Student Acvtivities

 Student activities (also known as campus activities) are student-focused extracurricular clubs and programs offered at a college or university. Student activities are generally designed to allow students to become more involved on campus. Often, such activities provide the students with opportunities to develop leadership, social responsibility, citizenship, volunteerism, and employment experience.These activities are typically overseen by a Director of Student Activities, Student Affairs, or Student Engagement who may hold a Master's degree in student development (or a comparable field). The Director will guide the clubs and programs in their operations, set the minimum standards that these organizations should achieve, and help these organizations network with similar organizations at other institutions. External organizations like the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) or the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities (APCA) are good platforms for such cross-institutional networking to take place.

Types of student activities

Student activities generally fall under one or more of the following categories:

Academic

Academic student activities refer to clubs and programs specifically focused on helping a student in the academic sense. These can be major-based, area of study-based clubs, or programs and events designed to educate students in any scholarly subject matter.

Some examples of academic student activities include:

Accounting Society

Language Clubs

Art History Club

Public Relations Student Society

Pre-Law Society

Civic Engagement

Civic engagement student activities generally refer to clubs and programs focused on creating positive societal change. Some of these activities may also fall under the academic category, as these activities work to educate students about social issues and the importance of getting involved.

Some examples of civic engagement activities include:

Action in Africa

Colleges Against Cancer

Lions Club School Chapters

Circle K International

Political Party-Based Clubs

College/University Day of Service

Diversity/Cultural

Diversity or cultural student activities generally refer to clubs and programs focused on the representation of minority groups on campus. These activities may also fall under the academic category as they seek to educate students on cultural differences.

Some examples of diversity/cultural activities include:

Black Student Union

Asian Pacific Student Association

Feminist Club

LGBT Alliance

Disability Alliance

Diversity Training Programs

Honor Societies

Honor societies are student activities that recognize academic excellence among students. These organizations are usually exclusive to students who have excelled academically, based on scholastic ranking and/or grade point average. Honor societies are typically national or even international organizations that have established chapters at certain colleges and universities.

Some examples of honor societies include:

National Society of Leadership & Success

National Society of Collegiate Scholars

Alpha Kappa Delta

Mortar Board National College Senior Honor Society

Phi Beta Kappa

Leisure

Leisure clubs are student activities that give students the opportunity to connect with other students with similar hobbies and are an opportunity to socialize and take a break from the academic side of student life.

Some examples of leisure activities include:

Acapella/singing groups

Acting clubs

Fan clubs

Cooking clubs

Recreational

Recreational activities are student activities that involve some form of physical activity.

Some examples of recreational activities include:

Dance classes

Intramural Sports teams

Club sports

Surfing clubs

Sports tournaments

Some examples of athletic activities include:

Football

Baseball

Soccer

Volleyball

Wrestling

Basketball

Golf

Hockey

Cricket

Religious/Spiritual

Religious/spiritual student activities refer to clubs and programs that allow students to connect with other students of similar faiths, practice their chosen faith, and/or learn about other faiths. Many schools have a faith center where these sorts of programs take place.

Some examples of religious/spiritual activities include:

Interfaith Council

Fellowship of Christian Athletes

International Justice Mission

Latter-Day Saint Student Association

Groups for minorities that may fit into the religion of Pagan, etc.

Student-Run Event Planning Board

A student-run event planning board is a student activity that works under a faculty advisor to plan events for students, including concerts, speakers, dances, movie screenings, etc. Generally, this board is also responsible for hosting specific traditional events. These types of groups are often funded by grants from the college or university.

Quote

"As a student run organization, externals are what gives us support, credibility and recognition. External affairs and internal development are interdependent and symbiotic in their essence." - Ralf Georges Mansour

Student-Run Businesses

Student-run businesses are student activities that involve running a business that has an affiliation with the college or university and is almost completely, if not completely, run by student workers.

Some examples of student-run businesses include:

College/University Radio Stations

College/University Local Television Stations

Production Company

Advertising Firms

National

National clubs refer to student activities that exist throughout the country.

Habitat for Humanity

Honors Across State/Country Borders

Engineering Without Borders

Global Brigades

Greek Organizations

Greek organizations include fraternities and sororities, which are exclusive social organizations. These groups are referred to as 'Greek' because their names are made up of two or three Greek letters, and generally focus on the betterment and empowerment of members. Students go through a 'bidding' process in order to be initiated into one of these organizations. Universities and colleges also have Panhellenic and Inter-Fraternity Councils, which act as the governing body over Greek organizations. Some honor societies can also be considered Greek organizations due to their Greek letter affiliation. These organizations, however, tend to be co-ed, while fraternities are all-male groups and sororities are all-female groups.

