Should a college student join a student organization?
About the author
Hi there. I am the prolific professor with 15 years of experience teaching online and in-person. I have a graduate degree. I have a passion for education. But I’ve also worked in the professional world (outside of education) too. Thanks for visiting.
A college student’s guide to student organizations
Should you join one?
I get this question a lot.
And honestly, a lot of students don’t even know what student organizations even exist.
And when I tell them about organizations at our college, they are surprised to know that we offer them to begin with.
It might be new to you too.
As a college professor, and a faculty advisor of a student organization, I am going to give you all the information you need to make a decision on joining a student organization.
What are college student organizations?
College student organizations vary based on students’ interests. Some organizations may already exist at your college that include religious, political, social or discipline related organizations. Other times, students can opt to create a brand new organization that serves a different purpose from existing organizations.
Some student organizations actually have a responsibility to represent the students at the college.
Like student government associations.
These students are likely voted into their positions, and serve for a term.
They get to represent all college students in their duties. And serve like advocates for everyone.
It’s a big responsibility but it can give you lots of leadership skills.
Other organizations are geared towards certain career fields while others are more religious-oriented or hope to create more social awareness.
Anything is really possible, as long as the college approves the organization and it meets certain requirements, it could be created.
Even faculty members can propose student organizations. I actually created one when I first became a faculty member at my college. I wanted to give students, in my field, an opportunity to plan events that were discipline related.
Here’s just a short list of different types of student organizations that may exist at your college. And if one doesn’t exist that you’d think would interest you, you could propose the creation of such organization at your college.
Art
Nursing
Engineering
Math
Robotics
Make sure you check with your institution to see if you can create a new student organization and find out the process to get it going.
Other student organizations may be honor based and you need a certain G.P.A. to get accepted.
Some are local chapters of national organizations too.
And lastly, you could have greek organizations (fraternity or sorority).
As you can see, the opportunities are endless for student organizations.
What do college student organizations do?
College student organizations serve lots of different purposes depending on the type of student organization it is. The student organization will have a mission statement that will help explain what functions and purposes they serve. It may range from social awareness, inclusion, volunteering to preparation for a career or representing the student body.
If you are in a career related organization, you might focus on networking, gaining the skills necessary for your career, attending conferences in your field, or planning events for guest speakers.
If you are in an organization that is representing the student body, you are spending your time speaking with administration and the students to be the voice for the academic community.
If you are in a student organization that is a local chapter of a national organization, you’ll likely spend your time preparing to attend a regional conference and furthering their purpose.
To find out what the college student organization does that you’re interested in, you can read the mission statement which will give you insight about what their goals are.
Then these student organizations will focus their efforts on meeting these goals by their activities.
Some plan events on campus to expand their reach and meet their objectives.
Other times, some students in the organization rarely meet because the organization just isn’t that active anymore.
It may need some revitalization.
How do you join a college student organization?
If you want to join a student organization, find out the membership requirements by asking the student president or the faculty advisor. There may be certain academic requirements, like a grade point average or enrollment in a certain program, to be eligible to join. Other times students will need to fill out an application or pay dues while other student organizations allow anyone to join.
If you want to learn more about student organizations at your college and how to join, it is very likely that your college has information on their website.
Find out the requirements to join, if any, and get involved.
Reasons to join a student organization and its benefits
Student organizations can greatly benefit college students because they can help develop leadership skills for students. Also, these student organizations meet regularly and likely have faculty advisors, and this can be a great networking opportunity for students. Lastly, involvement in student organizations can give college students something to list on their resume.
The benefits of student organizations are vast. It also depends a lot on the student joining the organization.
If you join, and aren’t active in the organization, you won’t benefit as much as someone who attends the meetings regularly and is in an officer position.
Most student organizations will have officer positions. Here are just a few to consider.
President
Vice president
Treasurer
Secretary
When I was in a student organization in college, I was the secretary.
This meant that I took all the notes from a meeting, and created a document called the ‘meeting minutes’ so that we had a good record of what happened at the meeting.
These positions really allow students to get some leadership experience and can make joining a student organization worth it.
Also, if you plan and host events as part of the organization, you can list these activities on your resume too.
You can list all these activities on your resume, which can make you stand out against your competition.
So don’t forget about that added benefit too.
Are college student organizations worth joining?
Yes. College student organizations can be worth joining, but the benefits will depend on how active the student is within their organization. The student can list their student organization activities on their resume, but also build networks, and enhance marketable skills. If those things are important to the student, and they maximize their involvement, it can be worth it.
But this really depends on what is important to you, the student.
A student organization may be worth it if you get to spend quality time with your faculty advisors and network. These faculty advisors may help serve as a reference or give you a favorable mention for a job or graduate school admissions.
Usually you only have access to faculty members during class or office hours, but these meetings and activities allow you to build a professional relationship with them. You could get noticed by these faculty members and capitalize on this opportunity to impress them.
While you are in the student organization, you’ll be meeting with other students and building a network. Maybe they know of a job opportunity that interests you.
If you join an honor organization, you will probably get to wear a special graduation cord and that can set you apart from lots of other students to distinguish you academic abilities.
Some student organizations have conferences, and even have some student competitions where you can win awards.
Lastly, there may be some scholarship opportunities too. One organization, that I was in during college, offered student scholarships to its members. So that might be a cool opportunity for you too.
As you can see, there are so many opportunities for students when they join a student organization, but the benefits will vary based on your involvement.
Key Takeaways
College student organizations can be beneficial for students because they offer networking, prestige or enhance marketable skills, among others.
Students will get varying benefits based on their activity levels.
If there’s a student organization that you want at your college, but isn’t available, think about creating one yourself.
And get ready to get involved to maximize the benefits of joining a college student organization.
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