If you're getting a late start in joining on-campus clubs and organizations, it can be a little confusing where to begin. All of the involvement fairs that were going on at the beginning of the school year are long since gone, and suddenly it's impossible to find any of the clubs you were interested in joining. It seems like they somehow ceased to exist after the first week of school.
I fell victim to this myself, and so have a few of my friends. We decided to put off joining clubs right away in order to give ourselves time to adjust to college and school without the extra burden.
That proved to backfire. Now that we are in the full swing of the school year, there are no recruitment events for on-campus clubs. This isn't disastrous, it simply means that we actually have to do our own research, and try a little harder to get involved.
I realized that this is a problem a lot of students are currently facing, but not many have it figured out. After I went through the effort of chasing down my own clubs, I realized there are some easy ways to get involved that everyone can make time to do.
1. Surf the internet
The first tip is kind of a no-brainer. Most clubs have a website, Facebook page, or Instagram account for themselves. If you can't find a website for them, the club might be on a second-party website, like orgsync.com, that lets you view all of your campus's clubs on one site. You should also check the student life section of your university's website to find lists of clubs they have, especially if you're not sure what you want to join.
2. Stop and read
There are tons of pin boards and hallways all over campus that are covered in flyers that almost nobody stops to read. Don't be one of those people! It only takes two minutes to stop and look at some of these posters, and it's a great way to hear about what is going on around campus.
Here you can find information about new clubs, upcoming events, and job opportunities all in one place. There's a good chance that what you find here you might not have been able to find online.
3. Show up to an event
Not every club has a website or openly advertises when they have their meetings, so you're going to have to try a different approach. If you see that your club of interest has an upcoming public event, plan on attending.
I know that it can be intimidating to show up when you're not already part of the club, but this is a great opportunity to meet the members and get the information that you can't find elsewhere.
4. Ask the big kids
If you're unsure about what you want to get involved in, ask older students about what they do around campus. In college, everyone has a different combination of interests and activities that they participate in. By asking around, you're likely to hear of something new from every person you ask.
Plus, you can get an inside scoop on how to get started at the club, and work your way into a leadership position, or on how to get that on-campus job, if that's what you're looking for.
