<p>As a freshman entering Michigan this Fall, I am looking to join a number of clubs and student run organizations to continue to participate in activites that interest me.
At the same time , academics is of greater importance to me and I would not want these clubs and organizations hindering my academic performance.</p>
<p>So what is the recommended number of clubs or student organizations one should be a part of during a semester?
Also what are the opportunities for leadership as a freshman in these clubs.</p>
<p>As this is your first semester and you'll be adjusting to a lot of new things, I'd recommend you pick one club or two at the most. You can always join more if you have additional time.</p>
<p>But if you do something you are familiar with and you like , wont that help you adjust.
I will applying to Ross after a year , so would like to get involved for that reason too.</p>
<p>Try initial meetings at a few clubs and go from there. Some clubs can be deceiving. YAF labels itself as a conservative/libertarian group, but it's more of an...extremist group.
Figure out what you like / what variety of clubs you want. I like writing for the Michigan Review because it's a moderately small staff and you get to know people. Joining the Michigan Review versus a huge political organization like the College Republicans/Democrats/etc. is, what I found, an easier way to be involved in politics on campus and actually make a difference. It's a way to actively seek change through a small, somewhat vocally silent organization. Math Club has free pizza and lots of socially awkward people if you ever want to feel better about yourself (a very cute one of these is beside me right now reading Faust). Hehe...actually, if you are a math major, it's probably really good if you understand stuff and you get to run into half the math majors on campus and maybe eat my cookies, I suppose. Relay for Life and Detroit Project are huge, but they're awesome...you get to be a part of something really big because your school is so big and dedicated. It makes you really proud.</p>
<p>:p Thanks for the reviews on the various clubs. I actually wanted to know what is the recommended number of clubs one should join as a freshman , and what is the potential for leaderhsip opportunites as a freshman.</p>
<p>It depends a lot on which clubs/organizations you get involved with. Things like Math Club and Saturday Morning Physics aren't clubs/organizations in the traditional sense, and they require absolutely no commitment whatsoever. Basically for Math Club you show up on Thursday afternoon, get some free pizza and pop, and then listen to a ~50 minute lecture on (what you'll hopefully find to be) an interesting math subject. Same thing with SMP, except it's Saturday mornings with breakfast foods (and a slightly different demographic).</p>
<p>You'll probably want to limit the number of clubs/organizations you're heavily involved with to one or two, probably one to start with. Just keep in mind there are also a lot of fun, low-commitment clubs that you could also do occasionally on the side.</p>
<p>The smaller the clubs are, the more opportunties you have for leadership. I was more involved in the community service stuff..and did world service team (alternative summer break), Reach out (mentoring at a middle school) and habitat. But really, do whatever that interests you. Ross is looking for dedication in something, it doesnt have to be a business-related club. Also, quality is better than quantity. Try to just be involved in 1 or 2 instead of joining a ton. That way, you'll be more involved and can write about these experiences in your bschool essays.</p>
<p>MightyNick, I was actually being serious. Greek Life is one of the best institutions in which you can take part. You make REALLY close friends-the feeling for me was like my high school sports teams-have plenty of opporutnities for leadership, and you run the campus. The Greek GPA is usually higher than the all campus GPA, and the post graduate networking opportunities are amazing.</p>
<p>Greek Life is good for social networking. It's not a big deal academically, but takes a great portion of your time and money. If you're serious about your future, take the time you would have used for rushing and invest it in professional student organizations that pertain to your future career interests. Of course, you should always consider academic frats (for example, AKPsi if your interests lies in business).</p>
<p>...and no, frats do not 'run' the campus. Many in social frats have this delusional conception (most likely due to their cliqued nature), but the truth is that no one group 'runs' this large university of 25,000 undergraduates.</p>
<p>Yes...Greeks do run the campus in many respects. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Socially. This is a given, but for newly matriculated freshmen, the number one party destination, especially during welcome week, is the fraternity house. The best looking students (non varsity athletes, though some athletes are also greek) are in fraternities and sororities. Finally, Greeks have established the bar scene in Ann Arbor. Skeeps on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Ricks every day are largely greek.</p></li>
<li><p>Greeks hold a large portion of student government offices. The LSA/SG as well as the student body president are usually greek. </p></li>
<li><p>Greeks actually partake in much of the campus' philanthropic events. Many greeks are on the planning committee for dance marathon. Greek Week raises about $70,000 for charities. SAE's mudbowl raises a substantial amount as well...</p></li>
<li><p>So, yes, greeks do run the campus</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The daily is possibly one of the worst newspapers I have ever read. Their articles are often anti greek, overly liberal (I myself am a liberal, but they are just ridiculous), and the paper has some of the worst sportswriters I have ever read. The only things worthwhile are crime notes, sudoku, and the LA Times crossword. Write for the Every Three Weekly instead.</p>
<p>I don't like either the Daily or the Every Three Weekly. It's not the bias that bothers me, but rather the writing level is humiliating. My biggest problem with the Every Three Weekly is that I find it offensive, racist etc., but maybe I need to get a sense of humor. Whatever.</p>
<p>Beyond the majority of my political persuasions (my political beliefs are mixed / have different reasoning than most people) being conservative/libertarian, I enjoy writing for the Review because the articles are longer, with more analysis, as it is a journal.</p>