<p>I just showed my last thread to my roommate and he blasted me saying that our college EXPECTS its students to do extracurricular activities and almost made me feel like a shameless criminal just because I don't do extracurriculars. That guy can think whatever he wants, I'll just have to put up with him the rest of the year, but is it true that some colleges expect their students to do extracurricular activities? If that's true then what do they do to students who don't do extracurriculars? Do they kick them out, cut their financial aid or just scowl at them?</p>
<p>HELL NO</p>
<p>If that’s how it is, they should’ve told you a while ago when you entered the college</p>
<p>your tuition money is going towards all those EC’s available on campus, so it’s your loss. nobody keeps tabs on it. im sure there are tons of kid who don’t do EC’s. </p>
<p>btw, Work experience is not an EC. it goes on your permanent resume. employers, even easy ones such as retail stores, aren’t too hot on hiring people who’ve never had a job before. which creates a lovely conundrum bc how can you get your first job, that looks for you to have had a job, if you’ve never had a job before as this is your first job.</p>
<p>How would any college know what ECs you are doing? You don’t report them somewhere. There isn’t some master registration system that all gets funnelled back to the administration. They don’t go on your transcript. Do what you want to do. And if this is your first semester- as it sounds like it is- keep in mind its not at all unusual to get your academic studies in order before you can find room for more and branch out to things beyond classes. </p>
<p>Though I think you will be personally missing out on a lot if you only study. It’s not good for your development. As a professor I would MUCH MUCH MUCH rather my students miss the occasional miss class to run a festival, go on a team trip, go to hear some cool speaker on campus than just show up for class and miss all that the university experience has to offer.</p>
<p>Exoduss, stop asking these questions. You don’t like to do ECs, we get it. No, nothing bad will happen to you. You will still get a job, and you will not get kicked out of school.</p>
<p>You should, however, seriously reflect on why you so stubbornly refuse to participate in any extracurriculars and what that says about your character. Do you have no interests in life outside of “video games, surfing the internet, and hanging out with friends”?</p>
<p>Awped, Do you get the feeling that we’re talking to a brick wall? I sure do.</p>
<p>No, a college will not kick you out for not participating in EC’s.</p>
<p>Failing to participate in EC’s will not stop you from getting a job in the future.</p>
<p>Employment in not an EC. A lack of employment history will hinder you getting a job in the future. You should seriously consider having some sort of job experience. Do you work during the summer? If not, you should consider getting a summer job.</p>
<p>No, you do not have to actively participate in student activities. If you prefer to sit in your room alone, that’s your choice. Unfortunately, if you choose to spend your 4 years alone and in your room, you will have missed out on 4 years of honing your social and communication skills. Lacking these skills will hinder your prospect of gaining employment after graduation.</p>
<p>You will learn a lot about yourself if you try to place yourself outside of your comfort zone once in a while. The way you live your life is your choice. Remember that with choice comes responsibility of the consequences that are associated with your choice. </p>
<p>I hope you become more comfortable in your college life and find passion for something that will inspire you to leap outside of your comfort zone. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>I think people are chastising you for not participating in EC activities because they assume you aren’t passionate about anything. This isn’t high school. You don’t attend 4-5 EC just so you can put it on your resume. You’ll find that most of the clubs are a waste of time; they’re an opportunity for people to stroke their egos. You do an EC because it happens to coincide with a passion, You don’t do an EC just to say you did one.</p>
<p>My passion happens to coincide with my academics. Amidst writing my thesis, going to plays, the opera, and museum with my department, and keeping my head above water in my classes, I have no time to join clubs such as “Save the Fluffy animals” and “Lets discuss what we can do to help minorities without actually doing anything”.</p>
<p>“Awped, Do you get the feeling that we’re talking to a brick wall? I sure do.”</p>
<p>I think you managed to figure out the OP exactly.</p>
<p>Seriously, dude, how many times do you need people to tell you that it’s just your loss if you’re not involved in ECs? Some of your tuition money is going to it, it’ll teach you some skills, and all those other good reasons people have been listing. You really just sound apathetic, and it’s your own issue if you don’t want to do anything.</p>
<p>This sounds like the same thread that was posted a while ago, with some little changes made to the story…</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-life/707519-true-some-colleges-expect-their-students-do-extracurricular-activies.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-life/707519-true-some-colleges-expect-their-students-do-extracurricular-activies.html</a></p>
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<p>I am paying attention to the messages written on this thread. Why are you calling me a brick wall? So the answer to my question is that a college won’t kick me out for not doing EC’s. Great. That’s all I wanted to know.</p>
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<p>I understand that part. Not doing EC’s won’t stop me from getting a job, but will it stop me from getting a good job?</p>
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<p>That’s something that I didn’t know. I thought that employment was considered an EC, especially when done on a part-time basis while attending college. EC or not, I will definitely try to get a job during the summer. Hopefully it will be a job that is related to my major, otherwise it will feel like a waste of time and effort.</p>
