Moving from either your hometown, high school or your familiar community college campus can be a daunting task. Most universities are comprised of a larger number of students, are located in larger cities and offer a thousand different activities in which you can become involved. Lucky for you, those numerous activities can make the transition into university life that much easier. While you most likely have gone to school with the same group of people for a number of years, a university offers a thousand new strangers to encounter. The plus comes from the fact that a thousand strangers create the potential for as many new acquaintances and friends. By getting involved on campus, you increase your chances of meeting your new best friend, as well as eliminating many of the anxieties that come with the first semester at a new school.
Student organizations are a great way to get into the university scene. The semester or summer before starting at your new institution, begin researching what types of organizations are active on campus. Use orientation to check out the different organizations further. Student organizations can range from religious to philanthropy groups, from degree related to outdoor clubs, and even personal interest organizations like scrapbooking club, book club, film club, language club and innumerable others. Chances are that the university you plan to attend will have something for you to get involved in, whatever your interests.
If you are athletic but not eligible to play on the varsity team, there are both club and intramural groups that you can get involved in. Club sports travel and play against different universities in the area. These groups usually require a signup fee but are more official and organized than intramurals. Intramurals are sports teams organized by students or an organization on campus and played among the university’s students. These can be extremely competitive because you might sit next to your greatest Water Polo rival in Biology. Both club sports and intramurals are fun ways to interact, stay healthy and get the most out of your college experience.
Students can also get involved by joining a sorority or fraternity on campus. Most universities across the nation have Greek communities that are alive and thriving. While there are many stereotypes that surround fraternal organizations, those should not be relied upon for an accurate assessment of the Greek community as a whole. Joining a fraternity or sorority can be one of the best ways to become a part of your campus community. If your university offers a Greek recruitment session, consider participating just to get a feel for each organization and meet some new people on campus. Meeting people was the reason behind my going through sorority recruitment in the fall of 2007. Four years later, I’m a proud alumnus of UW’s Theta Eta chapter of Delta Delta Delta Women’s Fraternity. Many of our nation’s leaders have been fraternity and sorority men and women and it’s definitely something to check out.
Another means of getting involved is student government. If you have been active in your previous school’s student government (student council) this is certainly something to consider. There are often positions in each college at the university that allow you to represent the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering, or the School of Nursing at a university level. Student government often has a very big influence on the way a university is run and if you want to have a voice on campus, this is your best shot at being heard.
Besides these few examples, there are plenty of other ways to get involved and become a part of your university’s community. The sooner you get to know people, the sooner you'll feel comfortable on campus and will have created a new support system. Having an intact support system will help you achieve success at the university level and throughout your life. Good luck and remember...get involved!!
Angela
Community College Transfer Advisor
