Going to a new school in a new place is scary. Period. Suddenly, nothing is familiar and most of your friends are spread across the state whether they went to a different college or no college at all. It can be a daunting task to make close friends in college, but without them, life can get pretty lonely. Luckily, there is a way to make a giant school seem a little smaller: student organizations.

Every campus has lots of ways to get involved based on interests and people that you want to meet. There are cultural organizations, interest-based organizations, intramural sports, and Greek life. There are also honor societies for many majors/major areas, service organizations, and clubs that are just for fun. There are so many ways to meet people you may have never interacted with otherwise.

Are you interested in writing? Then there are student magazines, blogs, and fiction clubs. Do you like sports? Most schools have intramural sports for anything you can imagine. Do you like music or the arts? There are lots of ways to become involved in visual art, theatre, and music. Do you like just having fun with friends? Then there are social clubs for that, too! At Florida State, we even have a club called the Adventure Club that loves to explore the area. Greek life is also a great way to become part of a family with girls or guys of similar interests.

All of these groups love meeting new people who are passionate about the same thing they are. They love being able to help freshmen get acclimated to the college atmosphere because they were freshmen once, too. These connections that you make through clubs and organizations are also the beginning of networking for students.

If you're questioning joining an association on campus: just do it! The worst thing you can do is not join. It'll make college so much better with friends along the way!