Coming into your freshman year, it can be difficult to find a way to spend your time outside of school-work and class, especially when you are still trying to make friends. Clubs are a great way to do what you enjoy, but also make friends while doing it. Here are 5 clubs you should try during your freshman year of college.
Theatre is a great club join during your freshman year of college. Most people, when entering their freshman year, do not have many friends or a community that they can spend time with. Most theatre clubs consist of a very tight-knit but welcoming community, so this is a great option to begin making friends and building relationships. Most clubs give you the option to learn about and improve acting, and/or participate in productions. This can be through performing on stage or being involved in the technical aspect of putting on a show. All of these options allow you to express yourself and entertain others. Theatre is a great outlet for creative energy, so if you’re someone who likes to create and participate in art, theatre is a great club to try. College is stressful, and having an outlet to release stress is imperative to surviving college, especially the first year. Speaking from experience, theatre is a huge stress-reliever and will make the difficult transition to college life easier to cope with. Overall, theatre is great for meeting friends and integrating into a community while also being able to express yourself, whether it be onstage or behind the scenes.
Debate is another great club to try during your freshman year. In the professional world, having strong public speaking skills are a must, and will in many cases put you ahead of your competition. Debate will force you to come out of your shell and not only become comfortable with speaking publicly, but also become a passionate speaker. Part of being a good public speaker is establishing credibility and connecting with your audience so that they trust what you are saying. By arguing your case in a debate round, you will surely build this skill. The skills gained through debate are also well employed in a job interview. The same way you argue your position in a debate round is the same way you argue why your are the best choice for the job. Debate will also fine-tune your research skills as you are required to do heavy research to support your position, often in a limited amount of time. Overall, joining the debate club as a freshman will give you plenty of time to develop superior public speaking a communication skills. These skills will benefit you in many aspects of life, especially when entering the job market.
By the time you are in college, you are likely just getting to the age where you can vote. If you don’t know who to vote for, it can be quite hard to make informed decisions come election day. Joining a politics club is a great way to educate yourself on politics and form your own political identity. It’s important to do this as early as possible because it’s the first time you are able to forge your own beliefs away from your parent’s oversight. Outside of politics, joining a politics club will keep you informed on current events going on in the world and how this affects United States politics, which again, is vital to making informed decisions come election day. Ultimately, joining a politics club is going to allow you to decide what you believe and how different political parties line up with your personal beliefs. Along with keeping up with current events, you will be more equipped with the information needed to become more politically active. Forming your own beliefs is one of the cornerstones of adulthood, which makes joining a politics club during your freshman year the perfect time.
Volunteering is a great way to meet the needs of the community around you. Whether it be volunteering at a food pantry or cleaning up trash throughout the city, there are endless opportunities to help improve the community you are in. The problem can often be finding opportunities and help needed. Clubs devoted to service and volunteering are well connected to the surrounding places of need and will connect you to the ways you can get involved. This takes the guess work out of volunteering and will allow you to more quickly help those who need it. Also, volunteering is a great way to fill a resume. Employers love to see that you are involved in the community and are actively working to improve it. This demonstrates great character and a willingness to better the world around you at the expense of your own time, a quality many employers love to see. Overall, being involved in a community service and volunteer club is a great way to get involved your freshman year and make new friends while also helping out the community. This can be a tool to improve your resume and let employers know you are committed to the well-being of the entire community, even if it requires some extra work.
Finally, working on the school newspaper is a wonderful club to join if you are keen towards writing. The school newspaper will allow you gain early exposure to the world of journalism and hone in your writing skills. If you are already a talented writer, a school magazine or newspaper club is a great way to build your efficiency. In the “newsroom” environment, you are going to be faced with deadlines and quotas which will force you to build your writing stamina. The end result will be becoming a faster writer without sacrificing quality. Joining this club can also be a creative outlet for those who enjoy writing, as school magazines often include poetry and editorials. Overall, writing for a school newspaper or magazine is a great way to express yourself through writing. Joining as a freshman is the perfect time, because it allows you early exposure to an environment that will drastically improve your writing skills.
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