How this Centennial College department is making the student experience better

Whether you’re studying nursing, paramedics, public relations, hospitality management, or architectural technology, your college experience can have a huge impact on your future career. (No pressure, though.)

While it’s inevitable that you’re going to be spending a ton of time studying and committing to your academics, it’s even more important to balance that part of your career out with some extracurriculars. Colleges offer plenty of activities and clubs that you can tap into, but if you want to explore fun activities with the benefit of increasing your social network, start off by looking at what your athletics and recreation department have to offer.

Start by squashing the myth that you have to be an expert in sports, physically active five days a week, and a social butterfly to associate yourself with this department. As a matter of fact, athletics and recreation departments, like the one at Centennial College, have something for everyone. From field trips, to socials, movie nights, to highly competitive sports — all it takes is a willing individual to create that study-life balance that everyone dreams of having during their college career. Here’s why:

It sets the foundation for a healthy lifestyle

Movies and TV shows often portray university life as a series of parties, eating pizza, going to class, and doing it all over again. Sure, there’s going to be the occasional college social event, but that doesn’t mean you can’t maintain a healthy lifestyle.

If you want to workout without getting into sports, you can do that by taking a spin class, doing Zumba, yoga, or even by joining a bootcamp — all as a student at Centennial College. Fostering a healthy lifestyle earlier in life makes you more likely to stay active as you get older.

It benefits your social skills

Whether it’s playing a competitive sport on a college team, or signing up for a winter snow-tubing trip, involving yourself with any athletics and recreation activity in college means you’ll always be meeting new students; on home turf and if you play games against other schools. As a result, it has a positive impact on your social skills, which is something that stays with you throughout your career.

This tells an employer that you’ll be able to work with members of different departments and strike up new business relationships to better their company. Good communication is key to the success of almost every business in Canada and beyond.

It shows that you’re motivated and passionate

Employers are looking for candidates who are passionate about what they do, and those who will be assets to the future growth of their organization. They also want to know who you are as a person and discover the interests that you have outside of work. You can find your passion early on in your career by trying new things as a member of the athletics and recreation department at Centennial College.

This also conveys the sense of balance that you enjoy pastimes that make you a bit more whole as a person. It also shows that you’re motivated, disciplined, and that you would easily adapt to the changing demands of the modern workplace.

It showcases your teamwork skills

At almost every professional interview you do in your career, you’ll be asked about teamwork and whether you are a team player. It helps to mention situations that you have helped overcome as part of a team. For example, Centennial College hosted the first-ever Ontario Campus Recreation Fest that invited colleges and universities from all over Canada to compete in a fun full-day tournament with various activities that encourage teamwork, collaboration, competitiveness, and determination — something that employers also look for.

By immersing yourself in a fun, collaborative environment as part of a hockey, co-ed volleyball, basketball, or cricket team, and joining group activities such as field trips, fitness classes, and movie nights, you’ll develop your interpersonal and teamwork skills which can be applied to your professional career after graduation.

There’s something for everyone when it comes to athletics and recreation at Centennial College. Find out more about the various varsity athletics and campus recreation activities you can be a part of as a student here.