The Ins and Outs of the Involvement Fair

Welcome to Penn State! I’m sure you are overwhelmed and probably a tad bit nervous, but it won’t be long before Penn State will begin to feel like home.

I bet you’ve already heard of the many clubs you can become involved with during your time here at Penn State. There is roughly about 900 of them. I know, that number is insane. How could anyone possibly think of that many clubs, and how do you pick between that many? Luckily Penn State has an amazing involvement fair in the fall. This is where clubs come to talk with students and let them know what they do. In this post, I will be talking about the involvement fair works, and how to make the most of it.

The involvement fair is an amazing way to become involved in the clubs across campus, but it can be a bit overwhelming because so many people participate. In previous years, the involvement fair used to span multiple days in the HUB to accommodate everyone. It is now held during one day outside on the HUB lawn. When you get to the involvement fair, there are boards around the outside edge with each club along with a corresponding table number. Each row is labeled with a group of numbers so it’s easy to find the table you are looking for. Don’t be afraid to ask any student organization member for help if you can’t find what you’re looking for. They will be sitting under a blue tent (which you can see in the picture below).

As I already mentioned there are over 900 clubs to choose from at Penn State. Not all of the clubs make it to the involvement fair, but there are still many to choose from. The clubs that are attending are posted here. You can also find the date and time of the involvement fair, along with backup dates if it rains. From this list, you can pick a couple that sound interesting. I suggest that you even look them up ahead of time. That way, when you get to the involvement fair you won’t feel so overwhelmed.

Some clubs aren’t able to make it to the involvement fair, but you can still learn about them by asking your peers or any of the leadership team during/after WEPO. One of my favorite clubs, Istari Society, is an example. My friends created Istari Society last fall and we do all things Tolkien (aka Lord of the Rings). The picture below was from one of our meetings where we were playing a 4 corners game.  Unfortunately as of right now we won’t be at the involvement fair, but feel free to reach out to me if you are interested in learning about it!

There are so many options to choose from at Penn State. The involvement fair has a variety of clubs attending, so there is surely going to be something that catches your attention. Be sure to make some time to attend to the involvement fair, and have fun! We are!

By: Margo Blake