Have an interest? A passion? Need an easy way to meet people or maybe you want to push yourself a little outside of you comfort zone? Join a club.
As an incoming student, making Cal Poly your home away from home can be challenging. But with more than 300 clubs on campus, there is no need to worry about discovering one that reflects your interests.
Finding a club at Cal Poly may seem daunting at first, but a bevy of resources exists to help students discover or even create their own club. The Associated Students, Inc (ASI) makes it easy to search through all available clubs through its website along with a variety of other information about clubs on campus.
The question you have to ask yourself is: What club is right for you?
The best way to find the perfect club for you may not be as easy as searching the club directory. Putting yourself out there will always be the best way to discover clubs.
“When I started looking through the clubs there at WOW week I pretty much signed up for everything,” business administration sophomore Kelsey Zazanis said. “I just wrote my email down on everything that looks slightly interesting.”
That’s how Zazanis got involved with the Queer Student Union. The Queer Student Union seeks to improve Cal Poly’s queer culture through activism, advocacy, demonstration, social events and educational opportunities, as stated on the ASI website.
“It’s a great space for people to unite, get together for something they are passionate about and hopefully make a change,” said Zazanis, who serves as the Vice President of Outreach for the club.
Allison Gross, a recent sociology graduate and former president of Women SPEAK, a girl’s health and leadership program, echoed this sentiment about her own club.
“It’s a great way to meet, and have something to do and feel good about doing it,” she said.
One of the more popular clubs on campus, especially with gamers, is the League of Legends club. Based around the game of the same name, the club runs an active Facebook page for students to meet and find other players to play games with, discuss the game and plan events.
According to Dennis Wong, computer science senior and president of the League of Legends club, the club serves as a place for new students to continue expressing their love and interest for the game.
Wong encouraged new students to get involved with clubs.
“It allows you to go out and experience more of the college life rather than just go to class, go to Metro, go to the bathroom and then go back to your room,” he said.
These clubs represent just a few of the diverse options you have to choose from in your search. There are clubs for ballroom dancing, clubs for bowling, professional clubs, religious clubs, academic clubs, athletic clubs and major-related clubs. If you have an idea for a club, then ASI will even work with you to bring it to fruition. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t immediately discover one that fits your needs.
Remember that college is just as much about discovering who you are as it is about learning the skills necessary to succeed in the real world. Joining clubs can result in plenty of opportunities to hone skills you would not necessarily learn in the classroom. In addition, you may discover a new hobby or interest that you would never have thought of doing before college.
“Try anything and everything that sounds interesting to you,” Zazanis said. “You’ll be surprised at what you end up loving.”