Northwestern is known for being a campus with hardworking students who earned strong grades in high school and expect a similar academic record at NU. Most students here have built the study habits, time management skills and mental prowess required to succeed.

But is that enough? C’s get degrees, they say, and that may just be the goal for some students. And there’s no shame in that. Others aim for B’s. Some even work and study hard for a perfect GPA, as an NU degree accompanied by a high GPA grants a high likelihood of a job right out of college.

But today, that isn’t enough. Many students decide they need to make themselves stand out and complete their resume with unique extracurriculars. Ranging from constructing robots to joining dance and comedy teams to becoming part of a fraternity or sorority, student life goes beyond the classroom for fun, friends and, of course, that resume. All of the mentioned reasons why students participate in extracurriculars are justifiable and well-intentioned.

However, few students understand the full potential of the University and of themselves. Oftentimes in conversation I will ask another student, “What is your goal with your major?” They often answer that they either don’t know, that they just hope to get a job or that they are waiting until the next year or the year after that to do what they need to do to become successful.

What they don’t understand is the time to act is now, and I’m not talking about putting in extra study time to pull up those grades. I’m talking about networking with those above you and going out of your way to make time for events related to your intended career path.

I had an experience in which all Medill students, both undergraduates and graduates, were invited to a networking social in downtown Evanston for drinks and networking. Only two undergraduate students showed up. They were both freshmen and one left two hours before the event ended. The other was me.

Suddenly, I was the only undergraduate left in the restaurant with close to 100 other graduate students and alumni. Talking to nearly every graduate and alumna at the venue, I gained hidden knowledge of internships and how to get ahead in my field, journalism, and learned about the careers and lives of professionals in my field. The value of my time there outside of the classroom was evident; however, many did not see the event as a good use of their time.

In the book “Never Eat Alone” by businessman Keith Ferrazzi, he says that “America’s focus on individualism works against reaching out to others.” He is completely right. Some students — at this school and across the country — believe that they can do it all by themselves. But that is not true. To think that is all you need is severely limiting your potential.

Aaron Lewis is a Medill freshman. He can be contacted at [email protected]. If you would like to respond publicly to this column, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected].

The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.