Enhancing Your Exeter

With a huge range of clubs on campus, from Baking Club to Mock Trial, choosing which organizations to join can definitely be a difficult decision for new students. Some students sign up for as many clubs as they can, and some students choose to sign up for none. Neither of these approaches are the best way to get something worthwhile out of Exeter’s myriad of organizations. I believe that signing up for clubs that you genuinely have interest in is what is the most beneficial for both yourself and the club.Sometimes, students may believe that they need to be in as many "smart" or "intellectual" clubs as possible to get into college. They might then sign up for clubs that they believe look good on their applications, such as ESSO clubs, Debate or Model UN. After coming to Exeter, this mindset may be even further heightened, due to the high popularity and participation in these clubs at our school. In fact, clubs like Mock Trial, Model UN and Debate boast the largest number of students. These students then stuff their schedules full of clubs that they think colleges will notice or will make them stand out. They think to themselves ‘What good university would pick a student in Fashion Club over a student in Mock Trial?’ For these types of students, this question can rationalize their choice of clubs, and can even sometimes completely determine them.What they might not realize is that being in clubs truly is a time commitment. After school really begins to pick up in pace and students begin to have more and more homework, these "college-focused" students may stretch themselves too thin. There is no point in joining a club "just for college" because most of the time these clubs will be the ones that make you the most unhappy. If you join a club you’re not interested in, frankly, you are wasting your time. At Exeter, we all know that an extra hour here and there can be valuable, and you don’t want to sit through those uninteresting meetings when you could be doing something productive or enjoyable with your time.On the other hand, some students may think that joining clubs will be too time-consuming and distract them from their schoolwork. This approach has the exact same problem as the first scenario, just on the opposite extreme of the spectrum. Students who do not sign up for any clubs may find it harder to find friends at the beginning of their Exeter experience and may be missing out on meeting new people they have things in common with. They may miss an opportunity to try something new and discover their hidden passions. Students who join clubs in their later years at Exeter may find it difficult to obtain a leadership role because other students have already put in more time and have more experience within the club.The best way to participate in clubs is to find a few in which you are truly interested. This way, when you attend the club meetings, not only will you benefit from meeting new people and doing what you enjoy, the rest of the club will also benefit from your opinion and ideas as well. Going to club meetings will not seem like a chore, but rather something that you look forward to and find fun in. There is no perfect number of clubs that everyone should join. Because everyone manages their time differently and takes different classes, you should join as many clubs as you feel comfortable with. Once you notice that clubs are affecting your grades negatively, it may be time to take a step back and re-assess your club choices. On the other hand, if you find vast amounts of leisure time on your schedule, it may be time to look for more clubs to join. Joining and attending clubs should be something that is fun and enhances your Exeter experience, not controls or dominates it. So be mindful that the quality of your clubs trumps the quantity of them, and join clubs that make you happy.