Keeping in communication with your student: embracing co-curricular activities

The New Student Academic Services unit housed within Student Housing and Dining Services is comprised of Orientation and Residential Academics.  Our team is dedicated to supporting your students transition into and through UC Davis.   

This is the fourth part of a series where we highlight part of the academic transition your student might be experiencing and questions you can ask your student to help support them through this transition.  

During fall quarter we focused on academic support resources and this quarter we will focus on getting involved in co-curricular activities outside of the classroom.  

Winter quarter is a great time for your student to start getting involved on campus outside of the classroom if they haven’t already.  Co-curricular activities complement the learning that students are attaining in the classroom by allowing them to practice and apply what they are learning.  It is also a great way for your student to build skills and find community.  UC Davis is an enormous campus, and getting involved in clubs, groups, or other activities can help make the campus feel smaller, have a more personalized experience and make it easier to connect with other students with similar interests. 

With over 800 student clubs and organizations on campus, Greek life organizations, identity-based student centers, student government, student led events, internships, research, and campus jobs there truly is something for everyone.   

Three key resources for your student to explore that can help them get connected with valuable co-curricular opportunities and transferrable skills are: 

1. Center for Student Involvement (CSI)

“The Center for Student Involvement empowers students to get involved and to author their own experience through meaningful co-curricular engagement. They purposefully cultivate an environment that enables students to access the resources they need to develop a sense of belonging while discovering their passion. “ -CSI Mission 

CSI is your student’s one stop shop for all of the registered student organizations on campus.  Their website is a great place to start learning about the organizations and has search functions to help your student narrow down the organizations based on their interests. 

2. Internship and Career Center (ICC)

The ICC offers many career related services and resources to guide UC Davis students through their career planning journey.  They offer a variety of resources, workshops, events, internship and career planning and advising.   

Handshake is a dynamic platform that allows students to search and apply for jobs and internships, sign up for company interviews and events, connect with other students to learn about their experience, and schedule an appointment with a career advisor.   

Students can login here. 

3. Undergraduate Research Center (URC)

One of the major benefits of being a student at a large Research I university, is the opportunity to work alongside and conduct research with world renowned faculty at the cutting edge of their field. 

We know that getting involved in research can seem overwhelming.  The Undergraduate Research Center is here to help students with this process. 

“The Undergraduate Research Center (URC) encourages and facilitates research opportunities for UC Davis undergraduates in all majors and class levels. They offer awards and activities to support undergraduate research across the university. The URC promotes research as a high impact student experience to enhance readiness to succeed in future careers.” -URC Mission 

Participating in research has many benefits to student learning, is a great way for students to explore their field or another field of interest, and is something that can set students apart when applying to professional school, grad school, or a job post graduation.  

In addition to sharing these resources, you can support your student by: 

1. Encouraging your student to explore and pursue opportunities to apply the knowledge they are learning in the classroom.  

2. Support your student in participating in co-curricular activities. Learning outside of the classroom builds hard and soft skills, persistence, and career readiness for after graduation, to name just a few benefits. Research shows a positive correlation between co-curricular activities and academic performance. Success is more than a good GPA – it's finding balance in out of classroom activities that build competencies, impact career goals and noticed by employers.   

3. Asking your student 

   • How have you gotten involved outside of class? 

   • What have you done to seek out opportunities to apply what you are learning outside of the classroom? 

   • What areas of research are you interested in? 

If your student needs assistance and lives in the residence halls or The Green, they should connect with their Residential Academic Peer Mentor.  Peer Mentors are trained on the academic resources at UC Davis and to connect students with the best resource to help with their needs.  We are here to help your student succeed!