7 Reasons Every College Student Should Volunteer | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

7 Reasons Every College Student Should Volunteer

Here are 7 advantages you never knew you could gain from volunteering in college.

725
7 Reasons Every College Student Should Volunteer
Rawpixel

The life of a college student characteristically features house parties, Saturday football games and cramming for exams. If you’re attending a university and have free time, there are compelling reasons to be a volunteer, too. Even with a full schedule now, you might consider rearranging it to accommodate volunteering.

1. Volunteering helps a resume stand out

A 2016 Deloitte survey found 86 percent of people who influence the hiring process say volunteering makes candidates more competitive. However, that same poll revealed only 30 percent of resumes mention volunteering.

People looking for work know they should discuss where they’ve worked and what roles they held, but stay strangely silent when it comes to volunteering. However, the data shows that volunteering and mentioning that activity could make you a more appealing candidate.

2. It contributes to expanded or enhanced skillsets

By being a volunteer, you’ll naturally learn to do new things. Some may fit with your future career path while others don’t seem applicable. The fact is, all volunteering responsibilities will probably help you during future paid opportunities. During volunteer time, you’ll improve the skills you already possess and add to things you knew before. Even dull duties strengthen your diligence and patience.

3. Being a volunteer makes people broaden their perspectives

College students and individuals associated with them often bring up the phenomenon of a bubble that insulates scholars from reality. It happens because today’s college campuses are like miniature cities, so students hardly have to venture into the wider community to get what they need. Then, they think the social interactions they had at college will continue into the rest of adulthood, but it doesn’t usually turn out that way.

As a volunteer, you can fight the effects of the bubble and thereby make it easier to transition into the real world after graduating. By being exposed to hardships like poverty, domestic violence, and discrimination while volunteering, you’ll get reminders that the world is much larger than a college campus suggests.

4. Volunteering mutually benefits volunteers and community members

Many people start volunteering because they want to positively impact the lives of others. By spending time with seniors, you could ease the harmful effects of loneliness, and by giving up your Saturday to serve at a soup kitchen, you help ensure sustenance for some of the most vulnerable members of society.

So, it’s easy to see how volunteering is a great thing for people who receive help. Don’t overlook how it’s benefitting you, too. Studies show that volunteering is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, so think of it as a complement to your efforts to eat healthily during visits to the dining hall, keep healthy mental perspectives and make good use of your university gym membership.

5. Volunteer coordinators can act as references

You’ve already learned that volunteering makes your resume stand out. Besides including volunteer work among activities listed on employment documents, you can reach out to the people who coordinated your voluntary efforts and ask them to vouch for your hard work and outstanding traits.

A worthy volunteer typically shows characteristics including reliability, dedication to tasks, effective communication skills and a willingness to go outside of a comfort zone. All those aspects — as well as any others relevant to your volunteerism — look great on a reference letter.

Don’t forget that after your resume wows a person in charge of hiring, he or she often checks references as a next step. Make sure the individuals who write reference letters for you don’t mind potentially being contacted by phone or email to give more details.

6. Being a volunteer expands your social network

As you help the community as a volunteer, you may make friendships that last far beyond your college years. You’ll spend time with like-minded individuals, which should make it easier to identify shared interests. Volunteering lets you branch out by making more friends. It could also increase the number of people you know who could provide leads for landing a job.

A resume is important, but people frequently want to see how an individual who’s currently in the job market behaves while in the public eye. That means you get chances to prove you’re a person worth knowing whether as a friend or a future employee.

7. Volunteering reduces stress

If there’s one thing most every college student experiences regardless of the subjects a person studies, it’s stress. Whether caused by pop quizzes or inconsiderate roommates, stress tends to crop up quite a bit. However, a 2017 investigation of U.S. adult volunteers found 79 percent reported lower stress levels, along with other benefits including boosted moods and improved self-esteem.

If you’re still on the fence about giving your time as a volunteer, this list should make you take prospects more seriously. By doing so, you could enjoy perks that change your life as well as the lives of others.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Library Struggles Every College Student Will Understand

Are you really a college student if you don't stay up all night studying in your pajamas?

50
sleeping in the library
Daily Fun Lists

One of the most dreaded places on campus is the library. Nothing awesome ever happens here. Usually, the only reason you're here is because you've procrastinated so long that the library is the only place you'll actually get stuff done. It gives you this feeling of sadness and impending doom. You have no idea how this is going to go or how long you'll be here, but you do know it is about to be the most excruciating experiences yet. But it has to get done, so you drag yourself to the lovely library.

Keep Reading...Show less
Illistrated image of colorful balloons and fireworks
StableDiffusion

With each new year comes new goals.

Deciding on a goal can be hard, unsure of what to change for this new year. A new goal for myself is to be happier and take care of myself more. I am a very driven person; so driven that I commit to a million and ten things.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Pros And Cons Of Having A Birthday Near The Holidays

The truth of what it is like having a birthday around the holiday season.

3497
Christmas decoration
Flickr

It's the most wonderful time of the year!! But for some people, including myself and my Dad, it can have its ups and downs when it comes to having a birthday near and around the holiday season. I personally share a birthday with my Dad two days before Christmas. Yes, Christmas Eve Eve is our birthday. Here are a few pros and cons for having a birthday near the holidays.

Keep Reading...Show less
Christmas Tree Lights
Pixabay

It is that time of year again. Christmastime. It is one of my favorite seasons for a myriad of reasons. Here are just a few reasons why I love Christmas. This list is in no order of importance.

1. The Christmas decorations

I am that person who will decorate directly after Thanksgiving is over. This year, my roommates and I put the tree up in our apartment before we even left for Thanksgiving break. It is a great stress reliever for me to just sit in my living room and work on the huge amount of work I have before the semester is over.

Keep Reading...Show less
girl with santa hat
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

'Tis the season to be jolly folks, and if you're anything like me, then at the stroke of midnight on Halloween your home went from wicked to winter

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments