Nobody likes to feel left out and stuck in their dorm all alone studying. To help avoid this and how to survive college is to get involved in things. Joining clubs and attending student activities can help all students have a better college experience.

Being involved in student activities and clubs come with lots of benefits. It helps students academically grow. While classes can teach a lot, clubs offer extra knowledge and skills that may not be offered to learn otherwise. Students make lots of friends by going to student activities. “I always say students make their lifelong friends at college, that is the biggest part of student activities,” student activities director Carissa Kollath said. These events help students to branch out and get to know other people. “In terms of socializing it is very important being able to talk to your other peers it is really nice,” student Blaine said. Northeast Community College is full of many different students and attending activities and clubs lets those students get to know each other. “It helps you develop a better way of learning different people, how they communicate and interact with other people,” student Jennifer Martinez said. Another benefit is getting to do things students would not be able to do otherwise. Students have the opportunity to experience new things for free and find their interests that they will continue to have in the future.

Getting out of the dorm and classrooms is important to a successful college experience. “College is not just about what you learn in the classroom. It is also about the skills you learn outside such as making friends, communication, teamwork, hobbies and interests,” Kollath said. The student activities group does their best to get everyone to attend an activity. The group tries different times of day, different activities and tries to hit everybody’s interest in some level throughout the year. Kollath said, “There are lots of opportunities for students, it is just finding the ones they are interested in or even stepping out of their box and trying something new. We put on a lot of activities compared to most colleges.” The group puts on over 120 events yearly, not including the ones put on by other offices. They have a set schedule of Monday Night at the Movies and Wacky Wednesday every week. Northeast offers over 45 clubs and organizations along with many sports and intramural teams. “We have people who are willing to help and get you connected. That is our whole purpose, we want students to have the best experience they can have. That is by getting involved, having fun and meeting people.” Kollath said.

Finding the time to go to events or club meetings can be challenging. Everybody has a busy schedule and may work lots of hours outside of the classroom whether that is a part time job or school work. Kollath encourages students to, “make the time. Use your planner and schedule accordingly. It is important to have those stress reliever moments to come and relax with friends.” She also gives the advice to get involved in a club that only meets once a month because it is not as high demand as some of the other clubs that meet weekly.  “It is about finding what you have time for and what is the right fit for you. It takes a little investigating, but the student activities office has a lot of handout sheets and anyone can come and talk to me. I can let them know what clubs might be the right fit for their time and schedule,” Kollath said.

Find Carissa Kollath and Erika Rupprecht in the Student Center room 212A inside the student lounge for more information.