The dangers of getting too involved in campus clubs
It’s that time of year again. No, I’m not talking about pumpkin spice lattes (although who isn’t excited about those?). In all seriousness, it’s that time of the year when you’re about to be clubbed to death. Yes, I am being serious. Allow me to explain. You started the semester off completely and utterly enthusiastic about getting involved as much as possible. And you did. Oh, boy, did you ever. But now each club is planning an event, be it a homecoming table or a speaker or even a dance, and now you’ve got to do it all and still manage to keep up with homework! What are you going to do? You’re going to go and go and go until you literally can’t anymore, and then you’re going to do it all again next semester. But how do we break this cycle of overextending ourselves in the myriad of clubs we have available on campus? Let’s break this down.
The Student Government Association (SGA) sponsors 23 clubs on campus. That doesn’t even include clubs that are sponsored by individuals and groups outside of SGA. These clubs vary from swing dance to intramural sports to clubs where you can discuss key issues in society or clubs where you can kill zombies. With all of these super awesome clubs, how do you do it all? The answer is: you don’t. You simply can’t, but there are some tactics that can help you not overextend yourself and still be involved.
First off, discover what interests you and what you’re passionate about. Those don’t have to be the same thing; you could be interested in chemistry and passionate about helping the poor. Figuring out what you’re interested in and what you’re passionate about can help guide you toward the proper clubs for you. Find clubs that tailor to those things, be it two separate clubs or, if you find one that really hits both, then great; dive right in!
Another option is diversifying your involvement. Try to find clubs that are different enough that you won’t burn out of time and energy. For example, join an academic club and an athletic club. If your honor society meets at 10 a.m. on Mondays and your intramural sports team doesn’t play until 10 p.m. on Tuesdays, then you can still be involved and have time for the ever-growing stack of homework you’ve been putting off for weeks.
Being involved on campus is a great way to spend your time and energy during your years at Eastern. But the last thing you want to do is end up overextended, exhausted and stressed out while you simultaneously watch your grades drop. Try these suggestions when you’re either trying out new clubs for the first time or when you’ve hit your limit and need to scale back. Also, it is important to consider that being able to give your all for just a few clubs, instead of giving very little to many, will not only benefit you but also the clubs you’re involved in. Best of luck, and enjoy a latte with all this new free time you’re going to have.