So, as the second semester of my sophomore year comes to the half-way point, I’m evaluating all I must get done by the end of the school year and what I must get started on for the summer months. I’ve been talking with my advisor about possible internships and what would be a good fit for me. During my campaign for the Mechanicsburg Exempted Village Board of Education, I was offered an internship in the offices of the Campaign County Prosecutor, and the year before, I was offered one with the Department of Administration for the City of Urbana. These are two awesome places for when I’m at home, but because I reside in Columbus for most of the year, I think it would be more beneficial for me to find one here. I’ve considered the Ohio Legislature, but since both of my legislators are Republicans, and I am decidedly not, that may be more difficult to procure. I’m looking at the Ohio Auditor’s Office, the Lt. Governor’s Office, and at a few local Democratic campaigns that I could possibly join. Something else to add to my schedule…and on that note…
In high school I was involved, and 9.99 times out of 10, I was president or vice president of every organization I was in. In college however, you stretch yourself too thin by doing something like that. By focusing on one or two organizations/programs, you are able to devote more time and energy, and in the end, make them better and more productive. Obviously you can be in 12 different organizations, but what does that show? Maybe that you can’t say no, overwhelming you and ultimately hurting the organization(s) that you are involved with. It could also potentially harm your grades, as you feel like you’ve made a commitment to these organizations and you can not let them down. This should never happen, because the most important thing in college is your grades. That’s why I left many organizations at the beginning of this year, relieving myself of the burden they added to my heavy course-load. I was a member of University Programming, Honors Council, Greek Council Executive Board, Fuller Society, my fraternity Kappa Sigma Upsilon, College Democrats, and a Student Ambassador. I focused on the activities that I wanted to be involved in the most: Greek Life, Fuller Society, and the Student Ambassador program. I worked my way up in those organizations, and am now on the Executive Board of Fuller Society, serving as Treasurer, the Executive Board of Greek Council, now serving as Vice President of Programming, and the Executive Board of Kappa Sigma Upsilon, serving as Vice President of Standards. This has allowed me to focus on only these organizations and strengthen them with the time and commitment I’m willing to show.
I’d advise every first year student to get involved in the more than 60 different student organizations on campus, just not all of them! Parents encourage your students to be engaged, it will help them adjust to college life and find out what responsibility means! Until next time folks…stay classy =D