Longwood University consists of almost 5,000 students, with that in mind it is fair to see that Longwood is not a very big school. With the smaller number of students and the lack of major sports teams, some students have a hard time finding things to do. This raises the question, what is there to do at Longwood?
There are a good amount of students involved in clubs or organizations at Longwood, and find them to be a good source of extra-curricular fun. Some students, however, see clubs and organizations as extra work on top of an already large workload, and stay away from clubs and organizations to maintain a good GPA.
With both perspectives, one is inclined to ask, what is the better choice? Getting involved in clubs and organizations allows you to get to know new people, make new friends and hopefully have a more enjoyable time at college. Whereas, staying away from clubs and organizations gives you more time to take care of your schoolwork, and study to ensure you are prepared for your classes.
IFC Treasurer Benjamin Baker, who is also a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity found fraternity life to be one of the best things he has done at Longwood. Baker, who is originally from Temecula California, said of his fraternity, "It is my home away from home. Because I live so far away from home my fraternity brothers are in a way my family." As far as the fraternity life being a distraction from schoolwork, Baker has a different view, "In our fraternity we are required to maintain a 2.7 GPA, which is a little added pressure to do well." Baker later went on to say, "Brothers try to help other brothers out if they are struggling in a subject." Fraternities helped Ben feel more at home at Longwood, despite being so far from it.
There are more than just fraternities and sororities at Longwood though; there are countless clubs, sports teams andother organizations that students have the option to join. Chaz Gibson, a member of the club rugby team, finds his involvement in club sports to be a good thing, "Before I started playing rugby my days were boring, I would have all this free time and nothing to do with it." For Chaz, he was able to find something to do to occupy his time that he enjoys.
Students choose not to get involved in a club or organization for one of two reasons; they want to maintain their grades, or they feel that they are enjoying the college experience without clubs or organizations. Junior Matt Harrington sees no need in joining a club or organization. He feels they are "not completely necessary to enjoy college life." Another roadblock for Harrington is also his grades. "I might consider joining a fraternity if my grades were better, but I feel if I join my grades are going to drop dramatically." Matt is perfectly happy in his current situation, and would not want to change it.
So whether you see clubs and organizations as a good or a bad thing, just remember, everyone sees things differently. What you see as fun, someone else might not see as fun. Attitude is everything when it comes to clubs and organizations, if you enjoy them and want to be a part of them then do it. If you don't see much of a point in clubs and organizations it’s perfectly fine not joining them. College is different for every person, but as long as you do well in class and enjoy yourself, then you have made the right choice.
