FIND COLLEGES BY:

I was one of those rare teenagers who actually loved my high school experience. I was always on the go. I was a member of the cheerleading squad, had a tight-knit group of fun friends, dated the cutest guys, and was on the Prom court. Yeah, I don’t blame you if you’re starting to gag a little.

Naively, when I headed off to college in the fall, I assumed that fitting in would be as easy as it had been in high school. I spent my freshman year making friends in my dorm, but when they all headed off to do their thing after classes, I watched re-runs of Boy Meets World from my twin bed and wondered what I was doing wrong.

What I was doing wrong was that I wasn’t doing anything. I had assumed that by being personable and hanging out with the girls on my floor on Friday nights, I would form a tight circle of friends. Turns out, finding your place on a 22,000-student campus actually is easy, but you can’t wait for an ideal college experience to come find you. You need to go explore and find where you want to be on your own.

Sophomore year, I got off my butt and made an effort. I went through recruitment week and joined a sorority. I scored a part-time job at a popular restaurant and served sandwiches with 20 other girls my age. I was a girl on the go again and I couldn’t have been happier.

Sure, committing to an activity, job or group means less time for sleeping in until noon. But becoming a part of something – anything – means that you’re not only carving yourself a place in a big campus, but that you’re adding structure to your college experience, which can greatly benefit your schedule and even your grades.

Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, a writer, a juggler, or an underwater basket-weaver, you should sign up for something in college. No matter what your interests and expectations are, you will benefit from being a part of a smaller group on a vast college campus.

You don’t want your most vivid college memories to be of your dorm room bedding and Boy Meets World, right?