{"id":1585,"date":"2016-09-07T15:54:24","date_gmt":"2016-09-07T15:54:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=1585"},"modified":"2024-04-30T22:50:23","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T22:50:23","slug":"text-benefits-of-participating-in-student-life","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/chapter\/text-benefits-of-participating-in-student-life\/","title":{"raw":"Benefits of Participating in Student Life","rendered":"Benefits of Participating in Student Life"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\r\n<h3>Learning Outcomes<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Describe the benefits of participating in student life<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\nHow is it that becoming fully involved in student life can have such a positive impact on student satisfaction and academic success?\r\n\r\nThe <a href=\"http:\/\/nsse.indiana.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Survey of Student Engagement<\/a>\u2014a survey measuring student involvement in academic and cocurricular activities\u2014shows that student success is directly linked to student involvement in the institution. In fact, survey results show that the higher the level of student involvement is, the higher student grades are and the more likely students are to reenroll the next semester. Student engagement seems to translate to satisfaction. The following lists some of the many benefits and rewards that result\u00a0from active participation in campus and student life.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Personal interests are tapped<\/strong>: Cocurricular programs and activities encourage students to explore personal interests and passions. As students pursue these interests, they learn more about\u00a0their strengths and possible career paths. These discoveries can be lasting and life-changing.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>A portfolio of experience develops<\/strong>: Experience with just about any\u00a0aspect\u00a0of college life may be relevant to\u00a0a prospective employer. Is freshman year too soon to be thinking about r\u00e9sum\u00e9s? Definitely\u00a0not! If you gain leadership experience in a club, for example, be sure to document what you did so you can refer back to it (you might want to keep track of your activities and experiences in a journal, for instance).<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Fun leads to good feelings<\/strong>: Students typically pursue co-curricular activities because the activities are enjoyable\u00a0and personally rewarding.\u00a0Having fun is also a good way to balance the stress of meeting academic deadlines and studying intensely.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Social connections grow<\/strong>: When students are involved in co-curricular activities, they usually\u00a0interact with others, which means meeting new people, developing\u00a0social skills, and being a part of\u00a0a community. It's always good to have friends who share your interests and to develop these relationships over time.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Awareness of diversity expands<\/strong>: The multicultural nature of American society is increasingly reflected and celebrated\u00a0on college campuses today. You will see this not only in the classroom but also in the\u00a0co-curricular activities, clubs, organizations, and events. For example, your college might have a Black Student Union, an Asian Pacific Student Union, a Japanese Student Association, a Chinese Student Association, and many others. Having access to these resources gives students\u00a0the opportunity to explore different cultures and prepare to live, work, and thrive in a vibrantly diverse world.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Self-esteem grows<\/strong>: When students pursue their special interests through co-curricular activities, it can be a real boost to self-esteem. Academic achievement can certainly\u00a0be a source of affirmation\u00a0and satisfaction, but it's nice to have additional activities that validate your special contributions in other ways.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<img class=\"alignright wp-image-330\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images-archive-read-only\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1110\/2016\/02\/02025034\/14878601750_b326ee6fa4_z.jpg\" alt=\"an Eagle mascot sitting on the lap of a woman in bleachers \" width=\"350\" height=\"233\" \/>All in all, being involved in the campus community is vital to every\u00a0student, and it's vital to the college, too. It's a symbiotic relationship that serves everyone well.\r\n\r\nThe key to getting the most out of college is to take advantage of as many\u00a0facets of student life as possible while still keeping up with your academic commitments. That's pretty obvious, right? What may be\u00a0less obvious is that focusing exclusively on your academic work and not getting\u00a0involved in any of the\u00a0rich and diverse co-curricular activities\u00a0on campus can come at a real price and even hamper your\u00a0success.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\r\n<h3>Try It<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/43efa6ce-aa79-478e-aac0-1b6c7b2e22ff\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>Learning Outcomes<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Describe the benefits of participating in student life<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>How is it that becoming fully involved in student life can have such a positive impact on student satisfaction and academic success?<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/nsse.indiana.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Survey of Student Engagement<\/a>\u2014a survey measuring student involvement in academic and cocurricular activities\u2014shows that student success is directly linked to student involvement in the institution. In fact, survey results show that the higher the level of student involvement is, the higher student grades are and the more likely students are to reenroll the next semester. Student engagement seems to translate to satisfaction. The following lists some of the many benefits and rewards that result\u00a0from active participation in campus and student life.