Do Something New

Hey everybody! I'm sure you all have heard, but RIT has a TON of clubs. This is particularly useful for all you incoming freshman, but it also applies to anyone that will be entering college in the future: go do something you've always wanted to try! It's probably some of the best advice I can give to anyone going to college. Joining a club can be a really great kickstart to your year, and there are SO many to choose from. You can find ones for rock-climbing, paintball, ukuleles, skiing, back-packing, and dancing to name a few! There's a whole list of them right here: https://thelink.rit.edu/Organizations.

They are a good way to be able to find some new friends on campus. In my first year, I had always wanted to do breakdancing, so on the first week of classes I headed down to RIThym, the breakdance club on campus, and learned a little bit about top-rock and six-step. I even made a few friends along the way, one of whom now works in Admissions! It's a great opportunity to step out of your comfort zone and experience things that you've never done before. Who knows? Maybe you might even enjoy it!

Even persuing interests that you had in high school is a step in the right direction. Did you like acting, cycling, or being on the drumline? We still have clubs for that here! Make some friends that do the same thing you do; if they're still doing it, then you can too.

There are even clubs to join on campus that you've probably never seen before! Be a part of Humans VS Zombies, and go around trying to survive the night, or be that daring zombie and rush into a mob of humans. We even have a Quidditch club, The Dark Marks, where you can toss some quaffles and try to catch that golden snitch.

One of my personal favorites is the Ukulele Club, where you can come in and learn to jam on Hawaii's native instrument. Our musical repetoire ranges from Tenacious D to Ingrid Michaelson to Passion Pit and even the classic "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." You may even catch us at some of the festivals on campus, or jamming out in the campus center!

So, my challenge to all of you: go out there, and do something new! With so many opportunites on this campus and so many new friends to make, why not take advantage of it. Maybe you'll fall in love with it and do it all the way to senior year, or maybe it doesn't fit with you very well, so go out and find more clubs to try out! It never hurts to try something new, and freshman year is the best time to do it!