Extracurriculars a waste of time
With the new school year approaching, and the memories of summer still fresh in your mind, you may be itching to get more involved with clubs this school year. This may have been a good idea, if you were still in high school and looking to bolster a college application. However, once admitted to a university, no one cares about extracurricular activities.
Clubs are all the same. Whether it is an honorary or a hobby-driven club, you can expect much of the same. The majority are there to pay their dues, attend a meeting and put it on a resume. Having joined a few honorary clubs myself and experienced some of the meetings firsthand, “”overrated”” is the word that comes to mind. Leadership is disorganized and the meetings are tedious.
Not only do clubs make you feel like nobody really cares, for the most part it’s a waste of time. Most employers will find your hobbies and activities to be irrelevant. Even if you’re trying to fill up space in a graduate school admission essay, the schools aren’t going to care unless you truly achieved something great with the club.
If you’re looking for leadership experience that will matter, try to become an resident assistant. Shepherding a bunch of rambunctious students in the dorm will provide a cushion on that resume and many good stories as well. If you’re considering graduate school or medical school, working in a distinguished research lab will carry more weight than being another link in the chain of any honorary, no matter how “”prestigious”” or “”selective”” it may be.
If you are dying for involvement that will pay off, look into Career Services. The staff there will help with career planning, finding leadership opportunities, networking, grad school applications, and building that ever-important resume. They know what employers look for in the hiring process and can help you achieve your goals. I’d suggest a free discussion with one of the representatives at Career Services before dishing out another $80 for no good reason.
—Wesley Smyth is a junior studying ecology and evolutionary biology. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
Clubs provide enriching experience
Summers are an excellent break from the ruckus of the fall and spring semesters. It’s a much-needed break that allows you to reflect on all your wasted time from school years past. You begin to realize that while you were just sitting around watching a godawful television show you could have been out and about. With the new semester on the horizon, now is as good a time as any to consider joining a club.
A club can be an enriching experience. Whether you join a career-based club such as Professional Achievements in Nursing, an honorary society such as Sophos, or an athletic club such as Tricats, you can definitely expect to keep busy. Although some of the clubs may seem intimidating at first, it is always rewarding to go out and experience something new. Being bored is no longer an ailment. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “”Do one thing every day that scares you.”” It makes you feel alive.
Because of the nature of clubs, socializing is unavoidable. In this way, clubs provide friends that you may not be able to meet during your busy class schedule. Making friends with peers in your clubs could provide the networking opportunity you’ve always craved.
If you’re smart about the clubs you choose, you can also learn a skill like ballroom dancing or mixed martial arts. Not only does this provide you with a relatively cheap way to explore something new, you can get some quality exposure and practice with other newbs. Who knows, you could distinguish yourself to a graduate school with your Arizona Swing Cats presidency or your title as captain of the inner tube waterpolo team.
Go out, join a club, make some friends and have fun. Say goodbye to your wasted time and get involved with campus clubs.
—Taylor Smyth is a biology junior. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
