<p>I'm going to be a sophomore at Cal soon, and was really big on clubs in high school, but have only tailgated my friend to join this one club which I don't really like. So my question is, how exactly do you begin looking for a good club when there's thousands of them on campus? Where do you begin? How do you get involved when there's hundreds of people in them?</p>
<p>Merci beaucoup.</p>
<p>I’m in a similar situation. I’m looking to get more involved in campus groups starting in the fall. </p>
<p>I’d appreciate any input as well.</p>
<p>I will be a freshman at Cal next year but let me put in my 2 cents anyway. I think the best method of choosing a club that suits you is determining if the activities of the club interest you. For instance, if I wanted to find a club I like, I would look at all weightlifting clubs because that is a hobby of mine.</p>
<p>haha, “ORLY???” @ the comment above (sorry, it had to be done!)</p>
<p>I’m in a slightly similar position - I’ll be a rising sophomore and just started getting involved in clubs last semester. I’d say the easiest place to look is academic/profession clubs related to your major or career goals (i.e. business clubs, engineering clubs, or w/e). I became involved in my major’s honor society and I met a lot of very cool people.</p>
<p>for the next part (if you want to become involved in more clubs), I’m trying to broaden my horizons a bit and have asked my friends about anything that is particularly interesting and new. I know people who have done this (like joining archery or ballroom dancing), and they’ve had a lot of fun as well. hope this helps, and I’m sure we’d all appreciate any good suggestions for any interesting clubs. </p>
<p>p.s. check out [Student</a> Affairs](<a href=“http://students.berkeley.edu/osl/studentgroups/public/index.asp]Student”>http://students.berkeley.edu/osl/studentgroups/public/index.asp)
however, not every club is listed there so be sure to look around for more on campus or through friends</p>
<p>I’ve heard a lot of bad things about business clubs - eg. how the people act fake just to meet others, how it’s all busywork, etc. Is there any truth to that? I feel like people do it just to write on their resumes.</p>
<p>Like rofflez said, take a look around the website of the Student Affairs office. Any registered student group will be listed there. Beyond that, be sure to look around during Welcome Week (especially Caltopia and Calapaloza) and see what you can find. There will be hundreds of student groups tabling that would love to talk to you, just look around and see what catches your eye!</p>
<p>Well, I always sign up for more clubs than I can actually be involved with at the beginning of the year. Attend a couple meetings for every club and then narrow down to which clubs interest me the most. If you keep attending meetings regularly and get to know the people who run the club, you can get more involved, especially if you sign up for committees and help organize events.</p>
<p>@RaNe that is sort of the impression I got from hearing about those who just joined. I have NOT talked to anyone who has graduated about their opinion from business clubs, but… for the more exclusive business “frats”, they have to do A LOT of stuff and it really seemed to take a toll on their academic/social lives to an absurd extent. I had a friend in PBL who said it was much more relaxed, but was becoming more time consuming as PBL was trying to change their image - but these are all just personal anecdotes. however, they also have a lot of good friends in those clubs - after all most of the people in it are probably like you, just looking to become involved in something (while a small percentage are purely looking to get ahead)</p>
<p>one common mistake i see all people doing, especially freshmen, is that if they are pre-med, or pre-biz, or anything “pre” they join the associated “pre” club. THIS IS RATHER FOOLISH.</p>
<p>These “pre” clubs are just a union of all the related “pre” students. They do not accomplish anything (besides networking perhaps). These “pre” students should instead join clubs that perform activities associated with “pre” clubs.</p>
<p>Confused?</p>
<p>For instance, if you are pre-med, don’t simply go and join the pre-med club, or amsa, or the pre-med frat, or wtvr. Instead, join clubs that give opportunities engage in activities good for med-school apps: volunteer service, research, etc. Those are ultimately more meaningful.</p>
<p>hope this helps</p>