Villanova hosts its Involvement Fair at the start of every semester.
Many students, including myself, struggle to find balance. Students might feel this way because Villanova’s student body prides itself on its commitment to the multitude of organizations present on campus. Whether it’s participating in Villanova’s Special Olympics’ Fall Fest, NOVAdance, Blue Key or even The Villanovan, the possibilities are endless. However, students are attempting to find a balance between their social lives, involvement, deadlines and a healthy diet. These responsibilities can accumulate, and the comparison culture we have curated can lead to some students feeling under-involved, despite having many things on their plate already. Has this overinvolvement culture been poisoning the campus?
An article published by the Waypoint Wellness Center titled “The Crisis of Comparison Culture” attempts to crack down on this crisis. Over the past 20 years, social media and related technological advancements have begun to play increasingly large roles in comparison culture. More specifically, the article orients us to how “this generation has grown up with social media at their fingertips” and “consequently, young people are not only keeping track of their own successes and failures, but also those of their peers.” Using LinkedIn as an example, students might overanalyze the highly flourished profiles of their fellow Villanovans and become influenced by the overinvolvement culture when, in reality, they’re doing just fine.
Sophomores Peyton Benfield and Ava Taylor shared their thoughts on Villanova’s overinvolvement culture.
“People come to college thinking that the only way they can make long-lasting connections is through joining clubs, and my freshman year, I felt that the involvement fair was just one example of how many students end up taking on more than they can handle or need instead of choosing a smaller amount of activities that they can spend more time in,” Benfield said.
Benfield and Taylor also expanded on how the Villanova Voices, a choral group, has been a meaningful part of their college experience.
“Although Voices can be rather time-consuming, I am grateful for the meaningful connections I have gained from the group that may not have been possible if I were involved in more organizations,” Taylor said.
Although it is helpful, and often encouraged, to get involved with a multitude of student organizations when students first arrive at college, it is best to identify the few organizations that you are passionate about and interested in, and make a concerted effort to cultivate meaningful relationships, or even leadership positions, within them. Overinvolvement culture is not only clouding our judgment about what we have already accomplished but also inhibiting students from committing to what they’re already involved in by making them believe they have to do more.
