Loyal Ricks Jr.

When college students arrive on campus, the various opportunities of living a self- sufficient life greets them at the freshman dormitories. The days where authority figures watch over your shoulders have been postponed for the upcoming learning process. To some, this new freedom can act as a distraction, knowing that the main goal of staying on campus is to stay focused on your academics. To help students balance the struggle of academics and the social life that comes with being on a college campus, universities have organizations that host events making college a better environment. 

 Some individuals do not understand the value of the events that are hosted by organizations when they are new on campus. When you can do anything from going to library to having a memorable night with your friends, most students do not even think about spending their nights fixed on a presentation. It can be said that the average Delaware state student spends at least four hours of class time a day, not including the necessary time to complete assignments for the allocated classes. To attend an additional meeting after hours to some students is beyond ridiculous. With the immediate perception of organization events coming across as negative, it is clear why most on campus organization experience a low turnout of students per event.

 The advantages of organization hosted events are far more beneficial than the benefits that come with exercising your student and social freedom. The Minority of Pre – Medication & Health Solutions organization on campus had an open panel discussion on Thursday February 1st. Their goal was to inform the STEM students on what it took in order to come out of their profession with the amount of success they wanted to achieve. The panel consisted of a handful of successful doctors, who have navigated through the schooling course that medical students venture on. The students who attended the event learned very insightful information when it pertained to the journey that they planned to travel on. The students were also able to network and potentially gain internships with corporations like Christiana Care and other big medical businesses. The impact was huge for an event that was open to all STEM students.

The benefits of going to on campus events are not seen in someone’s life immediately in some cases. Networking with others is something you can do anywhere on campus, but when will students have the opportunity to meet an individual who can give him or her the cheat codes to the life they aspire to live? As the open panel continued, I was able to see lives changed as hands went down as a result of a stressful question finding a resolution. The event gave these future doctors hope because they were able to see the end result while working towards during their degree. 

When students decide to enroll into a university, they should look at this new opportunity as an opportunity to change their outlook on life. Instead of doing what might appeal to them at the moment, they should instead look for what will help them long-term. Decision making skills will be crucial for students as they learn themselves while studying at school. Similar to medical students having to choose between studying as a Doctor of osteopathy or a Doctor of Medicine, students must make sure that they are considering their future. I believe more organizations should have events that promote the learning and development of its campus. It takes effort to promote learning opportunities for students. Organizations have specific budgets allocated to events per semester. While attending a university it is important to make sure students use all of the tools they have.