Joining Clubs at Tufts
Tufts offers more than 300 clubs and organizations! Clubs are a perfect way to meet others who have similar interests or to try something new and out of your comfort zone. There are clubs for community service, sports, and more. For example, you can join clubs to gain experience in the field you are interested in (pre-professional/academic clubs) or just for fun (arts and performance, cultural clubs). I found my communities on campus through clubs, and I’m going to share my experience joining clubs!
There is a club fair at the beginning of the year where all the organizations on campus come out and share what they do. At the club fair, you can sign up for clubs to receive more information and get in touch with the club leaders. Signing up for clubs is not a hard commitment at the club fair, so I recommend leaving your email for clubs that you have even the slightest interest in. After the club fair, organizations hold a general interest meeting (GIM) where you can meet other members of the club and get a better idea of what the club offers. In my freshman year, I signed up for a handful of clubs, and depending on my interest and commitment, I decided to stick to a couple of clubs: Japanese Culture Club and Big Sister Big Brother of Massachusetts Bay.
However, in my sophomore year, I was no longer involved with Big Sister Big Brother of Massachusetts Bay since my little moved away. So, I decided to join more clubs. I joined Tufts Literacy Corps and a couple of other low commitment clubs. Some clubs may have recruiting seasons, but you can easily join clubs on campus. Also, some might wonder if one can join clubs in their junior or senior years and the answer is yes! Though the new members are mostly freshmen for most clubs, you can easily join clubs as an upperclassmen. In addition, some people start their own clubs. After seeing the list of clubs offered at Tufts, if you feel that there is a club that Tufts is missing, you can start your club. After you are in a club, there are opportunities for you to be on the executive board (E-board) as a president, treasurer, and other positions depending on the club. Being on the e-board can help you gain valuable skills depending on the position. It will also help you become more actively involved with the club and be involved with decision making.
I think joining different clubs is a great way to meet people, try new things, and gain experience. Personally, I found my communities on campus through clubs compared to classes. Check out the list of clubs and organizations at Tufts here: https://ocl.tufts.edu/list/