It is no secret that there is way more to Wittenberg’s campus life than academics and beer pong. We all visited The Activity Fair during New Student Days and were overwhelmed at the possibilities this campus had to offer.
But little did we know that many students end up joining as many clubs as possible that we were introduced to throughout our college years. The benefits of getting involved are obvious and triumphed by all, but is the constant standard of being heavily involved helping or hurting students?
Pros
Wittenberg has maintained a long-standing mentality of getting involved. From our first week on campus, we are encouraged to join as many clubs and organizations as possible.
Involvement in Wittenberg’s many clubs has always been a great way to acclimate new students to the culture of over-achievement and expanding one’s horizons. Not only does involving yourself on campus introduce you to new people when you arrive, but it also sets up a certain ideology. Forty percent of the campus joins Greek Life, which heavily symbolizes the desire to be a part of something; this shows true with the large amount of students involved in at least one organization as well.
Senior class president Megan Bobbit described the benefit of Witt’s busy culture: “Through my college experience, I have found that joining a lot has showed me how to utilize time management. In the work force, my potential boss will have me balance a lot, so college is a nice way to experiment with what I can and can’t handle.”
Joining as many clubs as possible and immersing yourself in things outside your comfort zone is celebrated on campus, and many students would agree that it symbolizes being successfully engaged at Wittenberg. This is seen as a positive influence of Witt culture by students, faculty and staff because it sets students up to be ambitious and well-rounded for life after college.
Cons
College is a huge transitional period in one’s life after high school or preparatory education. There are a lot of factors to balance while living on your own for the first time. Students often come to college overwhelmed with how to balance school work, socializing, extra-curricular activities and sports.
Although Witt is well known for our friendly, welcoming campus environment, there is also a very obvious factor of over-achieving and getting involved right when you get on campus. The activity fair, banners around campus, and Witt students in general, all advertise the ideology of getting involved with the intramural, clubs, Greek Life and other avenues Witt has to offer. These opportunities, while amazing, can be overwhelming and can often times quickly overwhelm students. There is no doubt that these opportunities are something to be grateful for due to the experience and resume-building aspects, but there is something to be said about how easy it is for people on campus to take on more than they can handle.
I am not alone when I admit that I have a hard time saying ‘no’ to opportunities when they are so optimistically presented to me on campus.
Max Jump, ’17, said, “I think Witt’s culture of joining as many organizations as possible is extremely beneficial. But there are definitely times where myself and those around me are easily overwhelmed by all that we take on.”
As someone that recognizes both the pros and cons of this controversial issue, a better advocation of time management for mental sanity could be beneficial to many students that struggle with Witt’s busy, over-achieving culture.
