University offers far more than just achieving a grade. Taking advantage of other extra-curricular and developmental activities available on campus, during your time as a student, is critical to the development of your life skills and long-term success in your career.
Aside enriching your student experience, here are five reasons why obtaining more than just a university degree is necessary.
Stand out from the crowd: According to Universities UK, 2.28 million students studied at the UK higher education institutions between the years 2015 – 2016. In order to make yourself stand out and be attractive to potential employers, adding more skills or experience by your involvement with campus activities is crucial.
Check out MDX Sport & Recreation and MDXworks, for on-campus job and employment events. There are also work experience, internship, placement and professional development activities with Unitemps to equip you with the necessary skills to stand out in the competitive job environment.
Build lifetime relationships: University is a perfect place to build valuable networks. Not only in classrooms, but 
also at events, societies, workshops and at social areas around campus.
These relationships can be very useful in landing your dream job after your university education or in building a team to explore a potential business opportunity.
Take advantage of networking opportunities and being part of fun events such as the MDXmas Fair, Degree Fashion Show and PG Connect expert speaker evenings to connect with like-minded peers. Learn more about the social life at Middlesex University here.
Develop extracurricular skills: Studies have shown that what students do during their time studying matters more to their success and development than where they study or what they bring to higher education.
When you participate in a few activities relevant to your chosen field, you develop ‘soft skills’ such as communication, leadership, organisation, teamwork and problem solving - making you a well-rounded potential employee.
At Middlesex University, students can join a variety of societies or start one, with adequate support from the Students Union. Learn more about the societies available on campus or how to start yours. Also, check out different sports teams you can participate in.
Learn about different cultures: The University has a vast number of amazing opportunities to socialise with people from all over the world. Amazingly, about a third of our students come from outside the UK! Apart from classmates, there are thousands of amazing people outside those classroom walls. Get out there and get to know them in order to learn about different cultures, lifestyles and probably your next vacation destination.
Live a little: With pressure from assignment deadlines and exams, it’s necessary to sometimes take a break and have some fun.
There are various activities and events on campus that can help you with that, while enhancing your vital skills and helping you to build life-long friendships.
Have a look at Middlesex University Student Union page or on UniHub for information on events and activities taking place around campus.
With these benefits in mind, I hope you take some time to have a look around some campus offerings and take advantage of them to enrich your university education and to equip yourself for future success!
Student lifestyle posts which reflect the interests of our students are written by student interns or writers working within the Marketing department and do not reflect the research, guidance or opinions of Middlesex University. If you have feedback or want to suggest ideas for future student lifestyle posts, please email communications@mdx.ac.uk
