Freshman year can be one of the most nerve-wracking times of your entire life. You’re new to campus, new to college and sometimes even new to the area. Things are changing at a pace faster than most people can happily handle, and you’re pressured into finding exactly how you want to spend the rest of your life straight out of high school, where you had to ask for permission to use the bathroom.
Fortunately for me, I knew what I wanted to do when I came out of high school, but I wouldn’t have solidified my major in journalism without experiencing all that Auburn has to offer outside of my regular class times.
As a writer for The Plainsman, I spend a majority of my time doing what I love to do, covering Auburn sports. Since starting this January, I have had incredible opportunities working with athletes and coaches who I would have never had access to if I didn’t work up the courage to apply.
If I could give any piece of advice to the incoming freshman, it would be to get involved and do it now. Auburn has over 60 individual clubs on campus, ranging from the Freshman Leadership Program to the Anime Society. If you find one that you may be interested in, don’t be afraid to ask for more information about getting involved.
Keep in mind: a lot of employers place an emphasis on outside involvement. Your GPA isn’t the only thing that’s going to push you through. It also doesn’t hurt when you’re sending in a resume for an internship along the way.
Getting involved has more benefits than beefing up a resume. With thousands of students on campus, joining a club that interests you can lead to meeting people that share the same passions and want to help you get to where you’ve always dreamed of being.
Involvement at Auburn takes many different forms as well. Although a lot of employers look for outside work within your major, community service clubs help to identify your character and the extent of time you are willing to give to help others in need. From Dance Marathon to BIG Event, community service involvement can bring you closer to people who have a passion for ministering to the needy, along with a humbling wave of content for donating your time and energy to help out.
Bottom line is it is never too early to jump in and take all that Auburn involvement has to offer. You chose Auburn for a reason, which is hoped to be partly due to its opportunities, so use them as much as you can to meet students just like you and build a resume worth reading. I promise you won’t regret it.
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