University Life & Extra-curricular Activities
We
normally go to university to continue tertiary education. In my view, it is not
worthwhile going to university with a mere purpose of getting a degree. We
should go beyond the confines of the classroom to spread our wings. In other
words, we should not be bookish at all times like we used to be in high school.
Apart from pursuing academic qualifications (hard skills), we should partake in
extra-curricular activities to equip ourselves with soft skills such as
interpersonal skills, leadership skills, problem-solving skills, etc. that can
hardly be acquired in the classroom.
During our salad days at university, we
have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of extra-curricular
activities – from sport, music and dancing to personal development and
community service programs. We can choose the activity that suits our pastime.
For example, if we are articulate and fond of engaging in debate, we can join a
Debate Club. Through volunteering activities, we have a chance to meet new
people of different personality traits and diverse backgrounds. So, we can
build up friendships outside our usual circle and expand our social network. We
can also learn how to interact with others effectively, how to establish
harmonious relationship with them and how to team up with them for the sake of
common welfare. In other words, extra-curricular activities instil the spirit
of cooperation in us and cultivate the habit of building unity in diversity.
Simultaneously, it helps us understand the saying “Many hands make light work”.
Furthermore, getting together with
many people makes us feel a sense of belonging and boosts our confidence to
assimilate into our community. It combats loneliness and depression as well as
paranoia. It encourages us to be compassionate and considerate towards others,
and respect different viewpoints of the others. In this way, we can improve our
communication skills that are essential to live in concord with different types
of people in our society.
When we take part in extra-curricular
activities, we have to balance our time to study and to engage in activities on
regular basis. Thus, we can enhance our time management skills and get to
perceive the value of time. If we run a club as organizers, we have to tackle
the challenges to promote reputation of the club and to fulfil members’
expectation of the club. In this way, we can gain hands-on experience of
leadership skills, problem-solving skills and negotiation skills. Moreover,
occupying in such leadership positions reinforces a sense of responsibility in
us and enlightens us about the qualities of a good leader.
Nowadays, the job market becomes
highly competitive. Thus, only academic achievement is not enough to project
ourselves as ideal candidates among the sea of applicants. We need to showcase
a range of best traits over and above our academic qualifications. Here, we can
apply the aforementioned soft skills and experiences we have gained from
extra-curricular activities to create an impressive CV.
To sum up, in the springtime of life
at university, we should get out of our comfort zone and attempt to discover
our potential by participating in extra-curricular activities rather than
fiddling around and wasting our precious time.
Kyal Sin Phuu
No comments:
Post a Comment