College is the time to explore your interests, find new ones, discover hidden facets of your personality, make friends, and grow as a person. One of the best ways you can make the most of this time is to get involved on campus. College is the perfect time to make lasting connections and even network for your future career. While there is a certain appeal to watching Netflix or playing video games with your roommate all day, you may not be setting yourself up to make the most of your time in college. So, how can you get involved? Here are some steps to get you started.
1. Pay Attention
Announcements, flyers, posters, and pamphlets are all over campus. Entire rainforests have been wiped out in effort to make sure you know what you can get involved in. Your college’s website is also a great place to look. There’s something for everyone. It’s just a matter of looking for it.
2. Ask Questions
Your university’s upperclassmen, faculty, and staff all want to tell you about what to get involved in. Your theater professor would love to tell you how to audition for the upcoming play. Your history professor will insist you take a sign-up sheet for the history club. The girl across your hall is looking for one more person for the volleyball team that plays on weekends. Ask and you shall receive.
3. Go to Events
Events let you see what you can be a part of. Even if it’s something you have no interest in, try going. You may see it in a different light. And, if nothing else, you will have supported your fellow students in their involvement, which is very important.
4. Put Yourself Out There
You can wander around every campus event, sit through every sporting competition, and collect every flyer, poster, and pamphlet, but it’s not going to do you a lick of good if you don’t put yourself out there.
“You have to talk to people.”
I’m looking at you fellow introverts. I know people can be intimidating, but you’ve got this.
If you have any other tips you want to share, or if you used one of these tips to further your campus involvement, let us know in the comments!
About the Author
Stephanie Van Wyk
Stephanie received her bachelor’s degree in English from Southwestern Assemblies of God University in 2021. She is passionate about the world of storytelling, artistry in all mediums, and is incapable of resisting any dog over 50 pounds.
