This blog is an archived post written by Marissa during her 2nd year in the Environmental Management stream.

 

 

 

Coming to University can be a scary thing, especially if you come with no one you know. For myself, some of my friends came to York, but I knew absolutely no one who was also going into my program. This was very difficult for me and I struggled a lot getting involved within first year. Luckily I found my way and I am here to share some tips with you.

Getting involved is such a huge factor in shaping your university experience. People whom are involved in the student communities are also proven to do much better in academic than those whom are not. To get involved at York, the first way you should look into is within your College.

The College system at York was designed to promote networking and friendships between those in different majors. The Colleges are the ones who plan the Social Orientation week for incoming students. This can be one of the first experience you have on Keele or Glendon campus and interacting with students if you choose to participate. Social Orientation is a great way to meet people in your program and those who are in the same boat as you in first year. It has many fun games, day trips and other social events for you to participate in and an amazing atmosphere between the leaders and students. Personally, I didn’t get involved with my College until second year, by being a leader for Social Orientation week. This can show that it is never too late to get involved within your College. They have many events through the year to get you involved so I highly recommend trying them out.

Second way you can get involved is through clubs on campus. There over 400 clubs on campus! This includes program specific, cultural, religious and even just any interest you have. I joined 5 clubs going into my second year which helped me so much in getting to know people. I joined program specific clubs including Las Nubes Student Association, which allowed me to meet more people in my program. Each club you join is a great opportunity to network and make friend to last a lifetime. Also, many clubs have executive positions which allow you to take on more responsibility if you choose too. This also looks amazing on a resume!

A third way to get involved is to join a sport team whether it's varsity or intramurals. Varsity teams at York have yearly tryouts and are the official sport team for York. If you aren’t too competitive and do not want a huge commitment I suggest joining intramurals. Intramurals are teams that are run within the university and versus other teams within York. You can sign up your own team or go through your College to play. This year I join outdoor soccer which was a lot of fun! It's a great way to meet people and play a game you love.

There are many more opportunities to get involved through volunteering, workshops and more. These are just a couple ways to get involved. My suggestion to you is that when an opportunity comes your way to take it.  You never know where it will lead you!