This document discusses various student organizations as a way for college students, especially international students, to meet new people. It identifies several types of organizations like sports clubs, interest clubs, major-related Greek life, and community volunteering groups. Sports clubs allow students to continue playing sports recreationally while also socializing. Interest clubs cater to hobbies and passions like photography, movies, or gaming. Major-related Greek life connects students within the same academic fields through meetings and career assistance. Overall, the document encourages students to get involved in clubs as a fun way to expand their social circles and make the most of their college experience.

1. Meet People Through Student Organizations
Coming to college,let alone a brand new country, is an
immenselystressfuland nerve-racking experience.There are so
many differentpeople that you have never met, each with different
backgrounds and customs.The only people you feelsomewhat
comfortable with are your roommates,people you befriended at
orientation, or if you knew others from your area coming to the same
place. It might seem easy or comfortableto stick with those
individuals but I’m here to tell you DON’T! Get out there and find
others that share your interests, play the same sports or are
passionate about the same major as you. Now I’m not saying to leave
your previous friends behind but college is all about expanding and
meeting new people to have fun with! There are several different
ways that you can meetpeople using student organizations tailored
to what you want because honestly there is a club for everything. On
top of that they are extremely simple to find, most colleges have them
readily available to find online usually under their campus life section;
also there are offices forstudent associations that can help you in
your search.
First and foremostfor anyone that is an athlete, a fan of sports,
or just looking for something different,joining a club or intermural
team is an excellent option to meet new people in a fun environment.
Most collegesofferclub teams ran by students for a huge variety of
sports,from soccerto wrestling and even rugby! Obviously if you are
a star athlete the first thing you should do is look into the colleges
actual team and try to make it on there, but if you are just looking to
keep up with the sport in a more relaxed, fun and carefree way then
club is the way to go. Personally I joined my Universities club-
wrestling program and have loved every second of it. For myself I
was looking to continue competing in the sportbut within a more calm
and unpressured setting, and it has worked out perfectlyfor me. On
top of enjoying the thrills of competitionI also was able to make a lot
of friends that I possiblywould have never met (I go to a schoolwith
20,000 people).On a majority of sports teams there are at least
fifteento twenty people,so right from there you are at the least being
acquainted to a lot of people.On top of having fun competing clubs
open up chances to meet more athletes by having mixers with other

2. teams, as well as formals where people getdressed up, dance and
hangout in the schools receptionhall area. Do not worry if you aren’t
interested in sports though, there are plenty of other organizations
that someone could join!
There is a general rule of thumb I was taught when I was going
to college,“If you like something,someone else probablydoes,and
there is most likely a club for it”. I can’t tell you how many times I
heard this with the added if not go make one. This is the truth though,
for large collegesespecially, there are hundreds of student made
organizations for a myriad of topics.Whether it is aimed for more
serious topics, like writing, photography or volunteering, to the leisure
interests in comics,anime or video games! These groups will help
you become associatedwith several people that have a passion for
the same things you do, and even progressyour hobby or interest
further. The more serious clubs that involve themselves with
fundraising and volunteer work are also an excellent bonus for your
resume when applying for jobs later on in life. One specific
organization ran through schools are cancer awareness groups that
help organize fundraisers at the schoolto raise money for research,
the most commonone is Relay for Life.This event is huge, occurs
nationally and at a majority of college campuses fora great cause,
not to mention is actually a fun way to spend the day but at the same
time helping people.If you aren’t so interested in the serious student
organization but more just to connectwith people that have the same
interests than that isn’t a problem either! Many clubs have tables set
up on the first few days to attract new members,as well as online
resources to find out if there is something that interests you to join. At
my university there are clubs for aspiring photographers,movie buffs,
and even snowboarders/skiers! There is one more fantastic way to
meet all kinds of people while at college,and will easily connectyou
to people that are studying in the same areas as you.
You may already be apart of another sport club or even an
organization that you have a personal interest in but now you need to
find some people to connect with from your major. Other than the
obvious option to talk to people in your classes,a great option would
be to join a major based fraternity or sorority. Now the reason I say a
major based greek life and not a normal one is because those take a
lot of research to find out which ones are good and which are not so
much. Major related fraternities are schoolrun student organizations
that bring together a large amount of people from either one specific

3. major or a variety of them in a fun, social manner. There are ones for
business,biology, art, and many more so everyone can find a place
to be. These groups hold meetings and seminars to assist their
members to find potential employers as well as tips for school.
Beyond the technical usefulness of these major related greek life
organizations they can also be a lot of fun. On occasionthey hold
mixers with other organizations like themselves,events that only
members can attend and formals as well! So if you were worried it
was all about networking don’t worry, you will meet a lot of fun people
while furthering your studies and career. Every university hosts an
incredible amount of organizations to connect students to others like
themselves.
There were several differenttypes of organizations looked at in
this piece,and there are even more out there I didn’t get to mention.
One I’d like to touch on briefly are organizations specificallyfor
international students, these will help you connectwith others that are
also studying in the United States. Also they will give you tips and
discuss whatever comes to your mind about being here. Although I
believe joining general clubs are your bestoption for finding new
people,enjoying your time here and furthering your studies,these will
also make the transition here easier. Depending on where you
choose to study, you may find an interest in getting involved in the
local community as well! There are tons of differentopportunities,a
commonchoice for college age students is Big Brothers Big Sisters,
where you meet with an assigned child once or twice a week and act
as their older sibling! On a closing note though a huge part of college,
especiallyas an international student, is making new friends but don’t
forgetabout the people you already know such as your roommates.
They may easily become your best friends and stay in contact with
you for years to come,as I have with my roommate that was studying
here from Ireland. Lastly have fun, meetall kinds of people and find
something you love, but do not forgetabout the real reason you are
here, to get an education and eventually start your career!