By Meghan Ervine
I’ll never forget my first semester at Penn State. It was full of new experiences, classes, people and, of course, fears. Trust me, I had many. Going into a huge school like this, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and feel like a tiny fish in a massive ocean. But I found with time, a little a bit of patience and most importantly, an open mind, most of my fears quickly dissipated.
I think the biggest fear was making new friends and finding a community of people that I would fit in with. Let’s face it, we all want to feel like we belong and we get that through friendships with people. I think a big way to overcome this fear is just by going out and looking at clubs that you think are cool! I found that one of the best ways to find clubs or organizations was to go to the activity fair that’s held in the HUB at the beginning of fall semester. This fair lasts a few days because there are hundreds of clubs to look at and get involved in at Penn State, and I am talking hundreds! It’s so easy and so rewarding!
I think the biggest fear was making new friends and finding a community of people that I would fit in with. Let’s face it, we all want to feel like we belong and we get that through friendships with people. I think a big way to overcome this fear is just by going out and looking at clubs that you think are cool! I found that one of the best ways to find clubs or organizations was to go to the activity fair that’s held in the HUB at the beginning of fall semester. This fair lasts a few days because there are hundreds of clubs to look at and get involved in at Penn State, and I am talking hundreds! It’s so easy and so rewarding!
Getting involved in different organizations on campus, doing things you love and even things you’ve never tried before is the best way to meet people. It makes Penn State feel a lot smaller, and you meet great friends through it! Taking this leap of faith and going out to try new things could be the best thing that happens to you here at Penn State. I mean you could meet your best friend. Now that is something worth trying!
One of the biggest organizations you can get involved with at Penn State is THON. THON is a huge student-run philanthropy here at Penn State, and there are many ways to get involved. You could join a THON committee or an organization. If you join an org, it not only gets you involved with THON but also integrates you deeper within that club or organizations outside of THON. I personally joined a THON Rules and Regulations committee. This was a life-changing experience and not only got me out of the comfort zone but allowed me to meet new and different people.
Don’t worry friends, I was so afraid to get out of my comfort zone, but taking little steps to put myself out there was the best thing that happened to me! I joined a campus ministry/organization called Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru). Through Cru, I found amazing friends who love me for me, who are fun, kind and had the same interests as me. You end up doing everything with these people, hanging out on the weekends, studying together and getting lunch or dinner almost every day. These are the people who become your friends for life!
It may seem daunting and sometimes hopeless, but I promise you with time and just getting a little bit out of your comfort zone, you will be sure to meet new people and make some of the greatest friends you will ever have! I promise you it’s really not as scary as you think, take it from someone who has been there. I hope you find comfort in that and know these fears about freshman year are fleeting. Very soon you’ll realize that Penn State is an amazing place with so many wonderful opportunities and of course, people.