Mid-semester break is coming to an end and this will be my final mid-semester break for my final semester here in USM, and then we'll be moving to our next phase of our lives; either to further our studies or jumping straight into career life.
Time flies so fast, I am already in my 3rd year, and 3 years have passed by. A lot has happened...and if I ask myself, how did I spend the three years of my life here? I am proud to say that I've spent my time here well - maintained a good CGPA (Alhamdulillah) and at the same time, joined several university-level activities and some small ones on the sides and worked my way to the top by becoming a project director for three U-level events; in chronological order - Mini NRIC 2012, Sector Focused Career Fair (SFCF) USM and EKSPEN 2014 USM. Tsummalhamdulillah
During EKSPEN 2014, I attended 2 walk-in interviews...I know it's not much, but that is the best that I could do..well, you know..being the project director on the day of the event itself I was busy attending to this and that. Hopefully one of them gets through. If there's any, I will update here.. hehe
The point of this post is that, I want to point out that being a degree student isn't just about getting a degree. Rather, it is about making connections, networking, getting yourselves involved in university activities, socializing and getting out of your comfort zone. When I first entered USM, I was the kind of person who is tad introvert. Now, I am confident to say that I am more outgoing, thanks to the various activities that I've joined here, which I believe honed my leadership abilities.
To illustrate my points further, here I include a persuasive speech I made for a subject I'm currently taking - LHP 457 Speech writing and public speaking.
Why students should
participate actively in extracurricular activities on campus
Imagine this: Busy days juggling your academic life and at the same time
you have to plan, manage and organize events around the campus. Hectic?
Stressed? Tired? Yes, but consider this; sweet memories, new friends and
acquaintances, new experience, backdoor access – a resounding YES! Ladies and
gentlemen, my speech today is entitled, ‘Why students should participate
actively in extracurricular activities on campus’. Before I begin my speech, I
would like to see a show of hands; how many of you have joined any
extracurricular activity on campus?
In this competitive world, networking is key – and which is a better (or
some say, easier) place to build your own network if not during your student
life? One of the easiest ways to build your own network of friends and
acquaintances is by joining extracurricular activities on campus. According to
John Donne, ‘No man is an island’ meaning that nobody could do everything on
his own. Some of you might be asking ‘Why should I be involved in networking
when my grades could speak for itself?’ or ‘I already got a bunch of close
friends from my alma mater and some friends in this university – I don’t need
this as much as the next person’.
Bear this in mind – it is never wrong to expand your group of friends
and acquaintances. It may open up plenty of opportunities for you or they might
come in handy when you need to ensure smooth transactions in the future. By
joining extracurricular activities, you will meet people from all walks of life
and in this context, students from other faculties. Besides being useful,
wouldn’t it be cool to think that when you walk around campus, it is as if you
are the most popular person there as there will be a lot of people saying ‘Hi’
to you? I believe the importance of having your own network cannot be
emphasized more than this.
A higher level of confidence means a higher social mobility. This is
where the importance of joining extracurricular activities jumps in – you gain
experience. How? For example, in event management, you will be dealing with a
lot of people. Some of them are nice and easy to handle, some of them are
downright irritating and difficult to work with, not to mention the various
procedures that you will have to go through in ensuring the event a success.
Hence, when you gain experience, automatically your level of confidence will
increase accordingly. I could testify to this as I was a bit of an introvert
when I entered USM. Then, when I started joining all of these activities on
campus, I learned of ways to defend my ideas and views in front of high ranking
university officials professionally and this changed me to a bit of an
extroverted person, I believe.
One of the skills sought after by employers these days is problem
solving and analytical skills. This will come natural to you even during the
most nerve-wrecking interview when you train yourself most of the time, which
is another set of skill that one will always be using when they join
extracurricular activities. To mention some, problem solving skills include the
ability to do quick fixes and making quick decisions.
Having a nice, attractive resume which stands out from the crowd is what
every student should be aiming for. Again, one of the easiest ways to achieve
this –besides putting in internships as an addition – is to have your
extracurricular activities present in your resume. On top of having a nice
resume and acing the interview session thanks to the various skills you picked
up previously, potential employers will be fighting to get you as their
employee.
Thank you.
