(USA Today) -- Students at Georgia Tech and Georgia State University started school Monday, a week after the University of Georgia. In coming days all sorts of campus clubs will be courting the co-eds for membership, but they're not like the student groups their parents joined.

College experts say students today are attracted to clubs with activities that are more innovative - maybe even downright wacky. Some feed squirrels, pretend to be zombies and use science to whip up bacon-flavored cotton candy. 

Strange as that may seem, experts say students who participate in extracurricular activities are more engaged in the college experience, and benefits can be seen both in and outside the classroom. Kevin Kruger of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators says the students study more, have higher GPAs and are more satisfied with their social lives.