Hello again!
You know, one of the reasons why extracurricular activities are such strong resume builders is that the skills learned in these clubs can be applied to ia future job or career! From my activities, I have learned a lot about presenting ideas, marketing, and networking! I realize that many of the skills I learn by taking on leadership positions are hard to find in the classroom setting. First of all – event planning: from gathering speakers to catering, planning for each event is an experience that builds off the one before. And then – running the event: for me, at least, most of my classes (science and MAP requirements) do not provide the public speaking experience I may gather from being a presenter in an event. One of my first presentations as a Peer was to do a Q&A about international opportunities Wasserman provides to NYU students to the International Relations club. While I was confident because I did all my research, I did get a little nervous when our laptop-projector was not working, but we were able to improvise and run the meeting smoothly! That points out another very important asset: quick-thinking. Being able to trouble-shoot on the spot is an ability all employers strive to seek out from their prospective employees.
I hope to apply these soft skills towards my career goal, which is to become a physician-scientist. Being able to speak confidently on-the-fly is a skill that physicians need in order to impart confidence to their patients. Just as important is being able to act on the spot to take an unforeseen obstacle and work around it. Honestly, there was no way I could have predicted I was going to experience and gain all these things through my extracurricular activities – but I do guarantee you that you will come out with rich experiences. And the best time to get involved is now!
Later,
Lokesh