Get involved: Explore student clubs at UC

The many benefits of joining school clubs include:

Joining college clubs is one of the easiest ways to connect with people who share your interests. Especially early on, when you don’t know many people, it can give you an entry point to meeting other students.

Whether it's leadership, communication, teamwork or event planning, professional student organizations give you a hands-on way to develop skills that employers care about (and that don’t always come from lectures or textbooks).

It’s important to have extracurricular activities in college, too. Professional and academic organizations can make excellent resume builders. Being active in clubs shows initiative, involvement and leadership — all big green flags to future employers or grad schools. If you eventually take on a leadership role, that’s even better.

College is the perfect time to try something totally new. Always wanted to learn how to dance, host your own radio show, or design and fly an aircraft? We’ve got a club for that. You might even find a new hobby or career direction when you start exploring some of the 600+ campus organizations at UC.

Clubs often connect you with senior students, alumni and professionals in your field of study. These connections can help you with co-ops and internships, jobs or just navigating college life.

Having a regular activity and community outside of academics helps reduce stress and keeps you balanced. It’s always nice to have something fun to look forward to.

UC is home to over 100 clubs and organizations devoted to health and wellness.

Especially if you’re going to a large university, clubs create smaller communities where you can feel a real sense of belonging.

There are many reasons to get involved in college clubs and organizations. Here’s where to start at UC.

Between move-in and the first couple weeks of fall semester, UC Student Affairs hosts Bearcats Welcome, a series of events to help students explore and experience the university. Some programs are designed and/or required for first-year students, but many events — from social to educational —  are open to the entire UC campus community. The weeks of programming offer opportunities to learn about the best college clubs and organizations UC has to offer. Events are shared on the GetInvolvedUC page, Corq app and on an online schedule. Follow us @uc_studentaffairs and @uofcincy for more information.

Each fall and spring, the Center for Student Involvement and the Student Activities Board host an involvement fair to promote opportunities with UC student organizations, university clubs, academic departments and the broader community.

These fairs are the best opportunity to explore so many UC organizations in one place.

GetInvolvedUC is an online hub for student involvement. Browse hundreds of student organizations, find events on campus to attend, discover volunteer opportunities and, most importantly, connect with other students. Search your favorite hobbies or interests and you’ll be surprised by how many have their own fan clubs.

TIP: Once you find organizations you’re interested in, be sure to follow them on social media and other platforms to stay connected.

For every interest, there is likely a student group devoted to it. And if not, you can start one!

Here are some popular types of student organizations, and a few examples of University of Cincinnati clubs and groups:

UC is home to dozens of sororities and fraternities. The university’s history with Greek life dates back to 1840 when the first fraternity at UC was founded. Over 3,000 UC students are involved in Greek life today.

Beyond UC’s Bearcats teams, the university offers more than 30 club sports, from traditional offerings like soccer, volleyball and tennis to more offbeat options like dodgeball, disc golf and fencing. UC also just launched an adaptive sports program.

Outside of athletics, UC is home to hundreds of other competitive organizations: Esports, racing, academic competitions and much more

Academic and professional groups are a great way to dive into your field of study, meet other students in your college or program, and discover opportunities to advance your college and professional career. Many of these organizations have a focus on leadership development, and can be a great networking resource.

Whether you’re into beekeeping, Pokémon, photography, watching sports or movies, Taylor Swift or fermented foods, there’s a group of students that shares similar interests.

Only at the University of Cincinnati will you find the RallyCats, UC’s student spirit organization, and the Crosley Tower Appreciation Club, a student group devoted to UC’s example of brutalist architecture.

Find more info and a full list of UC’s student organizations online.