This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Simmons chapter.

Hello class of 2022! Welcome to your first year of college! As a first-year, college can be a bit daunting. Meeting new people can be a challenge when you have to worry about academics and settling into your new home. We want to help! Join Her Campus!

Her Campus is the number one online magazine targeted at college women that is made up of over 340 campuses worldwide.

Disclaimer: You do not have to identify as or be a woman to join or write for Her Campus, you can write whatever you are passionate about! Everyone is included.

These campuses manage their own pages and produce their own content. Not only this, but campuses host events for their school and have amazing bonding events!

Aren’t on board yet? Here are 22 reasons why you should join!

1. All of the FREE swag!

Being a member of Her Campus has its perks. Each semester, Her Campus National sends each chapter FREE products called HC Survival Kits for all of its members to have. Don’t believe me? Check out the picture below.

2. The amazing events

Our chapter, Her Campus Simmons, created an event called Parks and Recfast. This event is a fundraiser where our members cook breakfast foods for dinner and deliver it to student’s dorms. The leftover food, all free for the people who help out! All of the bacon and pancakes you can eat! Check out our last event here!

3. Internship and job opportunities

When you’re involved with a Her Campus Chapter, you get the first chance to apply for what internship and job opportunities there are at Her Campus National. Two of the Simmons members did an externship last fall for Her Campus’s fashion week show in Boston.

4. Advice on future courses

Odds are, the older members of the chapter have taken the class you’re thinking about taking. Get advice on how they did in the course, which professors to avoid and which professors to always take a class with if it fits your schedule.

5. Celebrity run-ins

Her Campus has an extensive network, and some of that network includes celebrities that you can actually meet! For instance, Nico Tortorella from T.V. Land’s Younger, and Dr. Jen Welter, the first female football coach in the NFL.

6. Get to know the area without getting lost!

Getting to know a new place can be hard. That’s why each chapter has bonding activities that can show you around the city. It helps introduce you to the area and try new things!

7. Practice your writing skills

Whether you are a exercise science major or a journalism major, writing is essential. Get practice by writing articles on topics that pertain to your courses. When the writing really counts, you will be a pro and get the A+ you deserve.

8. More followers and more likes!

If you love social media, and love when others like your posts, you’ve come to the right spot. The other members will immediately follow your Instagram and Facebook to give you likes on every picture. Even if you don’t care about the likes, when members like your post it isn’t a scroll through, they actually care. Your chapter members will make comments that will make your whole day better!

9. Have places to stay when you travel

College is all about traveling and learning from new experiences. Members are from all over. Learn about where each person is from and ask if they can travel with you home sometime. Save a ton of money, and get a local’s perspective on the best things in that area!

10. Insta-worthy moments.

Not only will you gain followers, but you will also have people willing to get on the ground for you to get the right angels for your shot. Her Campus chapters also have lots of Insta-worthy events for you to get the perfect picture to show your friends and family.

11. The resume booster.

Being involved on campus is the perfect resume booster for any internship or job opportunity. It shows that you are dependable, and adds published work to your portfolio.

12. Teamwork makes the dream work.

Joining a chapter not only develops your writing, but it also develops your team work skills. Collaboration is key, and when you learn how to work with different Myers Briggs types, you are already ahead of the game.

13. Learn about yourself!

When you write, you quickly learn what you don’t like to write about and what you do. You can discover things you never knew you were passionate about. Her Campus allows you to explore who you are and who you want to become.

14. Did I mention FREE food?

When you join a chapter, there are many welcome back and end of the semester parties where you will get free food! For the cheap college students that you now are, this is a must have. The anticipation alone can get you through the whole semester!

15. Tune up those time management skills.

Nothing prepares you more for the working world than being a part of a chapter while you are in school. As a member you will have deadlines, meetings and events along with your class schedule. Learning how to balance all of this is key to your future success.

16. Relieve your stress.

Nothing is better than joining an environment where everyone has your back. Each Her Campus chapter will support you through the hard times. As well as that, channeling your stress into something you write about is a good outlet to relieve that stress and it can help others going through the similar situations as you.

17. The educational benefits.

I know, it’s tough to think about educational benefits when you aren’t in class. These educational benefits are different. Joining a chapter you will learn about different people’s backgrounds and their skill sets that could help you in the future. You won’t think of it as learning, but you will be.

18. Sister chapter benefits.

Some Her Campus chapters participate in a program called Sister Chapters. This program pairs you with another campus in your area so that you can host events, and get to expand your network. For example, our campus is paired with Boston University’s chapter. One event we co-hosted was a end of the semester/holiday party where we swapped gifts and ate pizza.

19. Networking opportunities

Her Campus National gives you plenty of sweet invites to network. The Her Conference in New York City is a prime example. The Her Conference is an event where college students get to hear from industry leaders about how they got to where they are today. After each of the panels, students get to network and form new connections.

20. Leadership opportunities

Starting in your chapter early on will give you a leg up on the competition for executive board positions. Holding an E-board position gives you real life experience of true responsibility and managing people, which all look great on a resume. Our E-board at Simmons is mostly comprised of seniors. Elections are held at the end of the first semester, which is why it is crucial to start early so you can network and start campaigning early.

21. Fun!

Her Campus chapters know how to have a good time, whether that is watching a movie, playing card games, or just sitting and talking to each other. It is fun to be surrounded by people who want to explore and do fun things with you!

22. Friends for life

When you join a chapter, you aren’t only going to get all of these amazing things, but you will get friends. You will make bonds with people that you wouldn’t have met in school. These friends will stick by you throughout your four years and after. The connections you make in college will be completely different, in a good way, from your connections in high school.

Do you go to Simmons and want to join our chapter? Our first meeting will be Sunday, September 7, from 2-3 p.m. If you have any questions email simmons@hercampus.com.

Hope to see you there!

22 Reasons Why the Class of 2022 Should Join Their Her Campus Chapter