What They Don’t Tell You About Joining Clubs

In the first installment of this series, I mentioned that the beginning of freshman year was not easy for me. I met friends during orientation which was great. But when the year started, they had seemed to disappear. Most people I saw, created great bonds with their roommates, but that wasn’t the case for me. My roommate and I did not get along and still don’t to this day. So I decided to join some clubs. They were advertised almost everywhere. I would see posters taped around the podium with big bold letters. “Come join!”, “Make new friends!”, “Gain great experiences!”. Even my RA, the social butterfly, persistently reminded us every day to go out and join something. So after my first month, I finally decided to go join a club.

 My first club was sports related. Although I loved the sport, I felt out of place. It was hard to feel truly welcome when they were already established as a group. Don’t get me wrong, they were very welcoming and friendly, but I still did not feel like I belonged. This wasn’t the only club I had this problem with. I went to two others and I still had the same dilemma. I knew I was not the only one having this problem. I was always paying attention to my surroundings, watching others who were like me. I could tell by their body language. Whenever there were meetings or events, everyone would bunch up into little groups while a few others would stand by themselves looking a bit confused and out of place. And that’s exactly how I felt. I eventually left a couple of these clubs, and found others better suited for me, where I felt at home.

 What I am really trying to say is that it is normal if you do not feel at place when joining clubs. I feel like that is one thing that people forget to mention. Clubs are a great place to meet people, but I personally do not think it clicks with just everybody. I know people who have made great bonds by joining clubs. But if it does not work, that’s ok. You can go back and try again later if it doesn’t work for you at first. Just be aware that it’s normal and you won’t be the only one going through it.

About the Author

Christine Etienne
Class of 2018
Major: Biology
Minor: Psychology
Fall 2015 Blog Theme: Born Again Freshman