College is full of great opportunities and joining clubs and participating in Greek life can greatly affect your college experience. As addressed in the first college advice panel, many students still have questions regarding their own college experience, and what they may miss without the proper knowledge about college life. When students applied to colleges, they applied not only for the education but also for the experiences that the college they attend will provide them with. By confirming your attendance at a certain university, you also begin to see your life shaping around the new aspects of the life and adventure that will begin when you start college, but by not becoming involved in your school you will miss out on great opportunities for personal growth.

Some students have aspirations of being involved in Greek life on campus, and in recent news these fraternities and sororities are under fire for a slew of things. The issues at hand are fraternities being involved in sexually charged crimes that are starting to veer people off of something that they have wanted to be a part of since middle school. This may be a red flag for many students, but the experience of Greek life should outweigh the current issues that these houses are having. You shouldn’t let one bad news break about a seemingly small group of frat houses that are having issues change your goals to join Greek life.

Becoming involved in Greek life can positively impact your college career, from making new friends, to becoming a part of a group that you stay in contact with for years after college. Another positive aspect of Greek life is the ability of being hired by an alum of the fraternity or sorority who, if they see you were involved in the fraternity or sorority and qualify for the job, may bump you up on their hiring list or recommend you for another job somewhere else. These organizations also teach members values and traditions which later help them in making important decisions, and have a level of standards when it comes to academics which would make members strive to maintain a higher GPA. “Academics are usually a major focus of Greek organizations and members have access to tutoring help and valuable advice from upperclassmen in the group. Studies have shown that members of fraternal organizations have a significantly higher rate of graduation” (Campus-Classics.com). With all of this added assistance in terms of education and social opportunities, not becoming involved may seem silly to some, but the potential benefits greatly outweigh any risks that present themselves to members of the fraternity or sorority.

Although joining a frat or a sorority could be fun, many students have differing interests and goals and most colleges cater to these aspirations in the form of different clubs and organizations available for students to join. Mizzou has many club and organization opportunities and is a college many Battle students may choose. If you’re interested in acting, consider auditioning for a play or a musical. Looking into science? Check out Benton Science Club that does science experiments with elementary students or the Mizzou Environmental Science Club which raises awareness and works in the community to improve our globe. If none of these catch your fancy, there are six hundred plus clubs that cater to all of the incoming freshman needs.

As an incoming freshman, I feel the need to get involved at my college and make sure not to just become a fly on the wall during my time in college. By participating in these activities you will grow as an individual into the adult that you are supposed to become and you will create lifelong bonds with your peers, and create strong connections with future employers or employees that you meet along the way. I highly recommend joining clubs and being active and involved in whatever school you chose.