College is a great part of your life to get involved in as many things as possible whether it be jobs, internships, clubs, sports, or anything else. However, with all of the schoolwork and activities on top of random college life stress, it can get pretty difficult balancing all of it at once and you might find yourself wanting to quit certain commitments. But before calling it quits however, you need to ask yourself a few questions to really make sure that you are making the right decision and in the end realize if this activity is really meant for you or not.
1. Are you happy?
Joining extra curricular activities is supposed to be fun and exciting. Don’t stay in a commitment just because you feel bad about quitting if it’s sacrificing your happiness. Being somewhere or taking part in something where you don’t feel welcome or just don’t feel like you belong is never fun. If you are coming home crying, feeling belittled, or just depressed it is not somewhere you should be. There are so many other things you can get yourself involved in that you would actual love to be a part of.
2. Are you getting something out of it?
With any extra curricular activity you join or any internship you apply for, you should be able to take away something from it. Whether it is learning more about your major, making new friends, bettering yourself at a sport, or improving yourself as a person, you should be able to recognize what you are getting out of the commitment. If you find yourself having to think really hard about something positive you can say about what you have learned or accomplished, it might be time to move on to something new.
3. Will it help you in the long run?
Suffering through internships, jobs, or practices is never a good time at the moment but you must also consider how this commitment will help you in the future. A job might be boring at times and an internship might be a lot of hard work and really time consuming, but you are most likely learning a lot about a field you want to work in later in life, along with building your resume. . In the short run everything sucks, but in the long run you’ll be happy you stuck with it.
4. Is it you or is it them?
Is the commitment really as bad as you say it is to all of your friends, or is it just that you really don’t belong there? Maybe the commitment just really isn’t for you. Other people can really enjoy the club, internship, or sports team but in the end it could just be something that you’re not as interested in as you thought you would be. And that is okay. It is good for you to realize that this commitment isn’t something your 100% invested in, so you can use that time to find something else that is more to your liking.
5. Will you regret quitting?
You don’t want to look back a few years from now and think “Ugh I should have stuck with it.” It’s a big decision to make deciding whether or not to quit something you committed your time to and it is something to thoroughly think about before taking action. There are excuses you can make to your friends, family, and even to yourself to try to rid your conscious of the guilt and sadness for not sticking with something you at one point enjoyed. Some opportunities only come around once in a while and you must taken advantage of them while you can.
The things we take part in now as college students pave our futures. Involve yourself in activities where you will thrive, learn, and thoroughly enjoy. But if you want to quit a commitment, quit. But make sure it is for the right reasons.
