Campus Life 101

Whether you're an athlete, an artist, a musician, an actor, a poet, a photographer, a hiker, a sports writer, a breaker, a gamer, or a fashionista, there's a place for your interests, talents, and dreams at NCC.

Whether you like to ski, play soccer, go to museums, stage concerts, make videos, read manga, sing karaoke, mess around with computers, or figure out ways to save the world, you can do it all (and more) here.

100+ clubs, twenty sports teams, a cool art gallery, a great theater program, a 24/7 radio station, parties, concerts, speakers, trips--campus life rocks at NCC.  And you owe it to yourself to be part of it.

Here's how to get started.

1.  Get to know the Student Activities Office (College Center, Rm. 150).  The Student Activities Office is the center of campus life at NCC and the place to go to begin making contacts.  Drop by and pick up a copy of its Directory of Student Clubs and Organizations, a neat publication with descriptions of all active clubs on campus.  If you're interested in a specific club, ask someone in the office when and where it meets and take yourself to a meeting (no invitation required!). Or leave a note in a club mailbox--every club has one in the Activities Office--requesting a call or text about upcoming meetings. And if you have a special interest, ask how you can start your own club.

2.  Get into the Game.  If watching and/or playing sports is your thing, the Phys Ed Complex--aka the Gym--is the place to be.  You can pick up team schedules (no charge for admission to games) and find out about NCC's ever popular Intramurals program, which gives you a chance to play everything from flag football and co-ed volleyball to dodgeball and three-on-three b-ball. You don't have to be a super athlete to take part in Intramural activities--just somebody who likes competing and who doesn't mind working up a sweat. And speaking of sweat, you can lift, swim, work out, shoot hoops, and keep in shape during the Gym's open rec period, times when facilities are open to all students.

3.  Get on "Stage."  Want to be in the NCC choir or a campus theatre production? Head on over to the Music Department (Building H) or the Theatre Department (nearby) and ask about audition dates.  Want to have your own radio show?  Drop by the radio station (Building H) and see what's available. Interested in writing for the campus newspaper? Visit the Vignette office (College Center, Rm. 347) and introduce yourself. NCC is always on the lookout for students willing to display their talents, be it in the literary magazine, the campus art gallery, the annual student fashion show, or someplace else. No shortage of opportunities for those wanting to make their presence known. . .

4.  Get to the Activities Fair. If you want to get a quick "feel" for campus life, stop by the Activities Fair on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at club hour (11:30 a.m.) in front of the College Center. The Activities Fair is a kind of club flea market--tables everywhere you look, each staffed by a different student group. You can browse, chat with club reps, ask questions, and make connections with a group (or two--or more) that seems interesting. Going to the Activities Fair--or even signing up to be contacted about meetings--doesn't obligate you to join something. But it's a good way to get started. There are also good snacks at the Activities Fair, along with some cool giveaways!

Notice how all of these suggestions involve doing something: visiting an office, checking out possibilities, showing up at the Activities Fair, etc. etc.?  The key to getting involved in college is taking those first steps: making that phone call, knocking on someone's door, walking into that club meeting and introducing yourself.  If you're not used to doing these things, there's no better time than now to learn. Just about everybody you meet will be glad to meet you.

Hope you have a blast at NCC!