When students come to college, one of the first events they will most likely go to is the school’s student organizations fair. There will be a ton of tables with many current students trying to convince you to join their club. It can seem very overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.

Know Yourself

One of the best ways to approach this fair is by already listing out what your main interests are before you go to the event. This way, you’ll know what kinds of clubs you already want to join, and you won’t be distracted by the various other ones.

Take Your Time

Another good tip for joining clubs is to make sure you’re not joining too many at once. This was my problem during my freshman year of college. I had already done step one; I knew what I was interested in and what I wanted to join. The problem was that I had too many interests. I ended up joining six clubs! That is way too much for a freshman to handle. Because of this, I became way too stressed and had to quit three of them in less than a month.

Make sure that you give yourself a limit as to how many clubs you join. A good number to start with is one or two. Remember, you have four more years to try out different organizations; you don’t have to join them all in the beginning.

Look Beyond Resume Builders

Be sure to join at least one organization that personally interests you. Don’t just join something because you think it will look good on your resume. Future employers will not care if you joined a club that focused on your major or community service. They care more about your interests and passions. If they ask you an interview question regarding your experience in a club that you didn’t care about, it won’t matter what the club was about. You have to be able to talk about your experiences and relate them to interview questions, and you can’t do that if you are part of an organization that bores you.

The student org fair doesn’t have to be stressful or overwhelming. These clubs are here to connect you with other students who have similar interests. Go to the fair with an open mind. You have four years to explore and find the groups that are the best fit for you!

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