As Quad Day approaches, eager young freshmen will be racing toward the Main Quad to grab every free bag in sight and sign their emails on any piece of paper they can get their hands on.

But not only freshmen can fall victim to this.

Anyone can be guilt tripped and overwhelmed by a peppy group convincing you to join their salad eating club, even if you hate salads. But then you are wondering why anyone would feel the need to create a salad eating club, when you can just go out and order a salad at dinner.

And while those thoughts race through your head, you’ve already given your email out for a lousy lollipop. Next thing you know, you’ll be getting emails daily about the salad dressing of the day. 

So, before you step on the Main Quad you’re going to need a few game plans just so you don’t get wrapped up in a club you have no interest in joining.

Before we get into the, ‘how to say no’ portion of this, there are some preemptive things you can do to make sure Quad Day goes smoothly.

Plan ahead

Make sure to go into it with a plan of some sort. Do some research to see what clubs you want to look for. If you go in knowing to look for a few clubs or activities it will make your experience much less overwhelming.

Figure out how many extracurricular activities you want to be involved in before you go. If you get overwhelmed quickly, consider sticking to only one or two clubs at first.

Or, if you’re the type of person who likes to stay busy and can handle getting dozens of emails daily, go crazy. 

The most important thing to master before Quad Day is how to say no to someone. Don’t feel pressured to join anything. Here are some tips for different personalities and comfort levels.

Give them a chance

Listen to them intently, let them do their whole spiel and feel free to ask questions about their club. Then, let them down easy and simply say you don’t want to join.

Run for your life

Don’t make eye contact if you see a club that isn’t for you. Keep your head down, walk in the opposite direction and pretend you can’t see them.

Do the bare minimum

Do the awkward little no-teeth smile with a shake of the head, they’ll get the hint.

Have a little fun

As they are about to tell you all about their club and why it’s the best, start talking about your crazy busy schedule and how stressed you are. 

Just say it

Or, you could just kindly say ‘no thanks.’

Now that you’ve read these tips, you are ready to hit the Main Quad, and you won’t fall victim to the endless emails that I still receive.

Quad Day can be a great day to figure out what things you want to spend your time doing over the school year, but make sure the free stuff doesn’t overshadow the excitement of the day.

The University is huge. Take advantage of the diverse recreational options that are available to you.

Good luck on Quad Day, and don’t be afraid to say ‘no thanks.’

Kelly is a sophomore in Education 

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