Some examples of Greek organizations are:

Alpha Gamma Delta

Delta Tau Delta

Pi Beta Phi

Alpha Epsilon Pi

High school

Compared to college, high school provides a platform to experiment and build a concrete foundation for further education. Students can join various clubs such as student government, athletics, and science olympiad to make one well rounded and diversified. Participation in these clubs not only boosts one's resume for college applications but also provides essential skills they can use in the future. These skills include teamwork, organizational skills, leadership, critical thinking, and social skills. Early development of these skills allows the student to hone and sharpen them during their time in upper education.

Benefits

Participating in such clubs can impact the academic and social performance of the student involved based on their level of involvement. Skills such as academic autonomy, cultural participation, educational involvement, life management, and establishing and clarifying purpose increase in direct relation to the level of involvement

Students who participate in club activities in their freshman year have a greater chance of continuing participation throughout their senior year. Due to this increasing time spent interacting within the club, it was also found that students who stay involved are more likely to move up the hierarchical chain of power i.e. member to the treasurer to the president. These board positions, while hard to achieve unless given the position, can lead to substantial benefits to the student in both the long and short term. In the short term, the student will be exposed to unique challenges that will force the student to voice their opinion as well as making critical decisions. By achieving such positions, the students can make positive changes in ways that they see fit or in ways to improve the quality and caliber of the club. Both the student and the club benefit from such actions, the club will build off of the new leadership while the student will mature and develop essential skills. When looking at the long term effects, the skills learned will help the student in upper-level classes as well as applying to jobs and post graduate programs, which is the next step in any student's careness

Engagement in such activities can provides student with more credentials for applying for upper-level positions and schools. In addition, there is greater personal growth both in the workplace and mind as well as giving back to the community in the form of volunteering.

Disadvantages

Spending too much time in a club can potentially have negative effects on the student's studies. Clubs require commitment physically, mentally, and in the value of time. With that being so, taking time and energy away from one's studies in order to fulfill the clubs commitment can hinder academic performance.

Breaking such commitments can lead to one being kicked out or preventing one from participating in future club events. In some cases, clubs may require a travelling aspect where a student must not only devote time but also weekend and breaks due to their commitments. Noting that students do pursue certain clubs for resume purposes, some leaders of the clubs might not be as dedicated as others. Though the lack of quality does leave the door open for the student to correct and improve it, the value of time must still be considered.

While this isn't the case for all clubs, understanding the quality, atmosphere, and emotions the leaders present can give valuable insight on how the club will perform. For clubs that tend to travel within or out of the state are not typically funded by the university or college. Clubs do tend to provide ways for the student to gather money such as fundraising, drives, or club hosted activities. On one hand, it does provide the student to explore the world through a college setting, on the other hand, it does take time and money to complete such trips. Students who are considering joining clubs must ultimately decide whether the trip and accessories of the club are worth those sacrifices.

How to get involved

Campuses offer a variety of ways to introduce incoming and current students to the student activities that are held on campus. Involvement fairs are a common enrollment method where groups have designated a booth, giving them a platform to generate interest in their activities. From there, students are able to walk through these booths, chatting and learning what the clubs do, what their beliefs are, their mission, cost, etc. A quick and efficient way for students to talk to a variety of clubs in a short amount of time to figure out how and what they can get involved in. These fairs are normally held once a year typically in the first half of both semesters. Websites are also used that allow the student to input keywords or phrases to search and filter clubs within the university. From there, the user can then gather contact information, read quick biographies about the club, and look at photos to get a sense of the club. Other ways of getting involved are through friends, word of mouth, other clubs, or through flyers and posters around campus.

Additional benefits and disadvantages

Increasing Social Network

Students can find it difficult to make friends with random people. Participating in clubs allows students to find common ground between others which can hopefully start a friendship. These friendships are essential in college as they provide a place for social interaction, others to study with, people to eat with, and more.

Networking

Meeting people and creating connections provide opportunities in the future when searching for jobs. Even if the connection is weak, the more connections one has the higher the chance he/she has when job searching. Those connections can either direct or recommend their friends to those who are hiring in hopes to land a job.

