Three years in USM

Greetings, 

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.

In conclusion, maintaining an excellent CGPA is important, but what is more important is having some extracurricular activities on the sides and having a good CGPA which will earn you more respect later. What I have presented in this persuasive speech is based on what I get from getting involved actively in various activities conducted in our campus since my first year. Besides that, when you reflect on your days as a student, you will be satisfied with the fact that they are not ‘wasted’ on academics alone.  To mention all of the benefits within this limited time, I believe is not possible. Therefore, I leave it to the floor for further questions. 

Thank you.