Belonging – we all want to feel it. We start thinking about it the minute we step onto this campus as a freshman. Yet, I know my fair share of students who stepped off this campus at the end of their undergraduate years and failed to ever really experience the word.
Despite your level in school, you may be thinking the same thoughts as a freshman: What will the next four years bring? Will I have made lifelong friendships? Will I have succeeded?
There’s a way to increase your chances of a positive outcome: throughout your time in college, join at least one student organization.
UW Oshkosh has over 220 organizations listed on its student organization website called Presence. Its associated app, called Involve, had 268 events listed from the fall 2024 semester. That’s with just 65 of the student organizations registered on the app. There are so many ways to get involved on campus and so many reasons why you should.
“We hope that by joining a club or organization, [students are] able to meet new people, form friendships and then hopefully feel connected to other people and to the institution and then want to stay around longer,” Dylan Bram, the program advisor for Reeve Union Board and Late Night Programming at UWO, said.
Student involvement increases the likelihood of success as a college student. Several studies show that students involved in co-curriculars usually have a higher GPA and are more likely to persist into the next academic year.
Involvement in student organizations also looks great on a résumé. Research at the Ohio State University found that students who were minimally involved in extracurriculars were more hireable than those who were never involved on campus. Additionally, those who were highly involved were more career-ready than students who were minimally involved or not involved at all.
The social connections gained within student involvement have many mental and physical health benefits. According to the CDC, social connection can help lower the chance of chronic disease or serious illness. Building relationships can also improve how we manage our anxiety and depression, and improve how we sleep.
With so many benefits, joining a student organization seems obvious. But what if you’re nervous to show up, especially by yourself?
If you attend an event hosted by Reeve Union Board, Bram said he encourages you to try one event to see how welcoming they are.
“Just step foot in the door and just see what [you] experience,” Bram said. “When they come to our events, we’re always pretty cognizant of trying to greet them right away, see how they’re doing and just make sure that they feel a connection and that they’re not just being overlooked.”
With so many organizations on campus, there’s something for everyone. Even if it’s not an organization, it could be research, volunteering, or even a campus job. Human connection is so important and the benefits are abundant. The best way to find those connections and reap the benefits is by joining at least one student organization. Maybe you’ll even feel that sense of belonging.
