Being involved on your college campus, especially as a freshman, is really important. I would almost say that being involved in at least one activity, club, or group on campus is vital to making the most of college. Sitting back and watching it happen can be fun in some ways, but being involved is SO much better! If you're overwhelmed by your options, as I was as a new freshman last year, I can give you a handy guide to some general, universal college activities to try out. While I'm involved in more than one, just getting into one can improve your life vastly through what you'll learn and the people you'll meet.
1. Greek Life
I know this is an obvious one, and one that's a bit controversial. It's been called "paid friendships" before, but it's so much more than that. It's not untrue that it is an expensive endeavor, but if you have the funds and will to do it, you should definitely go for it! Joining a fraternity or a sorority is a special experience where you will make friends (sisters or brothers) who will last a lifetime. You will become a part of an organization bigger than yourself or your classmates. It will be with you forever, if you want it to be. Also, this can expand to more than just "social" fraternities and sororities - you can also be a part of academic or extracurricular fraternity. For example, I am a part of the theater fraternity, Alpha Psi Omega, and a Classics academic fraternity, Eta Sigma Phi. Those also generally include lower costs and less of a time commitment if you don't want to commit half of your schedule to this.
2. Clubs
Most colleges have an enormous assortment of random clubs, from academic interests to niche interests to philanthropy groups. You can find something, surely, that you are interested in in college clubs. If not, you can make a new club if enough other people are interested! Commitment varies from club to club, but it is generally a light, fun thing to get involved in!
3. Theater
I'm a little biased in this category, but honestly, I have probably met some of my favorite people during my time in college theater. For the most part, theater people are incredibly kind, responsible, straightforward, interesting, and fun-loving. Working on a show or being in a show can be a steep learning curve depending on what level you start at, but if you're lucky enough to be at a university that welcomes all levels of experience, you will learn and grow as a person. You have to be wholly committed to a show, whether for the month(s) of rehearsal, or the tech week(s) preceding a performance. This is not an area in which to slack off - but it is SO worth the effort and time commitment.
4. Specialized/application-based groups
By this section I mean groups that you generally have to apply to, and have a great interest in. This can be service groups, religious organizations, or leadership groups. Some schools have freshman-only groups to help the new class make fast friends in a consistent environment. Others have organizations that you can join at any level, and forms a tight knit community. This also includes Welcome Week type groups, or people involved in residence life. All of these communities, from my observation, are very close and very committed to the organization they represent.
5. Intramural and club sports
These are more short term, not yearlong commitments, but still worth trying! Intramural and club sports are for athletes who don’t have the will or skill to be on the official team for the university, but still want to be involved at some level with it. Intramural can be especially fun because they have more random sports like kickball and dodgeball. These are just a good way to stay in shape during the school year and find some people you can get along with to play with you, and friendships can come out of these too!
