Getting involved on campus is one of the best ways to make friends that have similar interests as you. As a freshman, it can be nerve-wracking to try new things, especially when you don’t already know someone in a group you are wanting to join. Here are some options to get you excited about joining a club or getting a job when you get on campus in the fall. Let’s get you involved!
Why should you get involved?
Getting involved on your college campus is going to help you make friends, give you something to put on your resume, and it’s going to keep you busy. Freshman year can be the best time to join because you will still be getting adjusted and it is designed to give you ample time to try everything out! College is about trying new things and getting involved on campus is the best way to do this. There are so many things you can get involved in on campus and here are just a few examples:
Greek life or social clubs
In high school, you likely saw older girls that had graduated from your school posting their bid day pictures all over social media and thought it looked like so much fun. However, you may nervous to go through rush without knowing for sure if you will even like being in a sorority. Although it can be expensive and time consuming, if it is something that interests you, it’s worth trying out. Even if you decide to drop your sorority or fraternity, the rush process itself will help you get connected to other people on campus. If your school doesn’t have a Greek system, they might have social clubs instead. These are essentially the same thing as a sorority or fraternity, but they are unique to just your school, instead of belonging to National chapters like the traditional Greek system. Social Club are also usually a little bit cheaper and less time consuming. So, if you’re looking to expand your social life, definitely check out your school’s Greek life or social clubs!
Tutoring and honors societies
Look for ways to get involved within your major! Each major will usually have some sort of honors society where you can meet the students and professors within your major. If you are an English major, get involved in the English honor society and become better friends with the people in your classes. You could also start tutoring for your major. This is a good way to make some extra money and it’s also going to be good to put on your resume. You can ask your professors and try to find a way to work for the campus’s writing center or science lab.
Intramural or club sports
Get active! Intramural and club sports are so much fun to participate in! If you played sports in high school or you’re looking to try a new sport out, this is going to be the perfect thing for you to get involved in. Club and intramural sports are usually going to be student-led, so there isn’t going to be as much pressure as you might have experienced if you played high school sports. If you are looking for some healthy competition, we recommend looking at club and intramural sports!
Work study or campus jobs
Check to see if you can apply for a work study position! If you are eligible for work study and interested in sports, you can find a job with your campus’ athletic department and help out at all of the sports events. If you aren’t eligible for a work study position, you could always check out other campus jobs to apply for. You could be a campus tour guide or work in the admissions office. At every school, there are many student job possibilities all over campus. Find one that you think will fit you the best and apply for it!
Join the student government association
Check out SGA! If you’re passionate about problems on campus, get involved in student government. A lot of people enjoy getting to share their opinions about things happening on campus. This is one of the best ways to help change your campus for the better, and that could be something really cool! If running for a position isn’t really your thing, you could always go to their open meetings and bring any issues you think are important to their attention to get involved that way.
Start your own club
If none of these options appeal to you, then start your own club! Get a group of people together that are interested in the same things as you and start that club. You might even be able to get your SGA to fund it if you have enough people and a good enough pitch. More people than you think might appreciate and join your new club!
There are so many fun clubs, jobs, and societies to get involved in on campus that you have no excuse not to try at least a few of them out. What’s the harm in trying something new on campus? You will never regret joining the clubs, even if you ending up dropping one or two of them to focus on something else. Find your best fit and begin to feel at home on your new campus!
