Recently, I have learnt to start saying yes to opportunities more. Whether that has come out of desperation as a result of lockdown, or because I have had a genuine epiphany, I am not yet sure. What I am sure of, however, is how I have personally seen the benefits that saying yes more has given me. This article will cover how being active, open and jumping headfirst into opportunities at university can benefit you personally and professionally.
University is unique in that it is one of the final times in your life that you will have a broad choice of extra-curricular opportunities available to you within touching distance. Given that this is the case, it is extremely important that you take advantage of them as much as possible. The benefits that getting involved in societies or sports clubs is twofold:
Personal
Personal benefits that trying new things and experiences can give you are that it makes you a more developed person. If you are reclusive and never say yes or investigate potential opportunities, you may go your whole life without finding something that you actually really enjoy. Another plus side of trying new things is that it means you are far less likely to drop out of university. Last year, I talked to the societies officer for my university’s Student Union (he would end up becoming the president of the SU) and I learned a very interesting fact related to this topic – joining a society or sports club makes you four times less likely to drop out of university. For many, the transition from school to university is hard enough (let alone in current coronavirus times), and joining societies or sports clubs is one of the best ways to ease any stresses. Just leaving your house and seeing other people will help you with any issues, as you realise that there are other students just like you. Aside from the obvious things that societies and sports clubs do, such as bring together like minded people, they can also play a key role in your academics. For me, I have found that whenever I have made multiple commitments, for example if I were to go to different societies, I will end up being more productive. The societies I joined helped me structure my week and minimise procrastination. If I knew what I had planned, I would end up doing my work in the free time I had. Ironically, having less time for work helped me structure my day so that I ultimately felt less stressed. Whilst I appreciate that this is my personal experience, I would wager that getting involved at university will give most people at least some benefit.
Professional
The second way that getting involved with extra curriculars at university can benefit you is by giving you valuable professional skills. Recruiters from all walks of life and career paths appreciate that students will have had limited/no professional experience prior to their applications. Even if a student has previously worked jobs beyond simply weekend/summer ones, eg a mature student, the experience they have gained will be limited to transferrable experience. A student looking to work in investment banking will likely not have any experience (beyond say a week or two) in that sector in a professional setting. Recruiters realise that students are “professionally fresh”, explaining why they place such high emphasis on transferrable skills – something that can be gained through societies and sports clubs. If you are pursuing a commercial job, recruiters will be looking for someone who, for example, is ambitious, energetic and wants to get involved. These set of adjectives are some of the most common candidate criteria that recruiters will look for, and what better way to demonstrate them than through becoming the next president/vice president of your favourite society/sports club! Better yet, if you want to demonstrate you are ambitious, start your own society/sports club! In a setting where all candidates, from a recruiter’s perspective, are just names on a screen, you need to set yourself apart from the rest of the pack. Getting involved and learning to say yes to opportunities not only sets you apart from others, but also gives you good habits that will serve you in the long run both personally and professionally.
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