In high school, we all heard the same advice. Join a sports team. Join a club. Do extracurriculars so you’ll look good for the colleges you’ll be applying to. Well, now you’re in college and you’ll most likely be staying here for the next two to four years. Does this mean clubs are useless? Absolutely not.
College students are constantly studying and fighting for something in their future like a good job, income, a career, and depending on your career path, extracurriculars can almost certainly aid you.
According to an article in Higher Education Today called “Reducing Barriers to Transfer for Community College Students,” by Jonathan Turk, studies show “Participation in extracurricular activities while enrolled at community college more than doubled the odds that a student would go on to transfer to a four-year institution.”
Steven Voorhes, a Communication Professor at Mercer says that “having experience with work related to your field will make you more marketable or employable.”
The Criminal Justice Club, for example, visits different places–such as prisons–and has guest speakers come talk about important developments in that field. For example, as reported in The VOICE, former New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey came to discuss prisoner reentry programs.
The Hospitality Club gives students a chance to practice their skills and is highly visible serving up food at campus events.
The College VOICE newspaper takes a group of 6-8 of the best student reporters to New York City for three days each March to attend the College Media Association conference where they get to attend workshops and connect with more than 1,200 college journalism students and industry professionals.
Then there’s the Viking Radio club, the Physical Therapy Assistants’ club, the Alpha Mu Gamma foreign language honor society…the list goes on.
However, workplace advancement isn’t the only reason to join a club as the students at this year’s Club Day on September 19 demonstrated.
There are lots of cultural clubs as well, such as Caribbean Vibes, which has the goal of “bringing people together, teaching people about our culture,” or the African Students Association which “create[s] a community for those who are from Africa and Africa diaspora.’’
Zeke Wagner, from Mercer’s Student Government Association (SGA), said “[students in clubs] get to meet people, make connections…I’ve met so many people that I’ll know for the next 30 years of my life. It’s actually one of the best choices I’ve made at Mercer, joining [SGA].”
The college currently has 36 active clubs. Inactive clubs can be rebooted and some students find an advisor to work with them and help create a new club. For information on club opportunities, visit our Student Government at the West Windsor campus in SC 111.
PHOTOS – ALESSANDRO RIVERO
