Opportunities
Your UASU believes in having opportunities to grow as leaders, thinkers, and creators beyond the classroom. There are many really good reasons to become involved and pursue other opportunities outside of the classroom. Here are just a few:
Gain Valuable Work Experience - Many positions will give you an opportunity to balance budgets, manage staff, plan events, and develop valuable skills that will make you more employable after your degree.
Volunteering always looks great on a resume and working advocacy can put you in front of all levels of government.
Develop your Leadership Skills - Explore your personal leadership style and gain hands-on experience by helping to lead a student run organization or by leading staff and/or volunteers.
Get free money - apply to scholarships, grants, and other awards to get recognized for the work you do.
Contribute to the Campus Community - Meet new people, serve your peers, become connected with your campus.
Some of our positions will get you discounts on food or have you watching live shows for free, and getting free stuff!
Build up your resume by adding work and volunteer experience along with awards and scholarships!
Being involved is the best way to enrich your UAlberta experience.
You can get involved to have fun or to pursue interests and goals. Regardless of why you get involved, you are likely to experience both as you try new things and learn more about yourself and the world around you.
Whether you choose to get involved through working or volunteering, there are 5 steps to involvement and making the most out of it:
Job Opportunities
Find all kinds of work or volunteer opportunities both on and off campus.
Awards, Grants & Scholarships
Apply for funds and receive the recognition you deserve or the funds you need in a pinch.
Volunteer Opportunities
Contribute to your community and meet new people by dedicating your time to volunteer.
How to get involved
The easiest way to be involved is to simply stay informed of what is happening in the community. Read the newspaper and subscribe to newsletters, follow different organizations on social media, and read emails that you receive to your UAlberta account.
There are so many different events on campus that you can simply drop into. From parties to guest lectures, workshops to performances, you can find a wide range of activities to attend that suit your interests which require no long term commitment.
Whether you want to commit yourself to an organization that reflects your passions, or you simply want to use some of your free time well, volunteering and joining a student group are great ways to further immerse yourself into the U of A community.
At the University of Alberta we have over 450 clubs! Its very likely that you can find a group that matches what you're looking for. A complete listing of groups can be found on BEARSDEN. The gamut of groups on campus includes religious & cultural groups, athletic & recreational groups, fraternities & sororities, academic groups centered around faculties, departments, and disciplines, as well clubs based on common or public interest.
There are innumerable volunteer opportunities and positions on campus. You can volunteer for different UASU and University services, for conferences and events that come through campus, and for individuals like professors and researchers. Volunteering allows you to develop and practice professional and personal skills, and can give you a taste of what working a certain field can be like. Keep your eyes and ears open for different opportunities!
Once you have some experience under your belt, we encourage you to seek leadership positions within your current or new organizations. This will give you the ability to develop an entirely new set of skills and to hone the skills you already have in an environment where you are held accountable and where you have greater opportunities to be mentored.
Talk to members or administrators or your organizations to learn about different opportunities that may arise. Speak with your other involved friends to find out if opportunities exist where they devote their time, and always share the ones you are aware of.
There are a lot of resources on campus to help you develop your leadership skills individually and separately from your organizations. Consider checking them out if you have an interest in more effectively working with people and if you're at all passionate about service or inspiring change.
Whoa. You've done a lot. Now it's time for you to get recognized. The benefit of being recognized is not adding trophies and plaques to your mantle, but using the application processes and any follow up to reflect on what you have learned and to practice communicating your experiences and skills.
Receiving recognition itself should not be the goal of your involvement, but should instead come as a deserved acknowledgement from the community for all of your contributions. In the same way that listing titles on your résumé without descriptions is futile, awards and recognition should serve as a tool to help you reflect on the value of your involvement and to develop your understanding of it within any wider contexts.
To take stock of all you have learned due your involvement, reflect on the following prompts: - what involvement have you devoted the most time to? Enjoyed the most? - is your involvement connected to your personal, professional, or academic goals and interests? If so, how has it supported your endeavors? - what is the biggest piece of learning you have taken away from your involvement? - what skills do you have now that you can attribute to learning them from your involvement outside of classes? - who were you before your involvement at the U of A? Who do you think you are now?
Leveraging your involvement doesn't necessarily mean you are using your experiences for selfish gains. What it does do, is give you and others a better understanding of your sense of self. Sharing your experiences can give potential employers an idea of who is joining their team. It can give you the ability to inspire groups and affect change. Being able to share your involvement with others and communicate how your contributions helped contribute to the person you are demonstrates a level of growth and dedication.
Some professional faculties require students to list their involvement as part of the admissions process. They recognize the value of an involved individual. Some professions don't look at your grades at all; they check to see if you have a degree and check to see where and with whom you were involved. Your resume and C.V. should always contain sections listing your "volunteerism", "community service", or "involvement. Regardless of what you call it, listing your involvement should be a key part in the way you represent yourself on paper.