Alaysia Gregory
I’d like to welcome you all to the first installment of a series called “The Basics.” The Basics is a series I created where I will cover and give advice on the ‘The Basics’ of college life and make it much more enjoyable.
With the beginning of a new semester comes new opportunities to be active on campus. And trust me when I say I know about staying busy but focused. For most of my collegiate career, I’ve worked as an RA – now SRA – and an off-campus job while being active in many organizations.
But believe it or not, I spent my entire freshman year locked up in my room sad, lonely, and all-around unfulfilled. I know now that the fun in college isn’t just the parties. It’s building community with people around you. With this article, I want to give advice to any and everyone out there who doesn’t know how to get involved.
1. Get out of your room and go to events
As cliché as it sounds, leaving your room truly does wonders. I can’t count the number of times I was bored and would decide to go to an event I saw on someone’s story the day of. These events are made for people to come and hang out with each other.
From building events with RAs to the org fair, these are the places where you will meet people that you’d never thought to speak to. I remember going to a sophomore mixer event just to see what would happen and ended up meeting so many people that I call my friends now.
2. Try to talk to new people
Now all this talk about going to events will mean nothing if you don’t go out and talk to people. Talking to new people and making friends is one of the most essential ways to make your college experience worth it.
Attending these events is where you will most likely meet people who have similar ideals and interests as you. Going to something as simple as Mental Health Monday will have you interacting with so many new people and get you out of your shell.
3. Get an on-campus job
Now who doesn’t like making money? Having an on-campus job is one of the more overlooked ways to be involved in college. I have worked as an RA for a year, and now as an SRA. I have had so many opportunities and met so many people who have helped me in different ways. All because of a job.
Now the doing work part might seem like a lot. But having one of these jobs can relate to your hobbies, major, etc. Working at the wellness rec center as a referee would be perfect if you love sports, or if you want to go into law, working for judicial affairs would be a great job for you. To put it simply, an on-campus job can help you not only financially, but also socially.
4. Join different organizations
From performance organizations like Hidden Vanity to community service organizations like Hornets in Motion, to organizations that do it all like E.L.I.T.E. and MOCA, joining one or two organizations will introduce you to a new side of college that you probably didn’t even know was possible.
I can personally say that most of my friends I have met through different organizations. And I can almost guarantee that if you join an organization and are active in going to the events, you won’t only become more involved in school but also make many connections and memories along the way.