Student groups play an invaluable part in overall development of students.
Most groups offer students an opportunity to get involved, and to interact with peers to gain life skills that can lead in shaping the future.
Here are some of the reasons why you should be involved in a student’s group, if you haven’t considered joining any groups yet:
Networking
The best way to network with your fellow students who share the common interests is to join groups. Networking, as you will realize over the period of time, is the most important tool that can help you to climb up your career ladder.
Social Skills
Students interact with wide range of people in a group, and this helps in enhancing your social skills and your personality. These skills also allow you to discover your real passions
and strengths which will help you to sail through your life.
Professional Skills
There are many groups which act as a supplement for what you’re learning inside the classroom. These groups give a practical approach to encounter a problem in a professional world. For example: you’re a computer science student, and joining a group of computer programmers can actually give you hands-on experience of what’s it like to write codes for live project.
Organizational & Management Skills
Often student not only join the groups but also help in running the group. Therefore, being involved in a group requires you to be more organized and disciplined. This helps in improving your organizational and managerial skills
Comradery & Fun
Life is not just the sum of all your experiences that you gather but also about sharing those experiences with your friends. Interacting with groups helps you to understand the value of comradery and fun.
Best student groups to be involved with
It’s important for you to choose the group that is best suited to you. For that, it’s essential that you should pick groups that interest you, or you’re passion about. Although innumerable groups exist in college campuses, the following are the best groups that you can get involved in:
Administration & Governance
One of most popular groups in college campuses is the one that involves student governance issues. Students involved in such groups are typically elected by peers groups to voice their opinion on their behalf to the college administration. In other words, they represent the ideas and concerns of the fellow students. Students involved in such groups not only voice the concern but also help in building and sustaining these students groups and communities.
Athletics & Sports
Almost every college offers sports groups to their students. Based on the interests and the skills students can join popular groups like football, base ball, volleyball, basket ball, athletics, and many more. A lot of professional and international sportsmen are made right here at the school and the college level. However, this is one group that you must get involved just for improving your physical endurance.
Academic & Professional groups
Academic and professional groups can help and assist you to further supplement knowledge in your chosen field. Many experts, mentors, and lecturers are part of such groups. You can join and ask pertinent questions related to your field. This helps not only in gaining knowledge but also in acquiring job skills required be successful in the future.
Volunteering and Social Activity
There are many groups which demand volunteering and social activity. If you have similar interest or would like to contribute to a social cause then you must join such group.
Multi-cultural
These groups focus on areas of various cultures and religions. Many colleges promote and sponsor festivals, debate & discussion, and guest lecturers that allow students to participate. These groups allow you to learn and understand the diverse cultures of the world, and also to become aware of problems such as racism, ethnic and cultural bias, sexual and gender inequality.
Art & Dramatics
If you have an artistic flair, you can participate in numerous arts & dramatics groups. Some popular activities include: plays, musicals, dance concert, orchestra, singing groups etc. You can also form specialized groups of: photography, rock band, pottery, sculptures, painting where you can learn and train or can just have fun.
Finding right groups can be difficult. Some pointers to consider before joining a group:
Seek help
Most colleges have information center that gives information on how to get involved and join groups. They also offer quizzes to help you to determine your areas of interests.
Try something new: Go outside of your comfort zone and join at least one group which you have never tried before. You never know how much you enjoy the experience later.
Find a right balance: Groups demand time and commitment. Do not over commit that can adversely affect your main course, and grades.
College campuses offer plenty of opportunities to get involved in students groups but how much you make out of it depends entirely on you. The scope of learning is immense but your aim should always be to find your niche where you can grow exponentially.
About the author
Aditya Singhal is the co-founder of www.Transtutors.com, a leading online tutoring help for college students. Having graduated from prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), he worked briefly with American Consulting firm, Kurt Salmon Associates before taking the entrepreneurial route.
Outside the work ambit, Aditya has a personal interest in helping students in their career aspiration and skill development. He is also actively involved in giving back of the revenue towards education of poor students in India.
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