“Have you ever, noticed the people that’s lazy and lame/[Are] the same ones crying, and always complain?

You on the sidelines [partner], better get in this game/You need to change, if you trying to get change.”

These are the lyrics to the song “Step Ya Game Up” by the popular Southern-rap artists Paul Wall and Mike Jones. Why are these lyrics in this column? The answer is to provide motivation for the student readers of NIU who usually lament about being bored at this university.

For some, this semester has been long and difficult. At times, it can be a grind just getting out of bed knowing you have to go to yet another boring lecture.

But if your whole day consists of class lectures, reading course texts, homework and getting off-campus ASAP, that is “Boooring!” at least according to The Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition’s Caitlin J. Norris.

College is, of course, about learning and becoming educated enough to work in your particular field, but there are many other endeavors students can embark on while in college. Being involved on campus highlights those endeavors.

“Being active on campus can help you meet new people, discover new interests and even change your campus or community,” Norris said. “College students who are involved in activities often say that the organization shaped their entire college experience for the better.”

There are countless student organizations at NIU geared toward specific interests many students can become a part of.

You don’t have to be interested in the student organization to at least go to one meeting. Doing something new – such as going to an organization’s meetings or socials – is a great way to break up the monotony of college life.

You may even find you are more interested in the organization’s interests and objectives than you first thought.

Even if you aren’t interested at all, you could still meet some pretty new and interesting people.

Some people think joining organizations isn’t beneficial and is a waste of time. That assumption is wrong. There are leadership positions to fill, communication tools to gain and social skills to polish, which makes joining worthwhile.

Don’t think the skills you could gain or the participation in organizations aren’t recognized by future employers looking for employees with these qualifications.

Sure, having a 3.4 GPA looks great on a resume. But if you can’t lead people in certain situations, talk to people the right way to accomplish a goal or are not socially inept when meeting new people (something you likely have to do in your future profession), it’s not likely you will be hired or remain employed for too long.

It’s important to remember, however, not to become too involved. Like the members of Black Male Initiative would say, we are here to graduate.

It’s easy to become so involved that you forget you have a test to study for, a paper to type, reading assignments to catch up on – or all of the above.

It can be strenuous to be so involved, and your participation can become counterproductive if you stretch yourself too thin.

Unfortunately, even involved students get bored. Still, getting involved can help make the days go faster and become more interesting.

No matter how active you are though, there seems to be no cure for boredom in college.

The closest remedy students have for this terrible disease is facebook.com.

But getting involved at NIU can definitely help take a great amount of boredom away and prepare you far better for life outside of the university.

Columns reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the Northern Star staff.