School has just started, and whether you are a new or returning student, you might have noticed the influx of people tabling for their respective clubs and organizations yesterday. If you haven’t noticed, you should probably get your eyes checked. Bleary-eyed and late for class, you really didn’t have enough time to collect flyers from every desperate hand extending toward you. Where did all of these people come from? Why are they here? The answer is simple: Calapalooza.
Calapalooza, UC Berkeley’s annual student-activity fair, has been expanded from one to two days due to the sheer number of student organizations that exist at UC Berkeley. If you were too overwhelmed to tackle day one, we don’t blame you. The ridiculous amount of people you see on Sproul right now is not the norm. But today is the last day that all of Sproul, Dwinelle and Wheeler plazas will be host to our school’s many organizations, and though daunting, you should take advantage of it!
But, like we mentioned, Calapalooza can be difficult to navigate when everyone and their closest 100 friends have come out to check out what Cal has to offer. So we at the Clog have come up with some tips to help you get the most out of the last day of Calapalooza.
1. Have an idea of what kinds of organizations or clubs you want to participate in. If you know you want to join a business frat, a dance group or anything and everything in between, head to those tables first.
2. If you have no idea what you want to do with your life, arrive a little earlier so you can check out what kinds of organizations and clubs the campus has to offer. You’ll be surprised to find that you might be interested in something you hadn’t heard of before. Maybe you’re interested in sword fighting or, maybe your destiny is to join an a cappella group to make your “Pitch Perfect” dreams come true! How will you know if you don’t try?
3. Take flyers when people hand them to you, unless you know for sure that you’re not interested. After Calapalooza is over, it’ll be easier to pick and choose which groups interest you the most when you have all of their information to look at in your hands.
4. Don’t be afraid to talk to people who are tabling or flyering. Their job is to interest you in their respective organizations and answer any questions or concerns you may have. Plus, they’ll love to talk to you about something they’re passionate about!
5. If there are too many people crowding around a table you’re interested in, try to take a flyer and come back later.
6. If you want to talk to someone and they’re preoccupied with talking to another person, just listen to what the person saying about the organization, or find another member. You might hear an answer to a question you already had. If you feel awkward about just standing there, take a flyer, or write your email address down and come back later.
7. Whether or not you already know which group you want to join, be open to new organizations. Check out the ones that have always interested you or you wished could have joined but didn’t have the time. Be interested in everything, because writing down your email or taking a flyer doesn’t mean you’re committing to them.
8. Most importantly, don’t stop in the middle of Sproul when you see your friend and talk to them for the next 20 minutes. People are trying to get around you, and you’re just contributing to the Sproul sardine effect that Calapalooza is known for. Stay safe and don’t let this happen to you:
Image Source: GIF 1
Contact Soyolmaa Lkhagvadorj at slkhagvadorj@dailycal.org.