You might be worried that taking time to join a club or student organization will distract you from your studies, but lots of research has demonstrated that students who are involved with clubs or student organizations do better in their courses. There are many reasons for this – meeting study partners, increasing your motivation and sense of purpose, or improving your time management. But whatever the reason, the outcome is the same: getting involved can support your academic success.
As you start to look for jobs or internships, many students find it helpful to create a website or GitHub page with examples of apps or projects you have created or worked on. Including coursework in your portfolio can sometimes be really helpful, but isn’t always possible – and requires permission from your course instructor – because of academic integrity and intellectual property considerations.
Joining a club or student organization can give you an opportunity to work on projects that you can share without these concerns (though you’ll still want to clarify your role in projects developed by a group, and seek permission from group members to share the work), and also allow you to develop projects that reflect the core interests and skills you want employers to recognize. For example, students who participate in Blueprint create apps and software solutions for non-profit organizations; students in this group can highlight their contributions to these resources – some of which are already shared with the public – on a resume or in a portfolio.
Not only will you develop personal skills – communication, problem-solving, leadership, and so on – through participation in a student group or organization, but when you are elected to a formal role within a group, or implement concrete achievements (e.g. launching a social media communications campaign), these can provide great items to add to your resume. Being able to specify your role within the organization and provide examples of your accomplishments provides evidence to claims you make about your soft skills and experiences.
While employers care about your academic strengths, they know that the workplace is a different environment from the classroom. Being able to point to experience and successes in different contexts, including student clubs and organizations, demonstrates the transferability of your skills. It also shows employers that you have strong time management skills and can manage multiple projects or priorities at once.
Maybe a club leader had a placement at the internship you’re applying to and can give you insight into what you should include on your resume, or another club member works with a potential research supervisor and is able to introduce you. Club members will become your professional network, offering you advice and connecting you with potential employers or others who can help you achieve your goals. If they're a couple of years ahead of you and enter the workforce while you’re still a student, they might even be the ones to hire you for a job or internship.
