken years to perfect.