There are manifold clubs in colleges for students to join. Nonetheless, first-year students always wonder about the number of clubs they should join while in college.
If you are reading this, you are probably a freshman who joined college recently and wondered what club or the number of clubs to join. Joining college is a lifetime achievement that comes with sets of requirements and responsibilities. However, as much as you need to focus on your studies, you should consider joining clubs to help you pave a successful life or future. College clubs play an imperative role in supplementing your academic performance by equipping you with your life and career skills. Nonetheless, the main question among most college students is how many clubs should I join in college? Throughout this article, you will come across detailed facts that will help you answer the above question in the most indisputable manner.
Different opinions among college students of how many college clubs to join
Immediately after you join college, you will realize that you are in a different world from the one you have been used to. College life gives you a platform to enjoy life and your independence more. College life will offer you new exposure to life, allowing you to make new friends and perceive the world differently.
As a freshman, you will have to decide on what club to join. There are multiple college clubs in every institution, and the decision on how many clubs you should join is solely yours to make. Below are three different opinions on how many clubs to join all at once.
The first opinion – join a single club.
A group of students believes that you should join a single college club at a time. The group argues from the angle of balancing academic studies with club time. There is no doubt that being a club member is captivating and extraordinary, but you need to over-emphasize your grades or academic performance. Therefore, you should consider joining a club that falls within your interests, and that will never rob your academic or study time.
Second opinion – two clubs are better than one.
Students have differing capabilities, and where your abilities allow you to join two clubs at a go. You might also have diverse interests calling you to join more than one club. It is evident that students belong to two college clubs, and their academic performance is at the top.
The third opinion – Join as many college clubs as possible.
Some students are in college to meet new people and network. Students who are passionate about multiple things find themselves joining multiple college clubs. The idea is joining a club to meet new people and when you feel out of place, drop it. You can join as many clubs as possible as long as they fall within your tastes, interests, and preferences.
Tips on how to choose an ideal college club
There are so many college clubs available for first-year students and college students to choose from. Nonetheless, most students experience hardships determining what college club to join and which one not to join. Below are considerations that will help you determine the ideal club to join.
Examine your interests, tastes, and preferences
You can’t participate actively and diligently in a club that you know nothing about, and that lies without the perimeters of your interests and preferences. Therefore, ensure to examine the college clubs available and shortlist the ones that fall within your interests. You need to enjoy being a member of the club.
The club’s mission
What are your objectives for joining the club? Answering this question will help you examine the club’s mission statement and objectives and decide whether they see eye to eye with your objectives. The most devastating thing is to be in the wrong club for the right reasons. Therefore, take your time and understand how the club will benefit you.
Time
As a college student, you need to focus more on your studies. Therefore, any activity that robs your academic and study time should be avoided. You must, therefore, examine the spare time available that you can allocate to college clubs. Some clubs require a lot of attention and time, and others don’t. Thus, it would be best if you examined the time you will spend on club activities and determine whether it’s worthwhile.
Career edification
How will the club advance and edify your academic life and exposure? You need to join a club that will help supplement your studies. For instance, if you are in the psychology and counselling department, a club dealing with a peer or drug counselling will benefit you tremendously.
Benefits of joining college clubs
Joining college clubs is beneficial in ways unimaginable, with making new friends the prime benefit. Apart from making new friends, there are other benefits to enjoy, and they are pinpointed below.
Helps you make new friends
First-year students are not only innocent but new in an environment away from home and parents. Nevertheless, joining college clubs will help you make new friends with a lot of ease. You will manage to meet like-minded people who share identical interests with yours. Apart from students, you will manage to meet professionals, club alumni, and other people who help you create a network.
Learn how to deal with different people
College clubs are full of people from different backgrounds, and they behave differently from how you behave. Therefore, through joining these college clubs, you will develop interpersonal skills to relate well with everyone.
A way to neutralize stress
Some of your classes are full of complex materials and theories that could end up stressing you. As a new student, you will also find yourself missing home and being stressed over simple stuff. Therefore, college clubs will help you channel your stressed mind into productive things; hence, managing your stress effortlessly.
A way to supplement your resume
Job seeking phase can be tedious. However, your resume plays a fundamental role in selling you to promising employers. Joining college clubs helps you build your resume.
Conclusion
Keenness in selecting an ideal college club to join is necessitated. Your capabilities as a person and the time you have as a student determine the number of college clubs you can join. Ensure to join clubs that you can handle and manage faithfully.