Reimagining student achievement through clubs and organizations
At Northeast College of Health Sciences, we recognize that if we're encouraging you to "reimagine health and transform lives," we have a responsibility to reimagine your learning experience, too. Research shows that this requires going beyond the classroom and clinic and providing ample, impactful extracurricular opportunities.
Extracurriculars are not only enjoyable and improve your overall well-being -- they can improve your grades. In fact, a Purdue University study1 reports that "¬the mean GPA for student organization members and officers was significantly higher than the mean GPA for the general student group."
Northeast College strongly supports and encourages club participation
Clubs and organizations at Northeast College can certainly provide a social outlet. However, they are most valuable in terms of helping you go deeper in your understanding, in your networking and in developing your overall passion to be a healer. And you do it all alongside people who have the same goals and drive. Our clubs currently include:
- Applied Kinesiology Club
- Student Canadian Chiropractic Association
- Motion Palpation Club
- Pediatric/Family Practice Club
- Rehab to Performance Club
- Student American Chiropractic Association
- Student Government Association
- Student New York State Chiropractic Association Club
- Students for Social Diversity Awareness Club
Why student organizations matter to your education and future
To understand why Northeast College is so committed to student clubs and organizations, we sat down with Carol Faivre, executive director of the Office of Student Engagement, which supports the many organizations on campus. She told us that, "Our clubs and organizations are all student-led, and they fall into one of two categories: technique, which helps to augment learning; and professional which help to hone leadership skills.
Being active in an organization allows students to have some academic/personal interest balance. Our groups allow for conversations in forums outside of the classroom, promoting a continued curiosity about the profession. Club activities also provide a platform for exploring valuable experiences that may fall outside of a course's curriculum -- for instance, lobbying for chiropractic legislation."
Making connections, keeping current, accessing opportunities -- that's the club life
A recent look at the page for the Student Canadian Chiropractic Association group revealed:
- Opportunities for leadership
- Reminders and support for board review exams
- Job opportunities far beyond the Finger Lakes
- In-person meeting invitations
- Links to informative webinars
How to join a club or organization at Northeast College
As with almost every facet of life at Northeast College, if a student wants to know how to do something, including join a club, all they have to do is contact the Office of Student Engagement. According to Ms. Faivre, "If a prospective student is interested in a specific club, they can reach out to my team directly, or through their admissions counselor, and we'll introduce them to a group's student leadership or faculty advisor.
For current students, we post a schedule of club meetings on the student portal. An interested individual can simply look up a scheduled meeting, go, get acquainted and learn from the student leaders how to join."
What students say about the club experience at Northeast College
The real experts on the topic of clubs and organizations are, of course, the participants themselves. We spoke with Kathryn (Katy) Kennedy, a doctor of chiropractic student, national chair of the Student American Chiropractic Association, and a participant in several other clubs.
- How hard was it to get involved in a club?
"Getting involved with clubs on our campus was very simple," said Katy. "The in-person club fair made it easy -- you just walk up to the tables, hear what the clubs are about and then sign an interest sheet. That sparks the initial invitation. Also, you get email reminders about which clubs are meeting each week, which is a great way to get more students involved." - Have you found participating in clubs a benefit, given all your other responsibilities?
"It's definitely been more of a benefit! Participating in clubs and taking all opportunities is the best way to go above and beyond." - What's been the best, or even most surprising, part of being in clubs?
"The best aspect of being part of a club," replied Katy, "is being surrounded by other students who are trying to enhance their education. You get to join a community of students who are motivated to keep learning, who inspire each other to grow and who become friends to support you throughout the program."
As both research and student experience show, extra curriculars provide extra benefits, improving your campus experience, creating lasting connections and even boosting your GPA. To find out how the clubs and organizations at Northeast College can help you, contact the team in the Office of Student Engagement.
References:
1 Purdue University, "Relationship between Undergraduate Student Activity and Academic Performance"