The Org Fair Revisited

Just a snippet of the excitement! Photo Credit: Mount Holyoke College

Wanting to return to the first year of college is a rare occurrence for me, but when I attended the Student Organization Fair this past Wednesday, I couldn’t help but want to turn the clock back. Initially, I attended to chat with a friend, but wound up wandering around for a half an hour, drinking in the activities that we offer here at Mount Holyoke, and consequently, getting ideas for this story.

As a first year, I attended the Org Fair alone and with the nervousness of new experiences; I wandered around terrified. The whole experience is honestly a blur, hence the desire to go back and join a whole host of new orgs. As a confident and well-adjusted junior, I could relax and enjoy the experience. I know that every college has an Org Fair in the fall with tons of excited Student Org members trying to entice new students; however, something about the Mount Holyoke Org Fair just seems special. Whenever I take prospective students on tour, I tell them about how Mount Holyoke has an air of magic around it sometimes; something about it that causes excitement in the students. I think that the passion that exists at the school comes across in full force when students have the chance to present the case for all of their orgs.

From when I first arrived, I knew it would be a fun experience. The WMHC students were outside playing the variety of great music often heard on the campus radio station. The students from Student Government Association were right inside, shaking hands and engaging first years in conversation about their experiences and being very persuasive in their case for joining SGA (very politician-like!). Inside Chapin Auditorium, there seemed to be a million tabled orgs. It’s no wonder why I was so intimidated as a firstie! The Outing Club was roaming around with backpacks, touting their exciting trips into the outdoors. The Young Democrats and Republicans both bore signs and stickers about the upcoming election. The Women of Business were all dressed in business attire, and presented an organized list of powerful women in business. And the always show-stopping ProjectTheatre students were standing up on their table, spreading excitement about their upcoming shows. These examples are just a sampling of the happy chaos I encountered at the fair, but my impressions of the whole experience were  wholly positive.

While I may wish that I could go back to the Org Fair of my first year, I know that my enjoyment of the experience this year is only because of the maturity I’ve gained in the last two years. Instead, I am inspired to throw myself into my extracurricular activities with even more force, and perhaps even volunteer to table at the Org Fair next year!