Jenna Saperia
Wake up, go to class, go to another class, and another, repeat once more. Do homework for tomorrow because you know you won’t have time to do any other day’s homework. Watch Netflix for half an hour because you earned it. Go to work, come home and realize you forgot to eat today. Go to bed and wait for it all to happen again. Sound familiar? What if it doesn’t have to be that way? That’s right, you can try something new!
Clubs are a great way to do something more for a couple hours for one day a week. Recently, a friend of mine reminded me of a pact we had made last year to learn archery. We had a dream of one day riding on the backs of horses while shooting targets hung on tree branches. Of course we never got around to it because Netflix, but we finally decided to do it. And it was completely worth it! From 12-3 on Saturdays you have the chance to relieve some stress and shoot things. Who wouldn’t sign up?
It starts with carpooling, so you instantly make friends. Then you head to the middle of nowhere. After deciding that the day wasn’t going to turn into my own personal version of Hunger Games, I went with it. That was the best decision I had made since deciding to watch Brave, the fuel for this brilliant idea. After learning to ride a horse, the only obvious choice was to allow this guy, who was also a first time archery club attendee, drive us into to woods. Upon arrival, we were met by the coach and a wide array of bows, arrows, and other fancy equipment that I was taught how to use. The energy there was amazing! Regardless of the cold and the idea of homework that lingered in the back of my mind, I was thrilled to be there! The coach stuck by me and my partner in crime, knowing we needed to pass the safety test. She then proceeded to help us improve everything our nonexistent skills. By the end of it, we were hitting the bale of hay!!! It was magical!
Everyone deserves a few hours a week to dedicate to themselves. The homework will be there when you get back, and no matter what, you’ll always have it, so you might as well take some time to enjoy the college adventure and experience more than the library study rooms. Find a hobby you never thought you would enjoy, discover a skill you wouldn’t dream you would even have the power to possess, and most importantly, have fun with your friends. It doesn’t have to be archery, it can be a ballroom dancing, a .gif animation club, or even an academic club to help you with getting into a master’s program. The range of clubs are listed on Oregon State’s website*, just waiting for you to take a chance and try something new. Take a break from overloading while studying for midterms and put some layers on, because this weekend is going to be an adventurous one!
*Check out the list of clubs here:
http://sli.oregonstate.edu/seac/student-organization-support/find-organization
