@itsgettingreal17 I wrote up thread that there wasn’t anything I would change about my Dd’s school but I agree with your observations about clubs and activities. A part of her choice of schools was the strength of her ECs and professional organizations/clubs in her field. She was totally unprepared for the application process and the limited number of spots. Touring schools they talk all about the hundreds of opportunities to get involved but at big schools it is not that easy.
My dd had the right personality to keep trying after rejection and keep looking for opportunities but this might contribute to the feeling of not connecting to campus for many kids who don’t want to jump through the hoops or are rejected. The applications, rounds of interviews, and then rejections took valuable study and socializing time in addition to a big hit to her confidence. Although on the other side it taught her perseverance and gave her many transferable skills for job hunting. I agree that there doesn’t seem to be a way around this at these large schools but it is certainly something for people to consider when making their choice and setting expectations.
We are in the search process with our next child and keeping this in mind. We are cautious with big schools with huge numbers of in state students since the connections will fill those coveted spots much quicker. We now ask on tours about the process for joining those groups and the actual chances. We have found the student guides are very candid.