Resume

A resume is a list of accomplishments an individual has achieved throughout their lifetime that they wish to include when applying for a job. The resume and quality of it are essential when applying as it is a direct representation of the individual it belongs to. Participation in clubs and organizations allows the student to add that information to the resume and in turn making it stronger. If the student can reach upper-level positions within the club, that too can add to the resume.

Lack of downtime

Not participating in clubs can impact the college experience as it increases the amount of downtime the student has. A deceiving problem to have as if a student feels that they have more time to complete work they might push it back decreasing their use of time and increasing their procrastination. Also, having a more structured schedule allows the student to have consistency and rhythm throughout the week which can aid in planning, time management and ease of mind.

College Office

 A college (Latin: collegium) is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary school.

In most of the world, a college may be a high school or secondary school, a college of further education, a training institution that awards trade qualifications, a higher-education provider that does not have university status (often without its own degree-awarding powers), or a constituent part of a university. In the United States, a college may offer undergraduate programs – either as an independent institution or as the undergraduate program of a university – or it may be a residential college of a university or a community college, referring to (primarily public) higher education institutions that aim to provide affordable and accessible education, usually limited to two-year associate degrees.The word is generally also used as a synonym for a university in the US.Colleges in countries such as France, Belgium, and Switzerland provide secondary education.

Etymology

The "red siminar", a college building pictured in the coat of arms of Nuuk, the capital city of Greenland

The word "college" is from the Latin verb lego, legere, legi, lectum, "to collect, gather together, pick", plus the preposition cum, "with",thus meaning "selected together". Thus "colleagues" are literally "persons who have been selected to work together". In ancient Rome a collegium was a "body, guild, corporation united in colleagueship; of magistrates, praetors, tribunes, priests, augurs; a political club or trade guild". Thus a college was a form of corporation or corporate body, an artificial legal person (body/corpus) with its own legal personality, with the capacity to enter into legal contracts, to sue and be sued. In mediaeval England there were colleges of priests, for example in chantry chapels; modern survivals include the Royal College of Surgeons in England (originally the Guild of Surgeons Within the City of London), the College of Arms in London (a body of heralds enforcing heraldic law), an electoral college (to elect representatives); all groups of persons "selected in common" to perform a specified function and appointed by a monarch, founder or other person in authority. As for the modern "college of education", it was a body created for that purpose, for example Eton College was founded in 1440 by letters patent of King Henry VI for the constitution of a college of Fellows, priests, clerks, choristers, poor scholars, and old poor men, with one master or governor, whose duty it shall be to instruct these scholars and any others who may resort thither from any part of England in the knowledge of letters, and especially of grammar, without payment".

Overview

Higher education

King's College London, established by a Royal Charter in 1829, is one of the founding colleges of the University of London.

Within higher education, the term can be used to refer to:

A constituent part of a collegiate university, for example King's College, Cambridge, or of a federal university, for example King's College London.

A liberal arts college, an independent institution of higher education focusing on undergraduate education, such as Williams College or Amherst College.

A liberal arts division of a university whose undergraduate program does not otherwise follow a liberal arts model, such as the Yuanpei College at Peking University.

An institute providing specialised training, such as a college of further education, for example Belfast Metropolitan College, a teacher training college, or an art college.

A Catholic higher education institute which includes universities, colleges, and other institutions of higher education privately run by the Catholic Church, typically by religious institutes. Those tied to the Holy See are specifically called pontifical universities.

In the United States, college is sometimes but rarely a synonym for a research university, such as Dartmouth College, one of the eight universities in the Ivy League.

In the United States, the undergraduate college of a university which also confers graduate degrees, such as Yale College, the undergraduate college within Yale University.

Further education

Main article: Sixth form college

A sixth form college or college of further education is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Belize, the Caribbean, Malta, Norway, Brunei, and Southern Africa, among others, where students aged 16 to 19 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A-levels, BTEC, HND or its equivalent and the International Baccalaureate Diploma, or school-level qualifications such as GCSEs. In Singapore and India, this is known as a junior college. The municipal government of the city of Paris uses the phrase "sixth form college" as the English name for a lycée.

Secondary education

Scotch College, Melbourne, an independent secondary school in Australia

In some national education systems, secondary schools may be called "colleges" or have "college" as part of their title.

In Australia the term "college" is applied to any private or independent (non-government) primary and, especially, secondary school as distinct from a state school. Melbourne Grammar School, Cranbrook School, Sydney and The King's School, Parramatta are considered colleges.

