In high school, the list of extracurricular activities I was involved in was never ending. I immersed myself in everything from recycling clubs, to ASB, to tutoring, and the goal of saving Darfur. I even found time to satisfy my athletic desires through being a member of the tennis team, swim team, and volunteering as a coach for the special Olympics, … the list goes on and on.
However, during my freshman year, the ultimate transition period for many young women, I had less time to do the things that defined my extracurricular time in high school. I was caught up in my new friends, my new classes, and, of course, unlimited food at the DC. With all of the new opportunities that college presented, finding time for hobbies was difficult. For exercise, I would run for about an hour a day and I had a few friends that I would play tennis with but those dates weren’t very consistent.
Now as a sophomore, I am getting into the groove of things and learning how to manage my life a little better than the year before. As I have learned how to manage my time, I have gained the opportunity to return back to the extracurriculars and hobbies I had time for before college. I have begun to play tennis more consistently. Through tennis, I have found more and more friends who I can play with and I find myself asking to hit with all of them, whether I need a doubles partner for Intramural Spring doubles, or just want to play a few sets after class. I’ve met a lot of my friends through parties and endless nights of party hopping, but the environment gets a little repetitive, and the connections I’ve made with people in those settings only goes so far. Of course, I can’t complain  because it is always fun for a couple of girls to challenge a group of guys to flip cup,  and prove our expertise by defeating them in what they believe is their forte.
Now I have found extra time to play the sport I love with the people I have so much fun with during all those nights. Tennis gives us a chance to bond in an alcohol free zone, and make our friendship more substantial than a series of drunken heart to hearts.
I totally recommend putting yourself out there and inviting people outside of your comfort zone to join your inner tube water polo team or what have you. In high school, we weren’t just involved with these extracurricular activities to boost our resume for college, but now that we are here, take advantage of the sports you spent so much time practicing, or the goals you worked so hard to promote within a club. Not only do these extracurriculars provide ways to meet different people, but also a way to get closer with those “hi-bye” friends.
-max <3
Edited by: Amy Coyle Â
Photo cred: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandpapersmiles/3274679385
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