Over the years, I’ve become involved with a number of organizations and activities on campus. I’ve been a member of the College Choir, written for The Spectator, contributed to Red Weather, participated in Hogwarts at Hamilton, and worked as a peer counselor (among other jobs) at the Career Center. The obvious draw of getting involved on campus is the opportunity to have fun and meet people with similar interests. But campus activities are also great to have on your resume – they can help you market your greatest qualities to potential employers.
The organizations you join, and the parts you play in them, reveal a lot about you to employers. You can almost always link an activity you do with a specific skill an employer is looking for. If you’d like to go into education, mentioning that you tutor kids through HAVOC will show an employer that you enjoy, and have experience, teaching. Similarly, if you want to go into print media like journalism or publishing, writing for student publications will show employers that you’re dedicated to writing and editing. Even seemingly ‘non-relevant’ activities can make you an appealing candidate. Maybe you play a sport, or sing in an a cappella group, but you want a job in finance. Having such an activity on your resume is still impressive. Committing your time to any campus activity shows that when you’re passionate about something, you dedicate a lot of your time to it – and that you’re well-rounded, too.
There’s really no downside to getting involved, whether it be through clubs, Greek organizations, sports, publications, community service, the arts, or on-campus jobs. You don’t have to do a lot – just pick a few activities that really appeal to you. Then, all at once, you’ll get to do something you enjoy, make new friends, and turn yourself into a more viable job or internship candidate.