There has also been a recent trend to rename or create government secondary schools as "colleges". In the state of Victoria, some state high schools are referred to as secondary colleges, although the pre-eminent government secondary school for boys in Melbourne is still named Melbourne High School. In Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory, "college" is used in the name of all state high schools built since the late 1990s, and also some older ones. In New South Wales, some high schools, especially multi-campus schools resulting from mergers, are known as "secondary colleges". In Queensland some newer schools which accept primary and high school students are styled state college, but state schools offering only secondary education are called "State High School". In Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, "college" refers to the final two years of high school (years 11 and 12), and the institutions which provide this. In this context, "college" is a system independent of the other years of high school. Here, the expression is a shorter version of matriculation college.

In a number of Canadian cities, many government-run secondary schools are called "collegiates" or "collegiate institutes" (C.I.), a complicated form of the word "college" which avoids the usual "post-secondary" connotation. This is because these secondary schools have traditionally focused on academic, rather than vocational, subjects and ability levels (for example, collegiates offered Latin while vocational schools offered technical courses). Some private secondary schools (such as Upper Canada College, Vancouver College) choose to use the word "college" in their names nevertheless.Some secondary schools elsewhere in the country, particularly ones within the separate school system, may also use the word "college" or "collegiate" in their names.

In New Zealand the word "college" normally refers to a secondary school for ages 13 to 17 and "college" appears as part of the name especially of private or integrated schools. "Colleges" most frequently appear in the North Island, whereas "high schools" are more common in the South Island.

In the Netherlands, "college" is equivalent to HBO (Higher professional education). It is oriented towards professional training with clear occupational outlook, unlike universities which are scientifically oriented.

St John's College, Johannesburg, a boys' school in South Africa

In South Africa, some secondary schools, especially private schools on the English public school model, have "college" in their title, including six of South Africa's Elite Seven high schools. A typical example of this category would be St John's College.

Private schools that specialize in improving children's marks through intensive focus on examination needs are informally called "cram-colleges".

In Sri Lanka the word "college" (known as Vidyalaya in Sinhala) normally refers to a secondary school, which usually signifies above the 5th standard. During the British colonial period a limited number of exclusive secondary schools were established based on English public school model (Royal College Colombo, S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia, Trinity College, Kandy) these along with several Catholic schools (St. Joseph's College, Colombo, St Anthony's College) traditionally carry their name as colleges. Following the start of free education in 1931 large group of central colleges were established to educate the rural masses. Since Sri Lanka gained Independence in 1948, many schools that have been established have been named as "college".citation needed

Other

Royal College Colombo, a boys' school located in Colombo, Sri Lanka

As well as an educational institution, the term, in accordance with its etymology, may also refer to any formal group of colleagues set up under statute or regulation; often under a Royal Charter. Examples include an electoral college, the College of Arms, a college of canons, and the College of Cardinals. Other collegiate bodies include professional associations, particularly in medicine and allied professions. In the UK these include the Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of Physicians. Examples in the United States include the American College of Physicians, the American College of Surgeons, and the American College of Dentists. An example in Australia is the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

Exam

 An examination (exam) is a test.Many things may be examined, but the word is most often used for an assessment of a person. It measures a test-taker's knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical fitness or ability or standing in some other topic. It is a set of questions designed to measure those things. Examinations change and evolve. They have been used since ancient times.

In its widest sense, to examine is to look at something very carefully, perhaps to find the cause of a problem. Someone who is ill may need to go to a doctor for a medical examination. A mechanic may examine a machine to find why it is not working properly.

In education an examination is a test to show the knowledge and ability of a student. A student who takes an examination is a candidate. The person who decides how well the student has performed is the examiner. An examination may be a written test, an on-screen test or a practical test. Examples of a practical test may be: driving a car, speaking a language, playing a musical instrument and doing a scientific experiment. An on-screen test is a test which uses the computer.

If the candidate is successful he will have passed the examination. If he is unsuccessful he will have failed. In some cases it is possible for a student who has failed to take the exam again another time.

A student who passes an examination may get a certificate or diploma. Some certificates are professional qualifications, allowing the person to do a particular job, e.g. plumber, teacher, doctor, lawyer.

Trip

 The purpose of the field trip is usually observation for education, non-experimental research or to provide students with

 experiences outside their everyday activities, such as going camping with teachers and their classmates. The aim of this 

research is to observe the subject in its natural state and possibly collect samples. It is seen that more-advantaged children

 may have already experienced cultural

 institutions outside of school, and field trips provide common ground with more-advantaged and less-advantaged children to 

have some of the same 

cultural experiences in the arts.

