by Casey Schellberg
The best way to meet new people, get adjusted to college life, and stay busy is by getting involved on campus. While it may seem like a scary task, especially as a freshman, it is really easy at Manhattan College. Here are a few different ways you can get involved on campus:
Join a club. On September 6, Student Engagement is hosting their annual club fair on the quad. While it may feel a bit overwhelming at first with over 30 tables full of club leaders trying to get your attention, it is the best experience for anyone looking to get involved. There is a club for every interest at MC, from major specific to community service based to spirit squads, and if you don’t find a club you’re interested in, you can start your own! Make sure to check it out and get on a few email lists to get information on meeting times, clubs bring up so many opportunities including leadership roles and attendance at conferences.
Participate in intramural sports. Apart from our D1 athletics program, Manhattan also offers students to take part in intramural sports each semester. Get an all women, all men, or co-ed team together to participate in basketball, softball, volleyball, flag football, and soccer. Games take place in the evening during the week and each player on the champion team wins a t-shirt. If you can’t get a team together, no worries, you can always join as a free agent and get placed on a team that needs more players, allowing you to meet new people!
Join Greek life. Although small, MC offers students the opportunity to rush for our two sororities or two fraternities on campus. On the sorority side, Manhattan is home to the Delta Mu chapter of Sigma Delta Tau and the newly established Mu chapter of Alpha Pi Phi. Sigma Delta Tau raises funds for Jewish Women International and Prevent Child Abuse America, while Alpha Pi Phi official philanthropy is the Alzheimers Society. On the fraternity side, Manhattan is home to the Phi Mu chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon and the Beta Beta chapter of Alpha Phi Delta.
Tryout for a performance group. For our music and performance lovers, Manhattan offers a few different groups you can join and/or audition for. Anyone who is interested in singing on campus is able to join MC Singers, a choir group on campus. Other groups, like the a cappella group Manhattones, you need to sign up to audition for. If you are looking to continue to play an instrument in college, you can audition for the Jazz Band, Orchestra, Music Ministry, Pipe and Drums, or the Pep Band. Lastly, for the actors on campus, we have the MC Players who perform both a show and musical each year, as well as our improv group, Scatterbomb.
There are so many ways to get involved on campus, especially if you already have an interest in something, like music, sports or even chess. Don’t be afraid to get out there and join a club or group on campus, you won’t regret it!