Arriving at the University can seem daunting.

This place is huge and prestigious, and there’s a club for just about anything and everything imaginable. It can be easy to be too involved at a university like this — to be spread too thinly. To feel fulfilled and live out your passions, I have found it is important to immerse yourself in a few key activities.

Maintaining a sense of balance is a skill that I have certainly not mastered in college, but I have made huge improvements, and it’s something I strive to continue perfecting.

Getting involved at the University is critical. It can be the base of your friendships, especially if you strive to create meaningful ones with people of similar interests. Extra-curriculars are a great way to make friends, but it will take time to find the “right places” for you, as my friend likes to say. 

I transferred here at the end of my sophomore year of college after having taken a semester off, so finding my way was a bit different than freshman year.

Before I transferred, I was on the newspaper staff at New York University, but I honestly didn’t have time for much else between my social life, school and just day-to-day life things like working out, feeding myself and taking five minutes here and there to chill in the park. (I try to take adequate time to chill everyday, no matter how busy I am.)

But then I transferred here to the University, and it was an entirely different atmosphere. 

I remember feeling pulled in a thousand different directions when I first got here. I was wholly unsure of what I was doing, save for trying to do well in my already challenging classes. This University is not for the faint of heart; you’ll quickly notice that most students are living every day to the absolute fullest. Everyone seems to be — even if unintentionally — embodying the work-hard, play-hard philosophy.

My first semester here, I wasn’t quite sure what to do; I was busy with classes and a part time job. I found friendships among my roommate and some of her friends. Eventually I began to find my place here a bit more. 

I went to Quad Day, and I definitely don’t regret it. I wanted to find some clubs that could mix things up, apart from the academic grind. I joined the Climbing Club at UIUC, which has been one of the best decisions of my life. Although I remain a novice climber, I know that I have stumbled across something that I will be doing for the rest of my life. Through climbing, I’ve met some incredibly interesting and adventurous people. Getting involved with a club outside of class is also a great way to meet people, especially a more diverse crowd of all ages and academic, professional and cultural backgrounds. 

I had to push myself to go after this, especially as a transfer student. Even though I’m pretty outgoing, walking solo into a club meeting can always make me feel a bit insecure, and I certainly felt that, especially as someone who had barely climbed before. But, that’s part of any new experience. After a while, I started to meet people, and that was that.

You can literally choose anything here at the University. For me, having schoolwork to do and be immersed in, as well as climbing to get some exercise, have fun and blow off some steam, provides some great balance. Obviously, I started working for The Daily Illini a few months ago, in addition to my part time job, everything has amounted to a pretty busy year, but one that has felt like a constant step in the right direction. 

It is not easy to keep balanced as a college student. Things come in waves; we become used to the flux and flow of life complete with lulls and stress and sleepless nights. In trying to keep it all balanced, there is this sense of striving toward achievement as all of my different goals bump into each other, as everything I’m trying to do clashes. But a sense of accomplishment emerges, and with that I realize that I have found my place at this school. 

This did not come easily. I fumbled a bit. I’ve struggled to find the right mix of friends, to find a best friend here. Getting involved at the University has helped me to make friends outside of my classes, it has made me realize how I want to spend my time and what I’m interested in outside of the classroom, which is essential — classes can become so intense.

To new students coming to the University, aside from what you may be able to glean from my own anecdotes, I say this: Push yourself to get involved here. Step outside of your comfort zone. Try something new; trust yourself. Make a mistake. Find meaningful friendships. Forge your path. Get involved — become a part of this community.

Katie is a senior in LAS. She can be reached at [email protected].