Field trips are most often done in  steps: preparation, activities and follow-up activity. Preparation applies to both the 

student and the teacher. Teachers often take the time to learn about the destination and the subject before the trip.

 Activities that happen on the field trips often include: lectures, tours, worksheets, videos and demonstrations. 

Follow-up activities are generally discussions that occur in the classroom once the field trip is completed.

In Western culture people first come across this method during school years when classes are taken on school trips to visit

 a geological or geographical feature of the landscape, for example. Much of the early research into the natural sciences 

was of this form. Charles Darwin is an important example of someone who has contributed to science through the use of field 

trips.

Popular field trip sites include zoos, nature centers, community agencies such as fire stations and hospitals, government 

agencies, local businesses, amusement parks, science museums, and factories. Field trips provide alternative educational 

opportunities for children and can benefit the community if they include some type of community service. Field trips also 

provide students the opportunity to take a break from their normal routine and experience more hands-on learning. Places like

 zoos and nature centers often have an interactive display that allow children to touch plants or animals.

Today, culturally enriching field trips are in decline. Museums across the United States report a steep drop in school tours.

 For example, the Field Museum in Chicago at one time welcomed more than 300,000 students every year. Recently, the number is

 below 200,000. Between 2002 and 2007, Cincinnati arts organizations saw a 30 percent decrease in student attendance. A 

survey by the American Association of School Administrators found that more than half of schools eliminated planned field

 trips in 

School Projects

 An assignment was created by Davida Scharf, Director of Reference and Instruction at NJIT's Van Houten Library and tested in

 both online and face-to-face junior-level technical communication classes taught by Prof. Carol Johnson in the Fall of 2007 and 

Prof. James Lipuma in 2008 and currently. Students are asked to create a new article or revise an existing one on Wikipedia. They are asked to consider the audience they are addressing, as well as the context, as expressed in branching in 

and out and categorization, We developed a rubric for assessing student work. Contact us for details. See our presentation 

at the Merlot Conference in San Jose, California, August 2009. This project is ongoing. In 2010 we were invited to the

 Wikimedia Foundation for discussions that launched the Outreach Program to Higher Education. Our work was featured in a 

brochure of case studies in 2012. In Spring 2011, Prof. Theresa Hunt piloted a literature-based Wikipedia assignment in a 

freshman composition course. In Fall 2012 the librarians in collaboration with several faculty members in various disciplines 

utilized an assignment that requires students to trace information in a Wikipedia article of their choosing back to the 

sources cited in order to verify the accuracy and quality of the information and source. In some cases students are editing 

and improving the entries.

College Application

 Most colleges and universities in the U.S. have their own set of requirements for the information that is necessary for a college application. A common requirement on a college application is the applicant's standardized test scores, most commonly the ACT or SAT, and a high school transcript. Some colleges also require applications to include a Letter of Recommendation and a personal essay. A commonly accepted application used by many universities is the "Common Application" which is an online application that is used by over 500 undergraduate colleges and universities. (See more about "graduate" degree programs below.) Deadlines for admission applications are established and published by each college or university. Many college-bound students receive application assistance and advice from their high school guidance counselors. Students who are transferring from a community college to a four-year college can obtain guidance from their college counselors.

Aided by marketing firms, some colleges send out "fast-track" applications. These applications typically waive the application fee, do not require essays, and assure an admittance decision within a shortened amount of time. Critics warn that these types of applications are misleading, because they give the impression that the student is pre-approved to be admitted and may not explore other colleges because this easy option is provided to them.

School Assembly

 School assemblies are usually held in school halls or in outdoor areas such as the school sports complex or basketball courts. School assemblies are held weekly, usually on Mondays. Students sing the national, state, and school anthems while raising the national flag. They recite the Rukun Negara and hear reports, speeches and announcements from the principal, teachers, and prefects. Assemblies usually last for an hour. Schools also have smaller assemblies every other day where students gather before the start of their first class or when the first bell rings. Teachers and students often make quick and simple announcements for 15 minutes before sending the students to their classrooms. Schools in Malaysia use the homeroom system. This daily gathering prevents students from playing truant as class monitors take attendance when the students are in the hall, loitering before class starts. This makes it easier to catch and punish those who are tardy.