University Fest has come and gone, your inbox is filling with emails, pizza boxes overflow the dumpsters and bulletin boards around campus are reaching maximum capacity — it must be GIM season.
For those unfamiliar with the term, general interest meetings (GIMs) are meetings held by student organizations to inform potential members about their groups. Over the next few weeks, a plethora of clubs will be holding GIMs. They are open to anyone and everyone, and we encourage you to attend as many as you can.
If you’re a freshman or transfer student, joining a club is an easy way to become acquainted with your new community. Through cheesy icebreakers and awkward first experiences, you will form friendships with students you may have never otherwise met. Joining a club is a quick way to stake a claim in the BU community if you’re just arriving. But, GIMs are by no means limited to just underclassmen. It’s never too late to join a club; it could be a great way to engage in your interests outside your chosen major or program, or to supplement your coursework.
As you decide which meetings to attend, don’t let your prior experiences limit you. Even if you don’t know how to play the piano, ballroom dance or debate a resolution, there are clubs out there made up of passionate people who are more than willing to teach you. There is a first time for everything, and remember that even the club leaders had to start somewhere.
On an active college campus, it becomes easy to take student groups for granted. It’s likely that this will be one of the only times in your life that you can readily access so many unique opportunities. After college, it takes a lot more effort to become involved in groups of like-minded people, and it will probably cost a lot more money and take a lot more time. In post-grad life, it becomes exponentially harder to host a radio show as a hobby or write for a newspaper as a side gig.
Our advice is go to any GIM that catches your eye, even if it only seems remotely interesting. You don’t have to commit to anything at a GIM. Instead, go in order to learn about the club’s mission and see what it can offer you. Pick the ones you attend based on your interest, not on whether or not a friend will go with you. And if someone in your hall asks you to keep them company at a GIM, say yes and check it out, you may just surprise yourself with a brand new interest in knitting.
In the upcoming days, you’ll be presented with the opportunity to learn new skills, expand your social group, travel, gain new perspectives and discover passions — all you have to do is show up to the Union, so what’s stopping you?
If nothing else, you’re in college: Go get the free food.