Clubs, Clubs, and More Clubs

According to the Office of Student Activities, there are 945 student organizations at Penn State. That is quite a lot. Having that many options can feel overwhelming.  However, if you work on your time management skills and create a balanced schedule, you can find time to participate in all of the clubs that are important to you.  With this many choices, no matter what you are interested in, you will be able to find an organization that you enjoy.  Plus you can always start a new club!  Here are a few tips I learned when trying to find activities that are a good fit for me.

• Go to the involvement fair.  The involvement fair takes place the first few days of classes in the Hub.  The different clubs at Penn State set up a booth, so you can talk to people in the organization and sign up to be on the email list serve.  This is a good way to get involved in clubs, even if you do not know anyone else doing them.  Don’t be afraid to walk up and start asking questions about the organization.  I joined one of my favorite organizations by signing up at the involvement fair. 
•  Look into an engineering club.  Personally, I really love engineering, and I like to volunteer at engineering related events and work on projects outside of class.  Therefore, I joined Engineers Without Borders and some other engineering clubs, such as the Steel Bridge Team and the American Society of Civil Engineers, which are through my major.  I highly recommend continuing to stay involved in WEP, and I also really enjoy being a part of SWE (Society of Women Engineers).  There are many opportunities available through SWE, such as intramural sports, career events, homecoming, thon, and much more.  Overall, there are many engineering clubs, so you have to decide what club fits you specifically, but I recommend continuing with the clubs for women in engineering and looking into engineering organizations in your major.
• Do something you love.  Whether that is playing a sport, practicing an instrument, joining a religious organization, or running for student government, I believe it is very important to have time to relax and do something you enjoy in order to get through some of the stressful weeks.  Most of the clubs are listed online, so you can start checking them out and getting excited to try something new.  (For a complete listing see http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/hub/studentorgs/orgdirectory/)

Even though you might be worried to go to a meeting by yourself or walk over to a booth for a club you know nothing about, you could make friends through that organization that you keep for the rest of your life.  I believe joining an organization is one of the best ways to make friends.  There are so many different opportunities at Penn State, so definitely take advantage of them while you can.  You started that processes by signing up for WEPO, so keep it going once the semester starts! 

Jenn Kearney is a sophomore in civil engineering. This summer she has a structural engineering internship with Carney Engineering Group. She is a rover for WEPO 2012.