While many students complain about there being nothing to do around here, it makes you wonder why that is. There are plenty of things to do, but why aren't people interested in doing them? Well, maybe Baltimore doesn't have very much to offer in terms of great places to hang out, but there are plenty of things to do in terms of school activities. The best way to cure boredom is to get involved.
Many people have preconceived notions about campus activities though. I always hear complaints that the activities that do go on are tailored to the interests of one group of students and they don't really cater to everyone else. Of course that's true. How could it not be? When there's only one group of people doing things all the time, there is definitely a lack of consideration for a large part of the student body. Our campus is so diverse that many people will never be satisfied with the events that do take place. How can a college campus be constantly satisfied by club nights with all the same people, since all the same people are the ones that go to these things? Club nights just don't cut it all the time.
I'm not saying that we don't have some diversity among the groups on campus, because there are many clubs and organizations that are very different from one another. It's just that they don't have enough manpower to pull off events that could be worthwhile and enjoyable for many people.
So, then why aren't more people involved? Is it a problem of motivation or is it just apathy? I can't really agree with the apathy concept because the people that complain certainly care, they just don't do anything about making our school a better place when they really could. I know dozens of people that have some really great ideas for events and such and these people never speak up.
So, you may ask, "Exactly why should I get involved on campus?" Well, it's like exercising: You don't really want to move around a lot and get all sweaty, especially when you could just opt to sit around doing nothing all day, but once you're finished you feel like you're King (or Queen) of the World.
Sure, classes are difficult and we all have plenty of work, but when you're doing something other than studying or sleeping or drinking yourself into oblivion, extracurriculars are a great diversion from daily life at Hopkins. Personally, I love being busy. You might think I'm crazy, but I'll tell you why it's so great. Running around from meetings to classes to the library is just very appealing. It's so nice to feel like I'm actually doing something of importance around here, while keeping on top of school work and classes. And it may be my crazy idea of feeling important, but when you work really hard on some event, for example, and the turnout of students is huge, there's no better feeling in the world. It's a sense of tremendous accomplishment. Of course, you can't let your extracurricular activities consume your life. Once that happens you're a goner. Finding a nice balance is somewhat idealistic, but not all that impossible.
Being involved on campus also makes you appreciate your college experience so much more. Not only do you make friends and learn how to work with and deal with other people, but you also learn about yourself. By now, I'm sure you're rolling your eyes and I don't blame you because it sounds a bit lame, but it's true. It tests you on so many levels, such as intelligence, ability to manage your time, adaptability and the list goes on. And you feel good about yourself. I swear.
There are some overall good points about getting involved that would benefit the whole school. If more people worked on committees, there would be more man-power, more ideas, more publicity for events. And there would be more things to do every week. This would also bring up the morale of the general population for students if more people got involved. There would not only be more activities, but they would be different types of activities that would draw in more attendance and make more people happy. And there'd be a lot less complaining, at least about there being nothing to do.
