As freshmen, we enter campus confused, scared, excited, and eager to fold into the college community and get settled amongst new people. Every college offers a gateway into this dream by hosting club fairs providing an array of novel opportunities and dozens of students to meet. The next thing you know, you’ve signed up for Model UN, Archery Club, Photography club, Her Campus, Beekeeping club, and the list goes on.
Highly motivated students might be able to keep up with four or five of these clubs through the end of the first semester. Practical students may settle in two or three of them. But, how do you choose to stick with only a couple clubs when there are so many new and exciting things to try?
- Give yourself a “three-strike” rule.
Plan to attend at least three meetings of any new club you join. Attending the club’s initial meetings will help you gauge the social dynamics of the group, meet some new people, and try out the club’s activities and projects (usually first meetings are just introductions to the group itself anyway). Further, you will have attended enough meetings to find out if there’s anything about the club that doesn’t fit your goals or interests. If you’re not vibing with the club culture, it might be time to dedicate your time elsewhere.
- If you don’t look forward to going, drop it.
So you’ve made it past the “three-strike” rule and kept up with an interesting club you have some friends in. But now, going to your club feels like a chore, and you’d rather be catching up with your friends in the dining hall than going to meetings. If this is the case, you should probably drop your club. As a college student, you need all the time you can possibly get, and if you’re holding onto a club out of obligation, attending the club ultimately won’t enrich your college experience. If you have extra time, maybe try a new club out or explore some new places near campus, instead of succumbing to the pressure of commitment (but let the executive board know of your withdrawal if you can–never want to lose a friendly connection on campus, especially the small ones)!
- Realize you are only human, not a machine.
During busier weeks, devoting time to your club might become difficult. Don’t be afraid to let people know if you’ve got other deadlines coming up, especially if you are involved in running the club. College life is stressful, so skipping a meeting or two (or even a semester) won’t be the end of the world. When you have a smoother semester, offer to help your clubmates with some of their club-related commitments if you can, as people will usually be appreciative of someone offering to split the workload.
When you receive your degree, you’ll be left with the experiences you shared with a group united by a common interest. Clubs don’t last forever. The clubs you become involved in during college should be those you can look back on with fond memories at the beginning of your career and for the rest of your life.