The school year is quickly approaching; freshmen are getting ready to test the waters (of college AND of the beautiful Narragansett beaches). Sophomores and juniors are excited to return to a place in which they have found their groove, and seniors are anxious but excited to make the most of their last year. Regardless of your time spent so far at URI, it is never too early or too late to get involved. Joining organizations in college is pivotal to making the very most of your time and extremely beneficial and rewarding in countless ways. Becoming involved allows you to meet new people with common interests that you may not have crossed paths with otherwise, resulting in wonderful new friendships and beneficial connections. It also looks extremely good on a resume, and just makes your college experience significantly more fulfilling as a whole.

With over 100 student organizations available to join, The University of Rhode Island has something for everyone. There are groups for academics, hobbies, sports, charity, you name it; most of them are extremely easy to join and always accepting new members! Here are just a few of the rockin' organizations at URI that are always welcoming and encouraging new members:

For the student with a passion for adventure...

URI Outing Club - Love the outdoors? Then this is the club for you! Outing club does anything and everything involving outdoor activities: hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, skiing/snowboarding, kayaking, biking, and more! They plan frequent weekly trips which are discussed and brainstormed in meetings, so members are welcome and encouraged to pitch ideas. They are constantly accepting and encouraging new members to join throughout any time of the year, just show up to a meeting!

Join the Facebook group here:URI Outing Club

For the student looking for connections in his/her academic field...

Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) - For anyone studying Public Relations, Marketing, Journalism, etc. Members are frequently introduced to extremely successful guest speakers in the industry and exposed to several networking opportunities. Weekly meetings are exciting and hands on. If you are in any way interested in going into the Public Relations field, this is the organization for you.

Join the Facebook group here: University of Rhode Island PRSSA

DOC OPP - A group created in helping med students accomplish the overwhelming task of getting into med school. It is a group of active pre-med students that all have the common goal of getting into medical school. The club offers peer counseling, MCAT prep courses and offer group speakers/ graduate connections for shadowing, research and more.

Join the Facebook group here: URI DOC OPP

Engineering Fraternity Theta Tau - This is just one of the several academic fraternities/sororities on campus. This fraternity proudly represents the College of Engineering, and provides it's members with opportunities to make like minded friends, learn important professional development skills, and teaches key networking techniques. They have rush in the fall for upperclassmen only, but in the spring semester it is opened up to freshmen as well. If you're interested, look out for flyers in all of the engineering dorms.

For the student trying to stay active....

Ultimate Frisbee- A fast-paced, high-intensity sport that combines aspects of a lot of different sports including football and handball. They travel around New England and even down to Myrtle Beach for two-day tournaments against different schools!

Join the Facebook group here: University of Rhode Island Men's Ultimate Frisbee

URI Womens Ultimate

URI Dance Company - Calling all dancers! This club welcomes experienced dancers as well as those that have always wanted to try it. Student-taught classes are offered in all different styles including Ballet, Pointe, Lyrical, Jazz, Tap and Hip Hop. The classes are weekly, leading up to a recital at the end of each semester.

Join the Facebook group here: URI Dance Company

URI Powerlifting team - A team of 50 athletes that compete in powerlifting meets through the collegiate USA powerlifting league throughout the year. They compete every year at the USA collegiate Nationals meet and this year they actually came in 9th in the nation!

Join the Facebook group here:The University of Rhode Island Powerlifting Team

For the musical student....

Strike A Chord - This club plays music for a good cause! Each semester Strike A Chord members put on concerts/play at various music events and then they donate all their proceeds to a chosen charity. They even go on an annual Boston trip to play on the streets for donations!

Join the Facebook group here: Strike a Chord URI

Electronic Music Association (EMA) - For anyone with a passion for EDM! This club plans frequent raves on campus, has workshops with professional DJs, has "family" dinners and get-togethers and encourages members to discuss and share their favorite types of music. They also do much more!

Join the Facebook group here: URI Electronic Music Association

"Musically Inclined." - For all the Rhody singers out there! This is a student run a cappella group consisting of members with a range of musical backgrounds and academic majors. Auditions are held at the beginning of each semester but even those that don't make it are still encouraged to come to rehearsal and practice their singing. They typically perform two concerts a year, and are hoping to take a few trips to perform elsewhere.

Join the Facebook group here: Musically Inclined

This is just a small fraction of all the awesome organizations that URI has to offer. For a full list just google search "URI student organizations" or follow this link!