Students become involved in extracurricular clubs and organizations as a way to enhance their college experience, often finding that being involved also has an unexpected effect on academic performance.

A research study done in 2010 by Amy Hawkins, a graduate student at Purdue University, examined the relationship between student involvement and GPA.

“Student involvement enhances the overall college experience and the development of transferable skills for undergraduate students,” according to the study. “Participation in student organizations can lead to the development of social and leadership skills, higher retention rates, heightened self-confidence, improved satisfaction with college, the ability to see course curriculum as more relevant and further success after college.”

Dakota Hoben, senior in agricultural business, currently serves as president of the Government of the Student Body. He is also involved in Salt Company, Collegiate FFA, the Agricultural Business Club and is a College of Agriculture and Life Sciences ambassador. An involved student, Hoben finds being involved helps him with his studies.

“I think the involved students tend to be the ambitious students that also care about their studies,” Hoben said. “But having said that, I think leadership positions in student organizations provide students with the habits and skills necessary to balance their workload and involvement while in college.”

Hawkins’ study also found that leadership positions also contributed to GPA. Students who acted as officers in their respective organizations had higher GPAs than students who acted as members and significantly higher GPAs than the general student population.

The study also examined the disadvantages of being involved. The results showed a weak negative correlation.

“I think like most things, student involvement is best done in moderation,” Hoben said. “Becoming overextended and over-stressed is always a potential concern with becoming too involved, but I believe that if you narrow your focus to just a few clubs that you are most passionate about, you can alleviate most of these potential concerns. Seeking leadership positions in a few clubs is better than becoming a member of many.”

Terry Besser, professor of sociology, was part of a research study conducted within the ISU economics department studying how students’ extracurricular involvement in college correlated with cumulative GPA and, later on in life, civic engagement and income.

“We took 5,000 graduates from Iowa State between 1982 and 2006 and questioned them to find out their levels of volunteerism, voting and other extracurricular activities,” Besser said. “We found there was a strong association between extracurricular involvement and later civic engagement, how much they volunteered in their adult lives, how much money and time they donate to charity, those sort of statistics.”

Besser noted in the study that students who are more involved have a “strong sense of self-efficacy.”

“If you are more involved, you experience leadership skills and interaction skills,” Besser said. “You feel like you can better control events in your life. It makes you a stronger person.”

Besser said that interacting with peers and mentors so much provides a positive role model for students who are involved.

“Students that are more involved have good time management skills because they have so much going on,” said Jody Feipel, junior in kinesiology and health.

Feipel is currently involved as a Families Committee co-director of Dance Marathon, secretary in the Pre-Physical Therapy Club and active in Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.

“They have to be able to prioritize what needs to get done and be able to use their time wisely,” Feipel said. “For instance, student-athletes have required study hours they’re required to do at the Hixson facility because they are so busy. They may not have time to devote to school because they are in class and practicing so much. Having these required hours makes them study and really focus on school during those times.”

Hoben believes being involved with organizations and having leadership experiences within those organizations leads to productive and influential citizens past the ISU experience.

“Not only is it Iowa State’s responsibility to educate students, but to prepare them for leadership roles within their communities. For many students a college education lays the groundwork for a life of continuous learning,” Hoben said.