About two weeks into my freshman year, I had hit a lull and noticed I had free time during the evenings. I wanted to keep busy and continue to make friends. My roommate said she was attending a meeting for the student newspaper so I asked if I could tag along. She shrugged and I followed close at her heels like the sad puppy I was as a freshman.
The meeting didn’t have a lot of people, but the group seemed close-knit, well organized and had many open positions. In fact, that night I signed up to be the secretary for the club. I’m now the Editor in Chief, responsible for taking the paper in an online direction. My roommate didn’t stick around that club for long, but I made it part of my life and now I can say that it’s been one of the most rewarding experiences that I’ve had at Nazareth.
Joining a school club can be a powerful and life-changing decision. If it doesn’t totally rock your world, at least you met some cool new people that you have something in common with. So, how can you get involved on your campus?
Club Fairs: Most schools host an event at the beginning of every semester that features various club and volunteer opportunities. It’s usually chaotic and swamped but there’s almost always free food (another perk of clubs). Go and visit some tables that interest you, pick a few random ones that might surprise you, chat with the officers and give them your email for more information.
Emails: Based on my own school, I will assume that your school also sends close to 100 emails a day, 50 being from clubs advertising meetings, events and information. Utilize this — don’t just delete them because you never know what might spark your interest.
Bulletin Boards/Posters: Similar to emails, posters are viral on any school campus. At Nazareth, they overpopulate our tunnels and hallways, hang on bathroom stalls, get shoved under doors and put over windows. Use the camera on your phone to take a picture of the meeting details and go make some new friends.
Professors: Your professors aren’t just there to help you academically. Most of them would be happy to point you in the direction of a relevant club. Many professors are actually a part of or an advisor for clubs that relate to their field of study and would love to recruit you. A professor will also point out that joining a club can be a great resumé builder. If it differs from your major, you appear well rounded. If it is similar, it shows your passion.
Friends: Those viral Buzzfeed articles about the “5 different friends you have in college” aren’t kidding. At least one of your friends at school is going to be the “Guy/Girl who is involved in everything … is manically stressed 24/7 and doesn’t blink a lot.” Talk to this individual about your interests, see what he or she recommends and go forth and conquer.
I hope these steps help make your semester better and brighter and that you’re able to make some friends and networking connections. You never know how important a connection will be down the line and it always feels good to meet new people. Make sure you’re packing as much experience as you can into your four years because they certainly fly by.
Ali Sewalt is the editorial intern for NextStepU and is a junior at Nazareth College. You can reach her with questions and for advice at Alison@nextstepu.com.
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