Are Clubs Worth It?

Clubs at AUBG shape the university experience in various ways. From conferences, challenges, and sports events to parties and musicals, AUBG clubs have it all. They provide students with the opportunity to socialize, try new things, and take a break from academia.

 

“Clubs are a core part of any university. They encourage students to be active, be part of a community, and not just study,” shared Kaloyan Doychinov, a first-year student. He is currently part of two clubs: MEU Blagoevgrad and TEDxAUBG, as well as occupying the role of senator in Student Government.

 

Are clubs beneficial for socializing?

One of the main benefits of clubs is the connections they help create among students. By joining one, students are bound to meet at least a handful of new faces and expand their social circle. Even if they are not a member of a club, socializing is guaranteed simply by attending one of their events.

 

“Clubs give you the amazing opportunity to connect with different year students. If you do not join a club, you will probably stay in your own bubble,” added Kaloyan.

 

Martin Milevski, an active member of the AUBG community, shared a similar opinion: “Clubs are a good way to meet and network with a lot of people. I feel like they are a good part of our community.”

 

 

Davit Phutkaradze, a junior, offered a different perspective: “You can socialize on campus, you can socialize without this artificial border of being in a club.” 

 

Do clubs provide additional experience?

  

Another reason people join clubs is the opportunity to gain experience, which can be added to their CV. However, not everybody agrees.

 

In Davit’s words, club activity and organizing events do not bring value to your resume.

 

On the other hand, Kaloyan said, “It’s a great experience that will be on your CV, you have the real-life experience, not just on a textbook.”

 

Kostadin Dimitrov, a first-year student part of MEU Blagoevgrad, shared Kaloyan’s opinion: “Clubs are a good way for you to gain experience in many fields, and if you have been active in those clubs, you can definitely put it on your CV.”

 

 

Can clubs help with time management?

 

Kaloyan believes it is important to be a part of a club. “It definitely helps you manage your time. In this case, it's a university, a club, and a life balance.” 

 

Martin explained that even without clubs, he would still manage his time properly. However, “sudden things which happen within a club can challenge you to improve your time management.” 

 

Clubs could help you become better at planning and time management, but as Davit puts it, “In university, there are classes, there are deadlines, there are ten other things that help you learn time management.” 

 

He added: “I do not think clubs at AUBG bring big personal value to individuals, at least for me. I genuinely think it’s a waste of time because they are time-consuming.” 

 

Are clubs too demanding?

 

As far as Davit knows, clubs are very demanding, “I personally would get burdened and stressed that I have to meet some deadline because I know things come up last minute.”

 

Kaloyan, on the other hand, responded in favor of clubs. “If you are rational and know that you manage well under stress, I don’t think that would be too demanding.” 

 

According to Martin, “Clubs could be too demanding, but only if you let them be.”

 

Are clubs worth it? 

 

Davit had a negative take: “I do not take clubs very seriously. If they start to put out high-quality work, people will be more engaged.” 

 

“If clubs don’t start putting up quality work, I think they would eventually die out,” he added.

 

Kostadin linked the deterioration of the quality of the club’s work with uninterested and disengaged members. “If clubs were made up only of people who genuinely care about the clubs' purpose, everything would go smoother.” He then added, “I believe clubs are worth it if and only if members are passionate about what they do in that club.”

 

Kaloyan had a message to the students who have not participated in any clubs: “I would say if you haven’t tried, you should try being a part of a club,” adding an encouraging statement: “Join clubs!”

 

Edited by: Toma Krumov and David Mitov