President. Summa Cum Laude. Those are the two-dream title for every tertiary students studying in an American degree, if not everyone. Sadly, however, we have to choose between the two most of the time. It is understood that becoming a president in a student club/organization takes up a lot of time, effort, determination, confidence, and a proper strategy. Too bad though, determination, confidence, studying strategy, and studying time are the things needed for us to earn the title of Summa Cum Laude upon graduation too.
Some says organization/student club is a priority, and not a choice. Being a president of an organization, especially, is obviously something that we are proud of, and definitely useful for our career in future. By contributing in an organization/student club we do not talk about one or two people, but all of the stakeholders of that particular organization/student club. However, the dilemma comes about when the purpose of us studying abroad, or at least during these age is to study, and to satisfy what our parents. Academic excellence does not only act as the “window dresser” for our transcript, but also act as our foundation and basis of our common sense. Then, which one should we prioritize?
I disagree to a certain extent for saying that organization/student club distracts our academic performance. Not sure about other education system, but I truly believe by being involved in organizations/student clubs actually support my academic performance (especially in terms of presentation skills, stress management, and time management), and vice versa. While Interpersonal Communication 101 taught me how to communicate effectively to others, my involvement in organizations gave me the opportunity to practice and to implement the skills I have learned in class –and that is only one of the examples.
I have proved it; during the times when I was involved in two organizations with 2 mega-projects, my Grade Point Average was perfect 4.00. However, once my term in the organization was over, my presentation grades started to decline bit by bit. Ultimately, I got my first B in Business Communication, with my worst presentation grades I have ever received in my life.
I completely agree with the saying of “practice makes perfect”. In addition, people often talk about time-management and work-life balance, but it means nothing when we haven’t actually implement it ourselves. Therefore, from my own perspective, involvement in organizations has positive impacts on my academic performance. What if it does have a negative impact? Then it is the time for me to reflect and find a solution on how to improve in my time-management skills.
