Transitioning to college is an exciting time full of new opportunities – clubs, activities, social events, networking events, and more! There is a seemingly endless array of ways to get involved, meet new people, and pursue your interests.
The instinct to dive into everything that captures interest is extremely common for first-year students. In high school, the message is clear: students should pack their resumes with activities of all kinds to stand out in college applications. But now that students are on campus things are different. Doing too much too quickly in college can often backfire, leading to students being overwhelmed, failing to meet commitments, and not gaining a set of foundational skills necessary to thrive throughout their college experience.
There is no doubt that joining clubs and campus activities is an integral part of the college experience, but in college less is more. One longitudinal study found that students who participate in 3-4 extracurricular activities show higher outcomes, than those who join 5 or more activities right away (Porter, 2006). Finding balance is vital.
I recommend first-year students adopt the “Rule of 3” when considering involvement opportunities and sorting through that overwhelming array of options. Rather than jumping into 5 student organizations, a campus job, and a research project, intentionally pick only 3 activities to invest your time and energy into that first semester.
The ones you select should align with the interests and goals you have already identified or are deliberately exploring at this stage of your college transition. By concentrating your efforts on a few areas tied to your motivations and aspirations, you’ll establish yourself as a valuable member who can take on more responsibilities over time.
This prevents you from being spread thinly across many roles or activities that sound interesting but don’t actually resonate with the direction you want to take. Being highly engaged with a few campus groups or causes actually looks better to future employers over time than briefly joining up with 10 clubs only to drop them soon after.
Start out slowly by choosing quality over quantity as you navigate your first year of college. Challenge yourself to go deep rather than wide with involvement. Finding activities that excite you and give you a sense of purpose will help build connections and engagement meaningfully.