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Involvement: The key to success
Engulfed in the flames of a busy school and work schedule, I asked myself: “What am I getting out of all this?” Doing the bare minimum is an easy habit to form when you are trying to balance your work and school schedule. But after really questioning my decision to be in school, I came to the conclusion that the bare minimum isn’t enough.
I remember telling myself I need to get as much out of my college career as I possibly can, writing “Get Involved” on my hand while looking out the library window as I did my homework.
It was my sophomore year when it all started. I joined Beta Alpha Psi (an honors accounting/finance club), following a professor’s advice without a clue of what I was getting myself into. I was one of the youngest students to ever join the club and I didn’t know anyone that was in it. This all quickly changed, however, when I was elected to be the treasurer of the club at the end of my sophomore year after showing everyone my dedication to a club that was so unfamiliar to me at first.
Shortly after being elected into an officer position of the club, my advisor talked me into attending a conference in Baltimore, Maryland. This was only one of the many events that I participated in during my time with BAP. I also did presentations for high school classes that taught financial literacy and went to a conference in Denver to present how to effectively teach financial literacy to high school students. I practiced mock interviews, attended resume building workshops, participated in highway clean ups, and organized events for our club to participate in. Overall, the experience that I obtained from being involved in a club like BAP has helped me prepare myself for the professional world as someone who can lead the way.
Being involved in clubs or other extracurricular activity is a big commitment, but this shouldn’t prevent anyone from joining a club. It might seem that being in a club will take more of your time, leaving even less time for homework than you already have. However, what I realized while involved in BAP was that the more you are around other students who are involved and dedicated to their success, the more you will follow in their shoes.
After getting to know a lot of the other students in BAP I started doing most of my homework with them. This made it easier to motivate myself to do all my homework and helped me understand the material I was working on more because I talked about the material more with other students.
I also made a lot of friends through BAP who I have learned to network with, keeping in mind that one day we will all either have a job or need a job. After working hard with these friends to accomplish goals, meet deadlines, and solve weekly dilemmas I’ve built an important foundation. I’ve improved in my social skills by working with others in situations I wasn’t used to. I’ve enhanced my management skills (especially in terms of time) by strategically tackling tasks one by one to get them done on time.
And, most importantly, I’ve learned to not only be a leader but find the proper balance of leading others and letting others lead when it is appropriate for them to do so. I attribute all of these qualities to the experiences that I had through my involvement with clubs while still working and being a full time student. In other words, my involvement has cultivated my success.