There's a great deal of research that shows getting involved in campus clubs and activities not only improves retention rates—literally increasing the odds that students stay enrolled in college—but also improves academic outcomes and helps students make connections with peers (because you join groups with classmates who have shared interests) and with faculty and staff. 

Below is a sampling of this kind of research, so please skim the following. NO NEED TO READ THE ACTUAL ARTICLES. Just skim this annotated bibliography below.


“Student Involvement in Clubs and Organizations: An Exploratory Study at a Community College.” Author: Derby, Dustin C.

Source: Journal of Applied Research in the Community College, Volume 14, Number 1, Fall 2006, pp. 39-45(7)

Publisher: Montezuma Publishing

 

 

Research in Higher Education

March 2015, Volume 56, Issue 2, pp 127–145 .  04 November 2014

Student Involvement in Ethnic Student Organizations: Examining Civic Outcomes 6 Years After Graduation . 

Nicholas A. Bowman, Julie J. Park, Nida Denson

 

Satisfaction with Campus Involvement and College Student Academic Success

Pauley, Carissa (2019) Satisfaction with Campus Involvement and College Student Academic Success. The University of Mississippi.


Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice

Types of Extracurricular Campus Activities and First-Year Students’ Academic Success

Amanda M. Kulp, Amanda Blakewood Pascale, Matthew GrandstaffFirst Published September 16, 2019