College is a certainly a busy time in your life, but it’s always great for mental health to take a break from the constant assignments, jobs, internship searches, and other commitments. This is where extracurricular come in, as they provide a method to destress. Joining one extracurricular can be rewarding, whether it relates to your major or is just a special interest organization such as chess club, anime club, or campus advisory board. Though extracurriculars may be brushed off as something less important, here are some reasons why they still matter in college:

Explore Your Interests

If you are an undeclared major, joining a club pertaining to a certain specialty such as business, computer software, or writing can help you learn about yourself and your interests. In addition, this may narrow your interests and allow you to confidently choose a major you are passionate about. However, for those with a declared major, joining a club allows a place to showcase passion about your field or simply partake in a club because of a special interest. Either way, you are learning something new and exploring something you may be curious about.

Learn About Your Major

Many departments on college campuses nationwide have various clubs and organizations promoting and representing their department. Joining a club relevant to your major exposes you to facets about your major that you otherwise may not learn about in a classroom. In addition, you can network with professionals and peers in your field, in addition to learning about branches of your major. For example, majoring in communications and joining a club in that department can expose you to different branches of that broad field, such as marketing, public relations, or writing. Joining academic or career related clubs on campus help narrow interests within your field, and allow you to learn more as you prepare to graduate and seek work.

Build Important Career/Life Skills

Though voluntary, joining and becoming an integral member of an extracurricular organization allows you to learn important skills for everyday life and a future career. This can include interpersonal, communication, organization, and time management skills, for example. The more involved you become, the more opportunity is presented to learn and master these essential skills. If you are in a special interest club, you can also build some of these skills in addition to becoming a master in a game, TV show, or activity, which is still something to brag about.

Networking/Social Advancement

Joining clubs relevant to your field can allow interactions with professors and peers in your department, and you can work together with various peers and professors to build a solid network. They are also a resource for job hunting. Some major-specific clubs also have guest speakers and a panel, which is a good way to learn, have questions answered, and gain an extra resource who can guide you in the right direction to find a job. In addition, any type of club, special interest or major-specific, can help you build strong relationships/friendships with like-minded faculty members and peers.

Resume Building

In an era where the job/internship market is tight and highly competitive, joining a club or multiple clubs can be just as important in building experience for a position. As mentioned before, many skills necessary for jobs/internships can be garnered through participation in a club. In addition, it makes you a well-rounded candidate, as it shows you are involved on campus and are dedicated and committed to a club. It shows initiative and willingness to take responsibility outside the classroom. Joining a club relevant to your field of study looks especially shiny when trying to land an internship, as you may already have gained a bit of background knowledge and understanding of the internship you may be applying for. Because it is difficult to land an internship or multiple internships, joining a club or multiple clubs can count as a critical foundation to being a strong candidate and help you stand out and receive an offer.

Extracurricular activities are a way to destress and enjoy the college experience. They are informative, socially beneficial, and a means to learn something new or showcase a passion. Joining multiple clubs may be difficult to fit in a busy schedule, but being in one club can be equally rewarding. Only you can write your college story, so make it worthwhile and fulfilling.