Club days 2016 is fast approaching, and if you are anything like me, you’re pumped! From September 21st – 23rd, the clubs of UBC will be on display on Main Mall and The Nest, ready to welcome you. Representatives will be there ready to answer any and all questions. Not only is checking out some clubs a great opportunity to get to make some new friends with like minded people. Whatever you are passionate about, identify with, or want to start a new outlet with, you’ll be able to find a club that represents a safe space on campus for you. Club days is also your chance to try something new! Have you ever been interested in playing the piano, but never got around to it? There’s a club for that. Do you love craft beer? There’s a club for that, too! Here are some tips to prepare yourself for the upcoming fun, and to make sure you get the most out of Club Days!
Research. The Big List of Clubs is available online, so do yourself a favour and check some out before. The clubs are categorized and alphabetical, so you will be able to find just the club you are looking for. If you see anything that interests you, or anything you’d like to know more about, write down some questions. Whenever you get a chance to check out the dozens of booths (really, there will be tons), you will already have an advantage. A lot of the clubs also have websites and Facebook pages, so you have check out some previous events and posts to see if it’s a club you’d want to join.
Bring Cash. A lot of the clubs on campus are free to join, but more than a few will require a small membership fee, anywhere from $5 – $15. The fee will go towards awesome events, but make sure that you have cash on you to pay. It will make your life a lot easier.
Talk to them! The representatives at the booths are passionate about what they do, and they are more than happy to tell you everything you’d want to know. Even just asking about them, (what year they are in, faculty, their name) makes a great impression.
Get outside of your Faculty. Some of the clubs at UBC may seem like they are specifically for certain faculties, or geared towards Business or Arts students only, but that’s not true! Well, yes, they may be geared towards them, but clubs are happy to include everyone from every faculty. Most of the clubs on campus will host events within their clubs, and it’s these events that can be applied to anything. The Marketing Association, for example, not only does marketing events, but they’ll have panel discussions and socials that any Arts student will no doubt be interested in. If that is really too far out of your comfort zone, the faculty that you are majoring in will no doubt have a club to represent them.
Lastly, here are some questions that you can get away with asking on Club Days 2016:
“Are you guys drunk all the time?” to The UBC Brewing Club. They are most likely not, but join the club and find out for yourself!
“I really don’t think a Debate Society is necessary.” to the UBC Debate Society. This will put their skills to the test right in front of you.
Club Days will run from September 21st – 23rd on campus.