Welcome to our newest segment, “Ask a Senior,” where Sara addresses your questions, concerns, and doubts about life at Notre Dame!
I was wondering about getting involved with extracurriculars on campus, like how would you advise freshmen to approach joining extracurriculars? How many clubs/ activities would you limit yourself to? And, how did you find the perfect balance between school, friends, and activities your freshman year on top of adjusting to college life?
Freshman year is tough – you’re adjusting to harder classes, more independence, and establishing a support system beyond your family and friends back home. As I said when asked about finding a job freshman year, I didn’t get involved in much right off the bat. When I entered Notre Dame, I signed up to be a photographer for the yearbook and I decided to be a section representative for Pasquerilla West hall council. Beyond that, I was convinced I needed to give myself a significant amount of time to adjust to college life and being away from home. There was a gripping fear in my mind that if I committed to too much, I would fail all of my classes and get kicked out of school. Very logical.
This was the wrong way to go about things. As a typical Domer, I was an overscheduled, overcommitted high school senior. My first year of college, I fell into some bad habits without anything productive to pass the time and my health and grades actually suffered. There were so many activities I wanted to get involved in but didn’t because I was too scared to commit. It was never a question of finding groups I was passionate about, only one of whether or not I could handle something else on my plate.
Early in the fall, the Student Activities Office (SAO) hosts an activity fair in order to display all the clubs, teams, and groups on campus. As fresh meat *ahem* freshmen, you will be called to every table. They have candy, they have free pens, they have frisbees – and they want your netID. I strongly recommend doing some research before going into the activity fair so you don’t end up with you email address on twenty different list servs, still receiving emails from the Pre-Med Society as a senior, despite asking them to remove your name AND despite never being a pre-med student. The SAO website lists most of the clubs on campus, so peruse that for a bit and consider five or six you are really interested in. Attend a few meetings, then pick two or three that you are truly passionate about and could really see yourself managing one day.
Seriously, don’t over do it. School is your first priority, and you really do need to leave time for yourself and having fun! Do what makes you happy – you’re not trying to get into college anymore. In fact, at this point it is more about being dedicated to one or two causes than it is about jamming your schedule full of events. Try some things out and commit to the ones that work for you, your schedule, and your goals.
Yearbook has some awesome perks
Personally, I have seen both ends of the spectrum. While my freshman year I tended toward the “too much free time” extreme, I definitely flipped that around sophomore year. After taking on as little responsibility as possible, I was elected president of my dorm and named an assistant photography editor for the yearbook in addition to my position as a photographer; I took on a job in the Office of University Relations and another in the Basilica. Being president definitely took up most of my time (and was pretty tough as a sophomore with no experience) so I missed out on a lot of good times with my friends. Junior year I thought things would be different… then I took on two additional jobs and two Student Government committees to replace my hall council position. Oh, and I began writing for Her Campus. The thing is, I wouldn’t trade any of these extracurriculars. I truly enjoyed them all, but I did sacrifice a lot of sleep and time with friends to cover my bases.
I’m just hoping that this year will be a better balance so I can stop midday napping (lol jk naps rule!)! However, most Notre Dame students, I like to think I thrive under pressure.
Here’s hoping you figure it out a lot sooner than I did!
Go Irish! HCNDXO
Got a question for an ND senior? Ask here! Follow HCND on Twitter and Instagram (@hercampusnotredame), and like us on Facebook!
Images provided by author