Written by Jordan Acker
For many students, the University of Connecticut wasn’t a first choice, but after discovering all it had to offer, few students can imagine themselves anywhere else. UConn is a very large school, and with more than 10,000 undergraduates, you will not have your opportunities handed to you. For example, in high school and smaller colleges, it’s common for a music teacher to do some recruiting, and if you’re a great musician, you’ll be recruited one way or another into the band. At the University of Connecticut, you could be Miles Davis and never become discovered, and this applies to every aspect of campus life. It seems if you don’t go out and get what you want, you’ll sit idly in your dorm room doing little more than classwork and meeting a few people other than those on your floor. At UConn, motivation is either a most fervent asset or your most cankerous liability. No one will make your college experience for you, and you are guaranteed to get out only as much as you put in.
Joining one of the more than 250 clubs on campus is the best way to get involved, and there literally is something for everyone. From ballroom dancing to fencing, and from martial arts to the marching band, there is no excuse to ever be bored. Most have been very happy with their college experience, but some have been overwhelmed at the 200-plus students in their freshman seminars. Make sure you fit before plunging headlong into the deep blue sea that is a large research university.