The tried and true tradition of Emerson College: hundreds of students packed into a deafening gym to either recruit for or join on-campus organizations. Looping through those narrow aisles and screaming to be heard are rites of passage for your journey into Emerson’s extracurriculars. What do we do now that org leaders can’t give our elevator pitches from behind folding tables?
For many of us, orgs are just as important as the work we do in class. Many of our extracurricular opportunities at Emerson also give us valuable real-world experience, whether you join publications, student films, or performance groups. Being involved on-campus has been one of my favorite parts of Emerson, and I can’t recommend enough that you join a club or two during your time here.
Although our extracurriculars have to look a bit different this semester, Student Engagement and Leadership (SEAL) and org leaders have done our best to make it as easy as possible to virtually get involved at Emerson. While it may feel overwhelming at first, there are so many resources available to you!
Your first stop should be EmConnect, home to all org pages and upcoming events at Emerson. You can browse through the list of events coming up, or you can take a look at the organizations page to filter through all registered organizations at Emerson. As you scroll through the list of clubs, you can read a brief description of each, or click on one that interests you for more information.
When you click on org pages, you can read a more detailed description of who they are and what they do, as well as check out their roster. Some organizations are utilizing the documents feature at the bottom of their pages to upload applications to join the club. You can also request to join to let the leaders of the club get your contact information to send you more information.
Social media will also be your friend this semester! Many organizations are now relying on social media and digital marketing to connect with the community. You can usually find an org’s social media pages linked on their EmConnect page, or you can give them a quick search on whatever social media platform you choose.
If you have any questions or want more information, you can always reach out to the email listed on the club’s EmConnect page! We’re always happy to hear from interested students and tell you more about what makes our organization special.
You should also keep up with Emerson College’s Instagram. Especially at the beginning of the semester, student leaders do Instagram stories takeovers to tell you about their organization and answer questions. It’s a great way to put faces to the names you see online and personally ask for any information about the org that you want.
My main advice is to always keep an eye out online, whether it’s EmConnect or social media. Finally, even though our clubs are mostly online for now, you’ll still have an amazing experience, and I encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and try something new!