Over the course of your time in school, you may have heard others speak about the value of “life experience.” What does that term mean, and why is it important?

Life experience isn’t just about getting older — it’s about collecting stories, skills, and self-awareness that you can’t gain from textbooks or social media alone. Everything you see and do in life shapes how you see the world and yourself.

Life experience is the fuel that turns your ideas into real impact. It sharpens your decision-making, strengthens your communication, and helps you build meaningful relationships. Bottom line: life experience makes you more adaptable, more grounded, and more ready to crush whatever comes next.

There are ways to get life experience at a college like Alma College that you can’t find at home. Here are some of them:

Alma Venture

The Alma Venture program provides you with up to $2,500 to pursue an original research project, internship or off-campus study experience designed to meet your personal and professional development goals.

Conduct archival research in Washington, D.C., study filmmaking in Croatia or land your dream internship in Chicago. It’s your choice. Wherever you go, the Venture will help you answer the big questions about your life’s work and prepare you to move confidently toward the life that you want.

Spring Term

Alma’s academic calendar includes a month-long May “Spring Term” for focusing on a single four-credit course. All students are required to complete two Spring Term courses to graduate. The one exception to this is for transfer students entering with 25 or more credits, who need only take one Spring Term course.

During Spring Term, you’ll most likely be interacting with people and cultures that are likely unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. Your classmates and professor will be there to share the experience. You’ll see things in a new way — and make memories to last a lifetime.

Center for College and Community Engagement (3CE)

Maybe staying close to Alma is more your thing. The 3CE offers you opportunities to engage, learn and grow in partnership with the local community. You might mentor local youth, implement a social media campaign in a political advocacy class, or support ecological restoration during an Alternative Break. Whatever you do, you’ll see transformation happen right before your eyes.

Nursing Skills Sim Lab

For nursing students, there’s no substitute for real-world experience. The Nursing Skills Sim Lab gives you a place to hone your clinical judgement skills in a safe environment before practicing them in real-life settings. By simulating situations that nurses face on the job, you’ll develop your nursing skills, teamwork, communication, critical thinking and clinical judgement skills.

Ecological Station

At Alma College, we have our very own Ecological Station, affectionately known as “the Bog.” Picture this: you, rocking rubber boots, binoculars in hand, ready to explore more than 200 acres of forests, swamps and a sparkling lake.

The Bog isn’t just a stunning backdrop; it’s your playground for discovery. Team up with passionate faculty and dive deep into studying birds, plants, soil, water, and everything nature has to offer. By connecting with the environment up close, you’ll unlock insights into exciting topics like pharmaceutical medicine and climate change.

There are so many ways at Alma College to learn by doing; including Model UN and other student organizations; the Anatomy Lab and other advanced facilities; and performing arts like dance, choir and music. You don’t need to major in these programs in order to participate in them, either!

Alma College is a place where you will sharpen your current interests and discover new ones. To make the most of your Alma experience, it’s imperative that you ride all the rides.

Learn more about the value of life experience by visiting the Experiential Learning page at alma.edu.