Getting involved in college and meeting new people can be scary, but the biggest life
lesson that I’ve learned is that the magic only happens when you go outside of your
comfort zone. At TCU, getting involved on campus means you'll meet incredible people
from diverse backgrounds united by their love for TCU. You can learn, strengthen your
skills both inside and outside of the classroom and have so much fun by diving into
our student organizations.
Here is my guide to get involved on campus.
1.Do your research
First things first, don’t go into finding your new favorite organization totally blind.
Research is important. Ask yourself the following questions to see what you want out
of your involvements:
- What do I want out of an organization?
- Do I want to gain certain skills?
- Do I want to make friends?
- Do I want a combination of both?
These questions should guide your research. So many different organizations at TCU
can help you add valuable skills to your resume, find a phenomenal group of friends
to share a common interest with, or combine these!
You may be asking yourself, where should I do this research? With over 275 student
organizations on campus, it can be hard to narrow down your search to the perfect
one. TCU Engage is an excellent resource for students. This website organizes student organizations
by category, allowing you to easily narrow down your search. They also give a list
of all events occurring at TCU on a weekly basis, letting you show up and meet new
people wherever an event may take place.
The Leadership and Student Involvement office in the BLUU is another resource to find opportunities to get involved on campus.
This office is home to many different programs that allow you to develop leadership
skills and make serious change at TCU and around the Fort Worth area. (Make sure to
grab a piece of candy from Ms. Jeanette at the front desk!)
After finding the different organizations that may pique your interest, the next step is to reach out for answers. Make a list of questions that you may have and try to find the organization leader’s contact information. This can often be found on the TCU Engage page, or through an organization's social media page. Some organizations are student led, while some may have faculty advising, so an email is always a fairly safe bet.
2. Manage Your Time
After receiving the information that you need, make a plan and organize your schedule
to ensure that you are able to attend any required meetings or mandatory events. (Google
Calendar is a great way to do this!)
3. Show Up!
Lastly, it’s time to show up! When each event rolls around, make sure you are ready to dive right in. Make sure you buy into everything that the organization has to offer, as this is how you’ll really meet people you can call your friends and make a difference on campus. You will get
Lastly, it’s time to show up! When each event rolls around, make sure you are ready to dive right in. Make sure you buy into everything that the organization has to offer, as this is how you’ll really meet people you can call your friends and make a difference on campus. You will get
Getting involved is an amazing way to make friends at TCU. There is so much opportunity
to burst through your comfort zone and create the incredible, genuine relationships
that TCU has to offer.
Ryan Thorpe is an undergraduate junior double majoring in Journalism and Communication
Studies. He is a competition reality TV connoisseur, loves garlic hummus with pita
chips and is weirdly good at Mario Kart (but only on the Wii).