Extracurricular activities in college are great opportunities for students to gain and improve upon skills, and while American River College has numerous activities occurring daily, it seems most students are in a rush to just finish their classes and leave.
Why is this?
Perhaps it’s because students are unaware of what activities are waiting to be found around campus, or don’t know how to retrieve any information about clubs or other events being held.
Brett Casto, major undecided, said he’d be willing to go to extracurricular activities if he knew where to find information on them.
“I would join a club if I saw more advertising for them. If there’s an event going on at school, I only know about it because I walk by it. It’d be nice if club information could be sent out to our school emails. Also as far as other extracurricular activities go, I haven’t even seen a study group.” said Casto.
Andrew Martin, who is majoring in finance and economics, feels most students don’t have the time to get involved.
“Most students want to get their work done and go home. I feel like we as students are also occupied with personal things and educational planning. If we don’t stay productive, then we’re likely to fall behind. Going to an extracurricular activity would seem counterproductive. Idle hands are the devil’s workshop,” said Martin.
While having a busy schedule makes it hard for one to make time for a new activity, it’s not impossible if you truly want to learn a new craft or do something you thoroughly enjoy.
Clubs promote themselves in the breezeways with posters and flyers, though it seems many students walk right by and don’t notice. Most of the college hours held on campus are hosted by different clubs or faculty departments.
Even educational workshops, such as Writing Across the Curriculum, or W.A.C., post flyers all around campus encouraging students to come and improve their academics.
The solution isn’t always that simple, but nonetheless students should make more attempts to be engaged in their college.
Extracurricular activities give students the social skills to work with others, enhance critical thinking, and gain leadership skills as well as confidence.
Like with most things in life, being aware is very important. Clubs on campus range from chemistry club to a club where group members play the various titles in the video game series “Super Smash Brothers.”
Search for clubs on ARC’s website under the support services, you’ll find a large list of opportunities. You never know what new adventure may await you while tackling a new challenge.
Part of the higher education in college is getting out of your comfort zone and expanding your knowledge.
That applies to more than just the classroom.
