Although college is primarily a time to get a degree for the future, it is also a time when you can effortlessly explore new things as you have dozens of unsiezed opportunities at your fingertips. Hopefully, everyone is passionate about their major, but it can often feel that you get socially confined to your academic specialities when it comes to joining new clubs, taking on internships or simply doing different activities. However, that is not true; just because you are a bio major does not mean you need to limit yourself to purely STEM groups. For example, art majors can write code and non-athletes can try a run club! As an economics major with a law & society minor, I am notorious for never staying in my lane and will often drag my friends to various clubs from fencing and field studies to ceramics. Here are some tips to reach outside your comfort zone when it comes to trying new things, both academic and social!
It has become a running joke within my friend group that I have an eclectic band of hobbies. I often fall victim to the simplicity of filling out google forms when it comes to signing up for clubs, which makes me the perfect guide to help you break outside your comfort zone. It all started with Her Campus: one of my friends back home had joined and I immediately was interested. I began writing an article almost every week on every topic from sports to politics to trends. Mind you, I’m majoring in economics; what business did I have joining a magazine club, especially in the editorial section? Her Campus is particularly exceptional because their welcoming foundation has something for everyone and despite having a place for my major to grow in the business/events field, I wanted to write instead, so I did. Never feel that you need to be trapped into a specific box because of your major. If you want to do something, do it! Life should never be about asking the question of if you deserve something, only the question of if you want it.
Additionally, if a club or an organization says “all majors welcome,” take. It. Literally. If the Engineering Society says anyone can join, and you are interested in building bridges or roads, join! Do not be deterred because you chose to major in journalism; your major does not define you and it is important to pursue your interests. While taking a business law class, per my major requirements, I was immensely intrigued during each class as my teacher described torts and contracts. I loved the logical processes that accompanied law, but also how creativity was necessary to craft convincing arguments. I was toying with the idea of becoming a lawyer, but did not know of any viable outlets to let me explore that area. One of the Her Campus members mentioned in our GroupMe that Phi Alpha Delta, the Law Fraternity, had begun rushing for that spring; I decided it was a sign and I would join. While there was a ringing in the back of my mind reminding me that I was not a political science major, after attending the first meeting, I saw that I was among a plethora of various majors from philosophy to environmental science. I had met some amazing people and even if I was not going to become a lawyer, I figured there was no downside to knowing a lot of attorneys and meeting new individuals.Â
Sometimes, you just have to take a chance even if it scares you. While scrolling on Instagram one day, I saw that Cal Poly’s student-run newspaper, Mustang News, was accepting applications for various positions and all majors were encouraged to apply; I thought, why not? The worst that could happen was they not accept me and I waste 15 minutes of my day filling out this form. After taking that blind risk, I am now the only non-journalism major writing in the Special Sections of Mustang News. Lady Luck favors the one who tries and sometimes you need to take a shot, no matter if you have any chance of hitting the target.Â
Furthermore, it is ok to be bad at something, especially if you are doing it for the first time! Looking like a fool is well worth discovering if you love a new activity, are trying to be better at it and taking advantage of what your university has to offer. Within my first few weeks of being a first-year at Cal Poly, my eyes kept wandering over to the climbing park on campus and I desperately wanted to try. I had only rock climbed twice: once in sixth grade at a birthday party and again two summers prior on a family trip to Oregon. However, my friend and I decided that we needed to go, and ended up being awful. We barely surpassed the lowest levels, but we agreed to go twice a week and continued to get better. Sometimes all you need to do is get a friend and endure the pain together, no matter how many times you land flat on your butt. Trying new things should not be about keeping up with appearances and maintaining your popularity. Keep in mind, college is not high school; popularity does not matter and at the end of the day, barely anyone is paying attention to you. You aren’t attempting new things for someone else, you are doing it for you.
Overall, being a well-rounded individual is far more important than your anxieties or need to fit in. You must throw out your misguided beliefs that people will judge you because you cannot control people’s reactions, only your own actions. If they are foolish enough to mock you for trying something new, then their small minds are not worth a second of your time, especially since you’ll be too busy garnering new talents and friends. You do you! It would be a sad, lonely, little world if everyone made no effort to reach beyond their group of like-minded individuals to gain more experiences and knowledge. So, reach out, make new friends and if you really need a push to break outside your comfort zone, just think of how amazing it will look on your resume!