#faset

We had a great time welcoming the second to last group of incoming Liberal Arts students yesterday. Six down, one more to go!

Hi everyone, this is Merritt Treaster! On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, Tech’s second session of FASET orientation took place. This meant that from 4:30 to 6:30 on Thursday afternoon, the area around Tech Green was once again flooded with representatives from nearly every student organization Georgia Tech has to offer. The amount of uncomfortable eye contact was astounding. I know this because I was one of those sweaty salespeople passing out fliers and looking desperate to get the high school graduates’ attention. Some of you reading this may have been there, and a few of you may have even spoken to me at the Musician’s Network tent. To you I say: I’m sorry, and… I know. I promise, it was even weirder for me. Those of you who weren’t there may still be waiting for your orientation. I imagine reading this is filling you with either excitement or dread (or some terrible combination of both). No matter which of those categories you fall into, I want to dedicate this post to you: the incoming freshmen. Specifically, I want to talk about joining clubs and getting involved on campus.

Before you click away, know that I’m not going to be delivering some candy-coated lecture about how joining on campus organizations makes you smarter or happier or better looking or anything like that. Sure, clubs can do some of that for you, but a lot of the time (especially to incoming students) I see them sold as a kind of cure-all antidote to some of the problems that every person in college is inevitably going to face. If you haven’t sat through a lecture like that yet, believe me, you’re going to have plenty of opportunities to do so. I don’t want this post to be one of those things. It’s just me - a cynical fourth year who happens to be doing this with his free time - talking to you. Okay? Okay.

Firstly, you know that thing that everyone (your teachers, your parents, and that uncomfortably enthusiastic kid that Tech has you follow around campus during orientation) says about trying out all the things that interest you? Yeah, actually do that. And do it as early as you possibly can. I know you’re going to hear this until you’re sick of it, but take my word. As someone who transferred schools and majors before winding up where I am, the first couple of years of college were crazy weird for me. Unfortunately, I ended up using that as an excuse to avoid getting involved in anything for a lot longer than I should have. When I did finally start participating on campus I absolutely loved it, but the wasted opportunity has left me with the feeling that all of my chances to do cool things are fleeting. I know that’s a kind of heavy thing to read, but it’s true, and the last thing I want is for any of you to have a moment of realization like I did. So attend meetings! Look up the list of clubs and organizations on Tech’s website and find the ones that sound interesting to you. Then go to a meeting as soon as you can. They take up a ridiculously small amount of your time and the payoff could be enormous.

Another thing I see happen every semester is students trying everything out, overloading themselves with memberships, then feeling too much of an obligation to admit that they don’t have time to participate in all of it. Guess what: no one has time. As an officer for an on campus organization, I can assure you that we don’t get offended when you don’t either. Most of these clubs have been around for years, and while it’s definitely nice to have as many people participating as possible, our survival doesn’t hang in the balance because you haven’t shown up in three weeks. There’s a reason the first club meeting you go to is way bigger than the ninth or tenth. It takes time to work out your schedule, and part of that process is deciding which extracurricular stuff is most important to you. Eventually, you’ll discover that the things you’re really passionate about find ways of making time on their own, so spend your summer worrying about something else.

The last thing I want to say is if you find yourself in a situation where you feel like your interests aren’t being represented, don’t be afraid to start your own organization. Is it’s going to require a lot of free time? Yeah, absolutely. I’m pretty sure you have to go to some meetings and do paperwork and stuff like that, but if you truly have an interest you think isn’t being represented by any of the organizations currently on campus, Georgia Tech is there to help you fix it. All of the best organizations on campus were founded that exact way. And if you don’t think enough people are going to be interested, just keep in mind that there’s literally a club devoted entirely to seeing who can eat a head of lettuce the fastest (for anyone interested in becoming the Lettuce King / Queen, check out the GT Lettuce Club’s Facebook page for more information). Out of 26,000 people who go here, I guarantee you’ll find a group of students who are passionate about the same thing you are.

The past few weeks have been eventful.

First, summer freshman have arrived on campus and FASET Orientations have begun. As an Ivan Allen Ambassador, I’ve had the chance to interact with and get to know our summer freshmen and fall freshmen that have come to FASET orientation. I love all the promise and diversity I’ve soon in our students and I’m excited to see how all of them succeed at Tech.