Last year I started college here at The University at Albany. I was so excited to be on a big campus and make new friends. I knew it wouldn’t be like TV, but I thought it could get pretty close. I got here and quickly saw people making friends and others had huge friend groups from home. I had only a few people from home. The year went by and I realized that this wasn’t the college experience that I sought; I was expecting a lot more and I wasn’t active in my school community. I wasn’t having any fun. It was just school, Netflix, and sleep. I was honestly always bored in my room, doing nothing.
Now this year is a completely different story. I did a complete 180. I decided at the start of my sophomore year that I would join at least three clubs. I wanted things to keep me busy and to really enjoy the whole college experience. I went to the block party, where all of the clubs introduce themselves, and I was able to find ones that interested me and sign up for them. It was such an easy thing that I regret not following through with during my freshman year. As soon as I joined the clubs, I saw a difference in my life. I actually had things to do and I made a lot more friends. It is crazy that something so small could change my entire experience. I really recommend joining clubs and being involved in your school’s community.
I know a lot of people that didn’t enjoy college or make many friends in the beginning, and I understand that. I almost decided to go to school back home because I really didn’t enjoy it or do anything. But some of the best advice I ever got was to just go out and join a club that really interested me, then see if I still don’t enjoy college. I also know this is an issue for commuters because just having a class with people doesn’t always help with friends and involvement. So especially for commuters… join a club!! It will honestly make getting through college a lot easier.