Your time at Eastern Michigan University can be the best time in your life. You’re away from home at a fantastic school filled with all sorts of people from around the world. You should be using this time to explore and mingle while you fill your mind with knowledge. Student groups and organizations will help you do just that.
“College is a huge part of a person’s life, not just because of the education you get but also because of the people you meet,” John Jarvis, president of the gaming organization Coup De Gras, said. “By joining groups that are within your areas of interest, you can meet people who may be similar to you and in turn make lifelong friendships.” This is a lesson I wish I learned much earlier in my college career.
My freshman year of college, here at EMU, was dreadful. I had a very difficult time making friends. I spent my days sitting quietly in the back of class or in my Cornell Courts apartment lamenting my choice to leave home for school.
Things were so bad I even considered leaving school, but decided against it.
When I arrived back on campus to start my sophomore year, I knew I could not go through another year like the one before. Unfortunately, I wasn’t sure how to go about changing things.
One day, when I was in Pierce Hall, I struck up a conversation with another sophomore. He also had a difficult time making friends in his first year. He suggested I find a student organization because that was what helped him adjust to college life.
That night I went online and found emu.collegiatelink.net, EMU’s portal for student organizations. There I found information on all of the 272 different student groups here at EMU. The groups ranged from the astronomy club to The Wholigans and The Harry Potter Book Club.
Initially, I was worried I wouldn’t find a place to fit in. But there were several groups and organizations that fit my interests and worked around my busy class schedule.
Two years later I’m in my fourth year at EMU, I’ve made tons of friends and have had so many wonderful experiences that I now regret not coming to college earlier.
Over time, EMU has come to feel like my home. I can’t imagine what school would have been like if hadn’t found those student organizations. I’d probably still be miserable sitting at home alone eating ramen.
Your college career doesn’t have to start off as dreadfully as mine; avoid the freshman slump by getting involved — early and often.
Before you arrive at campus, take some time and figure out what clubs you would want to join. Many of them will have gatherings right at the beginning of the semester where they make critical decisions for the rest of the term. It might be beneficial to be involved from the beginning.
When trying to decide what organizations to try out, look at your needs. If you want to keep fit, try a sports team.
“The women’s rowing team doesn’t cost money to join, and you don’t need to know anything about the sport to try it out,” EMU student Clara Balmer said. “Instead of gaining the freshman fifteen, I lost it. It’s even helping me pay for school, but what I value the most are my relationships with my coaches and teammates.”
Are you into board, card or video games? How about joining the new student organization called The Creative Organization of United Players Devising Entertaining Games, Roleplaying and Anime for Students, otherwise known as Coup De Gras?
“This fall, we will be having weekly meetings for our members where we will all meet up in play games, whether they are a card games, pen and paper rpgs, or video games,” Jarvis said. “Our group is here to create a union of players just to have fun.”
If you’re just looking for a family atmosphere, why not join one of EMU’s prestigious fraternities or sororities?
“My [sorority] sisters have literally become my home away from home,” Sigma Kappa member and EMU student Sarah Noonchester said. “I know that I can depend on them in good times and bad, and when I feel lonely or even homesick I look to them for support.
“College can be an intimidating experience if you don’t have friends or people who you can lean on. So making connections is important.”
No matter what your needs, EMU has a student organization for you. Join a student organization, make friends, become a part of your school, create a family and a support system that will carry you through graduation.
I think John “Panda” Murray, President and “Emperor” of Sci-fi fan organization The Wholigans, said it best:
“Let’s face it, college is about meeting people as much as it is about learning things. When you go through college alone, you miss the essential portions of education that happen outside the classroom. You also miss the opportunity to build strong networks of friends and acquaintances that will be invaluable later in life. If you join a student org you are almost guaranteed to have a successful college experience.”
