It’s the second week of school. The minute amount of excitement you had about purchasing new school supplies has worn off, the 500 dollar book for your required elective course already has tear stains on it from your stress and, to top it all off, you haven’t made any new friends since high school.
It doesn’t matter if you just started school or if you’ve been attending the university for a few years, it’s evident as soon as you walk on campus that Youngstown State University is a commuter school. Students are consistently listening to music, texting on their cell phones or staring blankly at their computers. Most interactions inside the classroom don’t exceed beyond, “What was the homework?” or, “When is the test again?” It’s not easy making friends anymore.
That being said, it is extremely easy to join a student organization.
YSU has student organizations available that cater to a variety of interests. If you have a special place in your heart for Spanish, photography, advertising — anything — there is most likely a student organization for it. There are other people with the same likes as you, they’re friendly and they’re on campus.
It’s not just about making friends. Student organizations offer incredible networking potential. In addition to making connections with students and faculty who are currently in the club, you also can make connections with alumni. Alumni can make excellent references when it comes to resumes and job applications.
Being involved with an organization also helps students develop social skills. Scared of talking in front of a class? It’ll be a lot easier when a few of your classmates are a part of the same club. According to educational researchers, students in clubs tend to practice better time management, and possess greater leadership and organizational skills compared to students who aren’t involved in clubs.
If none of the student organizations listed on the Student Activities webpage tickle your fancy, you can even create your own organization with extra help from the Student Government Association.
SGA earmarked $4,000 — some of which came from SGA president and executive vice president Ashley Orr and Jacob Schriner-Briggs’ commendable salary cuts totaling $10,000 — for students to start new student organizations and clubs.
If you want to create a club, you must be in good academic standing and currently enrolled at YSU. A full-time faculty member needs to be chosen to advise the group, and you have to fill out the Student Organization Registration Form found on the Student Activities web page.
The Internet is proof that if you like something, no matter how strange it is, someone else out there is interested in the same thing. Instead of using the Internet to talk to absolutely nobody about how you love watching Toonami and eating fried foods on Saturday nights, create a club. There are plenty of students at YSU who probably would hang out with you for real, not just online.
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