Club anxiety haha

faustarp
Sun, 05 Sep 2010 13:27:02 +0000

I think you should just sign up for whatever club seem interesting to you. while I was in high school, that was also my policy, but I have to admit that I did end up doing some of the very traditional extracurricular activities, like model UN. there are a lot of differences in college, though.
first of all, there are so many clubs with different purposes, so it’s not at all necessary to become some kind of multi-club-leadership type in order to be successful in the future. you don’t have to be the top of the top at Cornell to be plenty good. remember that when you’re getting your first grades too.
secondly, that variety means that you will likely find a club that is pretty closely related to your academic interests, yet also seems fun. the club I’m most active in is loosely related to what I’m studying, but the reason I chose to join is because what the club does seemed like a cool opportunity. it’s something I actually enjoy doing. since I also enjoy what I’m studying (which is why I’m studying it) that’s not a huge surprise.
thirdly, there are a lot more ways to get involved in college than there were in high school. more than any club, I am involved in the lab where I work. such positions are often not just a job where you go in a few hours a week - you end up getting to know the people in the lab and the department, and this could lead to other opportunities. having experience working in a lab is a highly valued part of an application for grad school in the sciences, and also for any kind of work you’d do after graduation. there are also jobs you can get working in research in other disciplines, and those are also good opportunities. there are also undergraduate TA or grader positions in some classes, and those can obviously demonstrate a lot of positive qualities.

you are going to need to plan out some things, like classes with prerequisites, when you might want to start research or a job, and those sorts of things. however, I think you should really take the opportunity to try something new and interesting while you’re in college, or keep up with some hobby or activity that was your favorite in high school. I definitely sympathize with not wanting to overload your time, so choose carefully and don’t worry about not returning to a club after the first meeting if you aren’t feeling enthusiastic about it.