By Christina Lépine – Staff Writer

During the fall semester, the Associate Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Scott Harris, met with student leaders on campus. He shared a piece of advice that stuck with me: “The degree you study in university is not really important, what matters are the skills you develop through this experience.”

We all have different university experiences, but many enrich their time here by getting involved on campus. For some, getting involved represents a great CV punchline—for others, it is a preferred way to meet people and try new things. All reasons are good to get involved.

Some may think this desire to always be busy on campus and try new things is crazy and stressful. Here are a few reasons why this craziness is worthwhile and ways to get involved on campus. 

Myth busting student involvement

Starting university can be intimidating for many as it is synonymous with great changes related to an important move away from established comfort zones and the adaptation to a new reality and environment. Many students like to start acclimating to campus, their course schedules and the workload before making other commitments. Attending clubs’ events is a great way to first determine the time commitment of every activity. Many clubs offer drop-ins for speakers’ events, ultimate frisbee or tennis sessions, free dance classes, happy hour events, outdoors adventures and more. Trying these events is a great way to meet people, make friends and discover new hobbies and passions. 

This acclimating process can also help discover new opportunities to get involved. Most of these commitments last for a year, allowing you to develop new skills as you grow within this leadership position. It is also a good way to learn what works best for you and what you don’t like. Some will try leading a club and may hate their experience, some may want to keep the same position for their entire studies; there are no rights or wrongs.

Getting involved is also a great way to get to know faculty members, administrative employees, and more. Professors are always looking for research assistants, graders and teaching assistants, on-campus services for volunteers, participants, and employees. You can also work with sports teams, sporting events, volunteer for a blood drive, sit on committees such as the Dining Committee, write for The Mitre, audition for a play or sign up for the Motionball marathon of sport. 

The best way to get information is through social media and on-campus advertisements. At the start of every semester, I go by the SRC Extra Day and follow all the clubs’ Instagram accounts I wish to try. During my first semester, I also followed a few departmental Instagram accounts to try out different networking events. Whenever I walk around campus, I try paying attention to the different screens and posters advertising events, services and jobs. I also read The Dish and CATS Newsletter every week. My friends and I often share event announcements with each other to try new sports and events together. 

Getting involved is not as complicated as it may seem at first glance. There are more than enough opportunities to do so on campus, and if what you wish to do does not exist yet, you can always create it!