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Personal interests are tapped<\/strong>: Cocurricular programs and activities encourage students to explore personal interests and passions. As students pursue these interests, they learn more about\u00a0their strengths and possible career paths. These discoveries can be lasting and life-changing.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A portfolio of experience develops<\/strong>: Experience with just about any\u00a0aspect\u00a0of college life may be relevant to\u00a0a prospective employer. Is freshman year too soon to be thinking about r\u00e9sum\u00e9s? Definitely\u00a0not! If you gain leadership experience in a club, for example, be sure to document what you did so you can refer back to it (you might want to keep track of your activities and experiences in a journal, for instance).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fun leads to good feelings<\/strong>: Students typically pursue co-curricular activities because the activities are enjoyable\u00a0and personally rewarding.\u00a0Having fun is also a good way to balance the stress of meeting academic deadlines and studying intensely.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Social connections grow<\/strong>: When students are involved in co-curricular activities, they usually\u00a0interact with others, which means meeting new people, developing\u00a0social skills, and being a part of\u00a0a community. It&#8217;s always good to have friends who share your interests and to develop these relationships over time.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Awareness of diversity expands<\/strong>: The multicultural nature of American society is increasingly reflected and celebrated\u00a0on college campuses today. You will see this not only in the classroom but also in the\u00a0co-curricular activities, clubs, organizations, and events. For example, your college might have a Black Student Union, an Asian Pacific Student Union, a Japanese Student Association, a Chinese Student Association, and many others. Having access to these resources gives students\u00a0the opportunity to explore different cultures and prepare to live, work, and thrive in a vibrantly diverse world.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Self-esteem grows<\/strong>: When students pursue their special interests through co-curricular activities, it can be a real boost to self-esteem. Academic achievement can certainly\u00a0be a source of affirmation\u00a0and satisfaction, but it&#8217;s nice to have additional activities that validate your special contributions in other ways.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-330\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images-archive-read-only\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1110\/2016\/02\/02025034\/14878601750_b326ee6fa4_z.jpg\" alt=\"an Eagle mascot sitting on the lap of a woman in bleachers\" width=\"350\" height=\"233\" \/>All in all, being involved in the campus community is vital to every\u00a0student, and it&#8217;s vital to the college, too. It&#8217;s a symbiotic relationship that serves everyone well.<\/p>\n<p>The key to getting the most out of college is to take advantage of as many\u00a0facets of student life as possible while still keeping up with your academic commitments. That&#8217;s pretty obvious, right? What may be\u00a0less obvious is that focusing exclusively on your academic work and not getting\u00a0involved in any of the\u00a0rich and diverse co-curricular activities\u00a0on campus can come at a real price and even hamper your\u00a0success.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\n<h3>Try It<\/h3>\n<p>\t<iframe id=\"assessment_practice_43efa6ce-aa79-478e-aac0-1b6c7b2e22ff\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/43efa6ce-aa79-478e-aac0-1b6c7b2e22ff?iframe_resize_id=assessment_practice_id_43efa6ce-aa79-478e-aac0-1b6c7b2e22ff\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none;width:100%;height:100%;min-height:300px;\"><br \/>\n\t<\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-1585\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>College Success. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Linda Bruce. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Image of mascot on woman&#039;s lap. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Georgia Southern. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/oELHWo\">https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/oELHWo<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives <\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":19,"menu_order":15,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"College Success\",\"author\":\"Linda Bruce\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Image of mascot on woman\\'s lap\",\"author\":\"Georgia Southern\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/oELHWo\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-nd\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"9f3b2f4a-af05-4a32-8d73-ed11e7a546a0, 9443455c-4fc2-40fb-931d-84c5b30b7c4f","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-1585","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":130,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1585\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7549,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1585\/revisions\/7549"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/130"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1585\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=1585"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=1585"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=1585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}