On Thursday, Feb. 21, 27 students gathered in the Lankford Student Union Ballroom from 3:30 p.m. to 4:40 p.m. to listen to the advice of fellow Lancers. Five Longwood alumni spoke at the panel to talk about their time at Longwood and to try to pass on the knowledge they gained from experiencing a hyper- involved college career filled with too many extra-curricular activities.
Each panelist was given five minutes to speak. At the end of each discussion, the floor was open up to the audience to ask whatever questions they might have had.
James Bland, a 2012 alumnus, said, “I think I spent my time trying to be Superman, which I liked to call myself during my undergrad years. [If there] was something {that] needed to get done, everybody [said], ‘Oh, James can do it.’ So I spent a lot of time just focusing on ‘I need to get X done for this organization and do Y for this and Z for that’ and make sure I had all that done. If I had to do it over again, I would manage my time [a little] better and ... I would ask for help.”
During Bland’s undergraduate career, he was involved in his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, and headed various leadership positions in other organizations as well as co-writing the Black Column in The Rotunda. To this day, he still is involved in Longwood activities, as seen by his participation as a speaker in the 2013 MLK Speech Reading event during Black History Month and the 2012 “This I Believe” event at New Lancer Days.
When asked whether there was pressure to be involved, Bland said, “When I was in high school, I was really quiet and [so] I wanted to get involved. At my high school, I really didn’t have a place I felt that I belonged so when I came here, I [stepped out of] my comfort zone and tried to really put myself out there and join an organization as many ways [that were possible].”
Allison Dobson, administrative assistant in the Department of Communication Studies, had the same to say about her time at Longwood. “I was a sixer [in terms of the number of organizations], and like James said, whenever anyone said, ‘Hey we need help with X, Y or Z,’ I would step up to the plate. I wouldn’t say that I was necessarily pressured to, but it was something I wanted to do. I liked to fix things. I liked to help.
Dobson further commented, “I like to put my hands in and get work done. I think what I learned the most [from college] was when I was graduating and became a professional, I found two or three organizations that I was really committed to, and I would get in more value with that organization.”
When Dobson was a student at Longwood, she was an orientation leader and a peer mentor for three years. She was in public relations and an assistant costume mistress for the Longwood Company of Dancers, a member of the Philanthropy and Service community, a member of the Big Siblings Program and worked for the Student Office in her spare time.
Dr. Jason Milne, assistant professor of sociology, said, “I am an academic, and I think about things a lot to do research. The reason I became so involved now ... was not the way I was in high school [which is] very similar to James. I was an introvert. I was one of those people [who was shunned], but then I came to Longwood, and it gave me a real chance to stretch who I was. I knew when I came to Longwood that I wanted to be a teacher.
“Thanks to my extracurricular activities, it helped keep me busy,” said Milne.
All in all, the general thought was that while those who had too many extracurricular activities would gladly drop a couple if given the chance to re-do their time at college, everyone on the panel agreed that a few extracurricular activities were some of the best parts of college. If done in moderation.