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<p>I still don’t feel like doing EC’s, but the good part is that I hang out with my friends and that’s how I work on my social and communication skills.</p>
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<p>What do you mean by “learn a lot about yourself”? Tell me an example of something that I might learn about myself if I force myself outside of my comfort zone.</p>
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<p>I have passions, I just don’t feel like doing EC’s. </p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>“That’s something that I didn’t know. I thought that employment was considered an EC, especially when done on a part-time basis while attending college. EC or not, I will definitely try to get a job during the summer. Hopefully it will be a job that is related to my major, otherwise it will feel like a waste of time and effort.”</p>
<p>Even if it’s unrelated, some work history is better than none. The longer you go with no work experience the harder it becomes to get even a part time minimum wage job at mcdonalds. If an 18 year old has no work experience and the 16 year old does, they assume you must just be lazy.</p>
<p>“What do you mean by “learn a lot about yourself”? Tell me an example of something that I might learn about myself if I force myself outside of my comfort zone.”</p>
<p>I hated volunteer work but decided to try it. I learned that I actually LOVE community service and that I needed to change my major from film to political science, which was the single greatest decision I’ve ever made. On a lesser note I also learned that I am a lot better with people than I thought I was and that I am much better at coping with hard/dangerous/dirty work than most people, which I never would have guessed. It was a good confidence boost. I met tons of people, added to my resume, it helped me get into the university I wanted to transfer to, it has gotten me job opportunities, and I’ve loved every second of it. Who would have thought!</p>
<p>“I still don’t feel like doing EC’s, but the good part is that I hang out with my friends and that’s how I work on my social and communication skills.”</p>
<p>Your friends will not be interviewing you for a job. Your friends will not be members of your work team. By putting yourself “outside of your comfort zone”, you will be forced to engage and interact with a variety of different people. You will gain confidence and communication skills. </p>
<p>“I understand that part. Not doing EC’s won’t stop me from getting a job, but will it stop me from getting a good job?”</p>
<p>No one is going to hand you any sort of job on a platter. You will have to go out there and compete for any job that you hope to get. It doesn’t matter what kind of job it is—McDonald’s, Wendy’s, American Eagle, Starbucks—you’ll have to present yourself better than others competing for the same job. Don’t underestimate the value of the experience you will gain from working summer jobs or part time jobs that may not be directly related to your intended field. Lacking any employment history, you will be hard pressed to get hired anywhere.</p>
<p>“I have passions, I just don’t feel like doing EC’s.”</p>
<p>Then don’t participate in EC’s. What are your passions and how to you build upon your passions? Someone with a passion for writing will not go far unless they show and present their writing to the right people. Someone with a passion for music and a desire to be a professional musician will not go far if they simply perform alone and behind closed doors. Someone with a passion for politics must engage himself/herself to present their platform to be heard. Someone with a passion for science must engage himself/herself with others in the laboratory and research in collaboration with others.</p>
<p>You are well aware that a college degree is not a guarantee for employment. Take a good look around you sometime when you’re in a crowded location on campus. Look around at your competition for the job market. Now consider how many colleges there are in this country and how many other students are out there just months or a year away from earning their college degree. They are also your competition. Think of all of those other people all ready with college degrees–they are your competition. How do you plan on showcasing yourself above the competition? Grades are not enough.</p>
<p>I think that working while at University does count as an EC of sorts, because it shows your future employers that you were already a member of the work force while at University. And, I hate to say it, but if you do not dig the EC’s at your University, then working is a good excuse as to why you did not participate in them.</p>
<p>With EC’s at University proper. I think it a good idea to just commit to one or two that you truly supremely dig for a full four years. Like, I am a member of Best Buddies and I also am a member of a religious club. But, in my community, I am also a volunteer literacy tutor. </p>
<p>But, EC’s can never, nor shall never be made mandatory. It would just be rude to those who just plainly cannot participate in them to make them mandatory. With the economy and all a lot of folks who are in their thirties are going back to school while working full time jobs and tending to their families, they might not be able to commit to EC’s and I think that the hard core commuter students could not either. I guess you could throw the folks who go part time in the mix too.</p>
<p>My EC is not wanting to do ECs. Working out great so far.</p>
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<p>I can see why people with passions are better off than people without passions, and I wonder whether my interests truly amount to passions, but apart from increased opportunities, are passions really that important in life? Why would it reflect poorly on somebody’s character to not be passionate about something? Is it really their fault that they are not passionate about anything? I am not saying people without passion deserve equal opportunities, but that asides, why should a person without a passion force himself to develop a passion? Are passions really going to make you happier?</p>
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<p>When I read the word “competition” I cringed. Compete, compete, compete the rest of my life. It sounds wonderful. Sometimes I wonder if financial rewards are worth the effort.</p>