IUP Advice: Get Involved!!
So I've been thinking a lot recently about my involvement in on-campus stuff. As a music major, sometimes it can get a little bit crazy to try to put in any more activities. I'm in three ensembles, which take up a fair amount of time.
But clubs! I'm a member of PCMEA (Pennsylvania Collegiate Music Educators' Association) which is a club directly related to my major. And it's so much fun to be a part of, since we have workshops and meetings and conferences that are all about what I'm going to be doing in the future. I'm currently shadowing one of our club officers for a position after she goes off to student teach next year. And I'm also looking to take a regional-level position in the organization, as long as I run and everything.
Basically, clubs are awesome, but clubs related to your major are even awesome-er. They allow you to network and connect to people in your career field before you even get out of college, which is really really useful. Clubs that you take leaderships positions in are super awesome!
I'm personally not yet involved in Greek life, and I feel that is a decision that everyone has to make for themselves. You have so many different options when it comes to what fraternity/sorority to join, and that's all up to you and your personal preference. For example, you could join one related to your major (SAI or DO in my case), a social organization, or an academic honor group. What environment you want and what experiences you get out of it are all your personal decision and should be what influence your choices.
Finally, get involved in other activities on campus, whatever they may be! For example, I'm on one of the subcommittees for the Middle States study, and it's super-interesting! I get to interact with all sorts of faculty and staff that I otherwise wouldn't get to interact with. Plus it's just a cool look at how all this stuff goes on behind the scenes.
So, yeah, get involved with things that pique your interests! Connections you get through clubs and Greek life and other activities can help you sooo much down the road! And they're fun, to boot!
