Joining your first year in college can be a little scary. There are many emotions you could be feeling, such as being lonely, homesick, depressed, or even tired most of the time. The best way to make new friends while exploring your campus is to get involved within your campus. There are many clubs, activities, sororities, and fraternities you could join to make your college experience 100 times better. Not only would you be interacting and keeping yourself busy; in the meantime, you could be building your resume by joining these activities and not even realize it in the moment. Being able to show future employers that you’re interested in what groups you’ve been a part of, or been the leader in, looks impressive and can be extremely beneficial when you’re seeking employment opportunities. It helps to show employers that you’re able to handle responsibility, manage multiple tasks, being a hard worker, and that you are able to collaborate and get along well with others. This will help you stand out from the rest of the candidates as well. There are many great opportunities around campus. One of the big factors to succeed is by using your campus resources to give you a little boost.

For starters I recommend joining a club, or if you do not find a club that interests you on campus, you can start your own and build from there. Participating in Student Government and taking on new leadership roles can help you interact and expand your networking skills. If your grade is an A in a particular subject that you’re interested in, you could end up becoming a tutor. There are many ways to be involved around campus. One of the most common ways to get involved is by joining intramural sports. The intramural sports that are offered at Farmingdale vary from flag football, soccer, indoor and outdoor sand volleyball, dodgeball, basketball, softball, ultimate Frisbee and much more. All sports are offered to both a men’s league and co-ed league. FSC students will also have the opportunity of creating their own team, or entering into the leagues as an individual if they do not have a team. This will allow any student to still be placed onto a team with other students. One other fun way is by joining a sorority or fraternity, where you will be able to meet new friends. Another option is helping out around the community, and start volunteering with an organization, to build community service. If you feel like all these events and commitments might be too much to join, then you can always start off small by attending campus events.

While being involved in student activities and clubs is a great way to start getting involved around campus, do not overwhelm yourself. It may be tempting to join every group or club that you’re interested in and comes your way, but you should be smart about which ones to join, and which ones would be better left for another semester or time. You can go back to the activity when your workload is a little lighter. Choose the activities that will benefit you, and will help you with your end goal. Keep in mind that your education is your top priority. If your student activities are negatively impacting the rest of your college experience, think about joining a group that doesn’t consume so much time, yet still aligns with your passions. Time is very limited, so use it to your advantage.

When it’s your first semester in college you might feel hesitant about making new friends. On the other hand, participating in student activities is a way to meet new people with similar interests as you. Not only will this guide you to find your way through college, but you’ll also learn to deal with different kinds of people in a variety of situations. Becoming involved in student activities can greatly increase leadership and social skills. Joining these activities will help you step out of your comfort zone. By surrounding yourself with new faces, ideas, experiences, and people with different cultures. All of these things can help you improve, and help you work with many different people in your future path. Taking these chances can help you discover something you truly enjoy, far away from your major, and it can be your favorite new hobby. However it might seem intimidating by pushing yourself out of your own comfort zone, it will lead you to a richer and memorable college experience.