Finding Your Nest: A Guide to Getting Involved on Campus

Elmhurst University has a lot of clubs and organizations to choose from and they all will be vying for your attention and support.

I present to you a step-by-step guide on how to find the perfect club or organization for you.

The first step is to figure out what interests you, and find all of the clubs that fit that criteria. If you really want to get organized, you could rank all your interests and hobbies from least to most important or interesting to you.

Then, you’re going to want to go onto Bluejay Life and see how many clubs fit your ranking and get a top 5 of those clubs that fit into your interests. You might also want to talk to your friends and see what clubs interest them. Try to pick a couple that you might want to do together.

The next step is going to the Involvement Fair and look for the clubs or organizations that you chose, or visiting a club’s meeting or recruitment event. This is the reason why making a list could be beneficial. It will help avoid getting overwhelmed by the options or get swept into a club you actually have no interest in or don’t have time for.

This is not to say to only stop at the stations of the clubs that interest you. A lot of clubs and organizations will have free hand outs they give to people who drop by their booth or who sign up for their club.

Now that you’ve introduced yourself to the clubs that interest you, choose a few of those clubs to attend regular meetings. If you want to become the best member you can be, you will need to miss as few meetings as possible and be able to add ideas to improve the club or its programming. This is where having a friend in the club might help, since having someone in the club that you know and enjoy spending time with will help with your involvement in the club. Eventually, staying involved should lead to even more friends from within the group.

After orienting yourself with the club and creating memorable and positive experiences, there will come an opportunity for you to be a part of the clubs executive board, or the group of people who ensure that the club runs properly.

While of course you can not do everything, and you should as always put your school first, being part of a club’s executive board can be a great resume builder and will gain positive experiences that could significantly affect your life.

No matter what you decide to choose, EU has clubs for everyone. Consider large, campus-focused organizations like The Union Board or Student Government if you want to make a big splash on campus, or smaller, more personal, clubs like Best Buddies and Karaoke Club to really get to know your new best friends. Even consider joining us at The Leader!

You should always be on the look out for new experiences and ways to get involved even if they may seem intensive.