Maybe you didn’t think you’d have enough time. Maybe you hadn’t heard about the organizations until it was too late to sign up. Maybe you had just procrastinated completing the application. No matter the reason, you weren’t as involved as you had hoped to be during your fall semester and you wished you had joined something earlier on.
Well, to all of you who feel uninvolved, do not lose hope. With a new semester comes new opportunities, and this is your time to get plugged in. In fact, waiting to the second semester to get involved actually has some perks. So do not be weary Second Semester Organization Pursuers, your involvement is about to beginning.
The first key is to be open-minded. Yes,he organization you may have had in mind may only recruit or have registration during the fall, but there’s no reason you can’t get involved with other organizations now! Rather than waiting months to join that one club you had your sights set on, have an open mind and look at what else your university has to offer (because it usually has more than you even imagined). It’s always a good idea to try and join something that has to do with your major in addition to something that is recreational or simply interests you.
This may seem like a lot to handle, but being involved in more than one activity actually looks good on a resume and helps you develop better time management. Not to mention the fact that you would be broadening your networking system. This could potentially help you make connections with people involved in other organizations you may be interested in joining in the fall or even connections to jobs and internships further down the road (which is always a nice thing to have, just ask any senior getting ready to graduate and head off to the real world).
After going in with an open mind, the second key is to be on the look out for registration and application due dates. Many universities will have an open house in the spring where clubs and organizations come out to give you information about what you could potentially get involved in. Universities will also have members of organizations advertising around campus. You’ve encountered them, I’m sure. They’re the people who come at you waving flyers and asking you to join their clubs. In the past these advertisers may have caused you to walk a different way to class just so you don’t have to deal with all of the papers and handouts, but if you take the time to go grab a flyer or look at the banner they’re holding, you could actually find an organization that interests you. So next time you’re walking to class, be on the lookout for those advertisers and don’t be afraid to take their flyers and ask them questions. They are there to inform you and help you get involved, even if it sometimes feels like they’re only there to ambush you.
Once you’ve gathered the information, you can now use one of your special perks of being a Second Semester Organization Pursuer: asking around. Because you’ve waited to join something, you now have the ability to talk to your friends who may already be involved in these organizations and get their opinions on what it’s really like to be a part of whatever it is you’re thinking about joining. Ask them about the time commitment, the activities the organization participates in, and you could even get together with some of the other members to see if they are the type of people you could see yourself being friends with. One of the perks is knowing people on the inside, so take advantage of it and get all of your questions answered; that way you’ll know what you’re signing up for before you officially commit.
Lastly, don’t dwell on the past. Don’t be upset with yourself for not joining something earlier on. It may have been difficult to watch everyone else get their “bigs,” have retreats with their organizations, or become such good friends with people so quickly, but this semester you’ll get the opportunity to do the exact same as long as you put yourself out there. By waiting a few months before jumping in, you had the chance to adjust to your new schedule and adjust to your new independence. Now that you’re officially settled in, you’ll be able to get involved without stressing out about how to manage everything, so in reality you made a great decision to wait until second semester! Don’t live with any regrets. Instead live with the plan to make this next semester even better than the last.
So to all of you Second Semester Organization Pursuers, your first few months may have been filled with a little more Netflix and a little less club meetings, but get ready for all of that to change (well actually, there’s always time for Netflix, but that’s beside the point). Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there because organizations are always looking for new members. Remember to use your resources wisely and to not wait until next fall. Your time to get involved is now!
