Some of my most memorable experiences at West Chester University have taken place while at marching band. In fact, one of my biggest regrets is actually not joining band sooner and waiting until my sophomore year to join. The marching band will supply you with memorable experiences that you will not find anywhere else, so for any of you who are one the fence about whether or not you should join college marching band here are 5 reasons why you should.

1. You will meet your best friends there

Freshman year, I didn’t really find my clique at school, and I now realize it was because I was not doing band. You will meet some of the most amazing people in marching band and they will grow to become some of your closest friends. Once a band-o always a band-o.

2. You get to go on some pretty cool trips

Through marching band, I was able to perform halftime at a Pittsburgh Steelers game and in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. They were both incredible experiences that I will never forget. Without my joining marching band, it would not have been possible. I also did have to pay for either trip which was also pretty awesome.

3. It is a GPA booster

West Chester offers marching band as a 1 credit class, so by doing band I am giving myself a little GPA boost. Trust me, having a little GPA boost will come in handy from time to time. Also, since band is built into your schedule, it will not interfere with any of your classes. The practices are not very long either so you will not get behind on your studies.

4. It helps you to stay in shape and avoid the Freshman 15

Gaining weight in college in inevitable, but if you join marching band it can help you to stay in shape and keep your high school figure for longer. You will get an awesome sneaker tan at band camp that you can rock year round.

5. For the love of performing

There is nothing quite like performing and I cannot find another activity that brings me as much joy as this one does. It is an amazing feeling that you will not find anywhere else. The shows that college bands put on are spectacular and you can be a part of one of these amazing programs. Also, you will also get some pretty incredible action shots that you can make your Facebook profile picture.

So, if you are on the fence about joining college marching band or you are skeptical about whether or not you should come back next year, just remember your time to do college marching band does not last forever. Do not miss out on this incredible opportunity to perform an amazing show.