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Thursday, March 28, 2024
NEWS  |  CAMPUS

Letter to the editor: A note to class of 2022

Hey, UF Class of 2022!

I spent this last summer as a Preview Staffer, working from May to July to welcome incoming students like you to our beautiful campus. I hope you are loving it just as much as I, in my fourth and final year, still do.

My experience with Preview and other organizations on campus opened my eyes to something I have found to be very unique about our school: involvement culture. Whether you are a rebel against the system or love to rep the orange and blue wherever you go, nobody can escape those darn Turlington flyerers! Everyone hears about the importance of getting involved so often that it can feel overwhelming and worrisome. Am I in the right clubs? I hate this club, but I feel I need to stick with it for my resume. I'm not in any clubs - I must be a failure. I'm in this club, but I feel excluded. I have to be in every club and do everything. I have to be in the best clubs.

I have to be this. I have to be that.

The culture here is very toxic, and can get to your head. Social media plays a big role in this -- through the coming months, you will start to see people changing profile banners and pictures to matching graphics or overlays, with essay-long captions trying to recruit you to the hottest organizations on campus. You'll hear about certain things you need to be in if you want to progress in your career, make a lot of friends or gain power. And you might even apply to these things, get turned down and feel like a failure.

I promise, while every organization and club could hold great potential for you, you do not need these things to make you happy. I stand by the fact extracurriculars are important, but these can come through any means, such as smaller clubs, intramural sports, part-time jobs, internships or research opportunities. I repeat: You do not need to be in the hottest organizations to make you happy. If you get rejected from something prestigious or popular and you see others posting about their acceptances, rejoice in the fact you have an opportunity to find something that could be just as meaningful, but in a more hidden away.

As long as you are genuine and do things because you have a passion for them, I promise you will find a place here.

Livia Ledbetter is a UF sociology and women's studies senior, a 2018 Preview Staffer and Swampy Memes admin.

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