Quote:
Originally Posted by midnightlights
If you've read my previous post from a few months ago, you'll know that I went through recruitment this year but being shy really inhibited me from letting myself shine. Thus, recruitment wasn't the best time for me, but I really believe this is something I want and I'm going to go through it one more time with my best foot forward.
I've been trying to get things in good standing; I'm doing well in college, I'm secuing recommendations, and I'm trying to maintain a positive attitude and a respectable character. But one thing isn't really working out that well for me. In high school, I was really involved in a lot of organizations like National Honor Society, Beta Club, French Honor Society, Orchestra, and the school newspaper as well as volunteering at my local civic center as a pottery studio student aide. In college, getting involved has proved quite a bit more difficult. I do a few things with the student center and my roommate is on hall council so sometimes I get to help her with that, but joining campus organizations I'm interested in has been really hard.
I've tried out for three different organizations and each time I've made it to the final interview, surviving the hardest cuts, striving to do my best, but each time I've sadly not made the final cut. I really feel a disadvantage in these situations because I am not Greek; I know many of my peers who made it into these organizations are involved with their Greek organizations and therefore already had a sense of involvement added to their resume. I have one more organization I'm trying out for, but this one will prove even more difficult I think: It is the summer orientation leader team and is generally 85% Greek. I feel it's a catch 22 for me. How can I get involved when you already need to be involved in order to get involved?
I also feel that this will be a hindering factor when I go through recruitment next year. When asked what I am involved in, what will I say? Can I say that I tried, kept trying, and will keep trying? That this really means something to me and I feel I could really benefit from it?
I've met a ton of really great girls in all the sororities on my campus (there are 6), and I hope this will help me too. I've told some of my friends about it, and they don't really see any other reason that I didn't get in these organizations besides the reasons I came up with. I just hope maybe the sororities will see that too?
  |
Are there not any clubs that do not require an application and approval process? I imagine that even the smallest campuses have over 100 groups. If there isn't one that interests you (and I find that really hard to believe), you can start a new club.
I am wondering, what are the organziations that you tried to, but didn't get into? Aside from Student Government, officer roles and orientation, what else is there? A note about being an orientation leader - it is SUPER hard to get into the program, no matter where you are. You have to think about this - if you cannot find a single niche that you can get into, a single club (outside the one activity you do), how can you possibly guide new students through campus life?
I would reassess what's out there, and PUT yourself out there. By the way, many people end up on the higher-profile committees not because they are Greek - it's who they ARE. It may be that the screening criteria for such groups may be similar to those that Greek organizations emply in evaluating new members.
Seriously, there has to be something that interests you on campus. Don't rely on getting into a sorority to make you more outgoing or willing to get involved. It works the other way. Give them a reason to want you, other than your winning smile and eagerness.
Good luck on everything.