As a college student, time not spent in lectures or working on assignments can be very hard to come by, if it comes by at all. So it’s no surprise that it can be very challenging to figure out exactly how to spend that free time. It’s easy to just spend it by doing nothing at all, simply just rotting away in bedrooms and dorms alike, doom-scrolling away on social media. But for the students who want to break that habit and put themselves out there, the best advice I could possibly give would be to take a look at the clubs that Rowan has to offer.

Rowan has a lot of different clubs, ranging from those that are more sports-focused such as Volleyball or Ultimate Frisbee, to those that are more artistic such as Lab Theatre or the Rowan Television Network. Maybe none of those float your boat, and you’ve got more of an interest in fraternity or sorority life. Then again, it might be none of the above. Either way, there are a lot of options to choose from, and that’s good for those who are indecisive just as much as it’s good for those with specific interests. It means that there’s something for everyone.

For instance, I joined Rowan’s Bowling Club back at the start of the fall semester, both because I wanted to make friends and meet new people as well as show off the fact that I’m good at bowling, and it ended up being the best decision I could’ve possibly made for myself. I’ve since found myself a pretty good group of friends through that club, even if sometimes I feel a little awkward being the only one who’s actually local. A lot of students spend their Friday nights partying, meanwhile, I’ve spent my Friday nights going out to Chickie’s and Pete’s with my friends, then going somewhere on-campus to play Exploding Kittens, Cards Against Humanity, or sometimes Wii Sports or billiards. And you know what? For me, that’s perfect.

I’m still looking to branch out and join another club or two while I go to school at Rowan, but the main point I want to drive home is that taking part in a club at Rowan has helped give me something to look forward to outside of class.

As did joining The Whit, of course, but I digress.

We live in an age where technology and social media have somewhat of an invisible control over us, and it can be hard to break that habit. These days, it’s just as easy to forge a bond through a computer screen as it is to create one face-to-face. However, you can’t experience everything from the other side of a screen.

It’s always a bit scary to try something new, but it can also be really exciting. You might end up meeting your best friends in Philosophy Club, or find a new passion in joining Poetic Justice, but you’d never truly know until you try. So find a club that appeals to you and go to a meeting, see if you like it or not. Even if you can’t make it every single week, at least do your best to be active in the club of your choosing. It’s totally fine if you don’t like the idea of joining a club at Rowan because you might not like it, but then again, what if you do?

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