When I was coming to USC as a spring admit, the one piece of advice repeated again and again was to "get involved as much as possible". The importance of joining organizations on campus was heavily stressed yet the difficulty to do so was something I had to learn for myself.

On a campus like USC, there are a multitude of organizations to choose from, with each club dedicated to fulfilling at least one personal interest. While finding a club is simple, becoming involved is a different situation altogether. The application process for most are long, tedious processes filled with multiple interviews and various stages. It's less an organization mentality and more a job mentality, where you have to pitch yourself and your experience instead of relying on curiosity alone to drive you. While there are some clubs where this weeding out process makes sense, the sheer number of organizations that have adopted this exclusive mentality is ridiculous.

College, and especially undergrad, is about putting yourself out there to find new interests and hobbies. I understand that organizations put these application processes in place to ensure they're attracting passionate and driven individuals, yet through this same process they are potentially driving away beneficial candidates. There needs to be a middle ground, and though I understand not everyone can be admitted, people should be allowed to explore new avenues.