With more than 450 student organizations to choose from, finding your niche on campus can feel overwhelming.
Joining a student organization is a must at GW, whether it be to socialize and meet people with common interests or to help you land an internship after your first year. Take this quiz to pin down which student organizations may be your home for the next four years.
1) How would your high school friends describe you?
a) The one always ranting about politics or attending a rally
b) The person who was always helping others
c) The person who was never without a pen and paper in hand
d) The tree hugger
e) The theater nerd
2) If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be?
a) Zealous
b) Compassionate
c) Curious
d) Down-to-earth
e) Expressive
3) Favorite movie?
a) Milk (2008)
b) Forrest Gump (1994)
c) All the President’s Men (1976)
d) Castaway (2000)
e) Grease (1978)
4) Your ideal weekend plans include:
a) Attending an event featuring a prominent political figure
b) Volunteering at a local nonprofit
c) Writing a blog post
d) Hiking in Virginia
e) Catching a show at the Kennedy Center
5) What do you often do at parties?
a) Start a conversation with a stranger
b) Aid the sick party-goer
c) Document the event on Snapchat
d) Start party games
e) On the aux or busting out a tune
6) Favorite study spot?
a) Library of Congress
b) Anywhere!
c) A hip coffee shop
d) At the monuments
e) A jazz café
7) What’s your texting style?
a) Long winded paragraphs
b) Filled with emojis
c) Brief and to the point
d) I prefer to call
e) Lowercase everything
8) How do you start your day?
a) Listening to a podcast
b) Using Duolingo
c) Catching up on the news
d) Going for a run
e) Listening to music
9) Favorite Twitter personality?
a) Barack Obama (@barackobama)
b) Chrissy Teigen (@chrissyteigen)
c) Ezra Klein (@ezraklein)
d) Al Gore (@algore)
e) Ellen DeGeneres (@theellenshow)
Mostly A’s: You love politics, and you’ve come to the right place. Join one of the many politically or socially oriented student organizations, like the GW College Democrats, the GW College Republicans, GW Feminist Student Union, Young Democratic Socialists of America at GW or Campaign GW. If state or national politics are not your thing and you’re looking to exercise your passion for advocacy on campus, get involved with the Student Association, where you can become a freshman representative, a senator for your school or maybe hold a leadership role as president or executive vice president in the future.
Mostly B’s: You love helping people. If you got mostly B’s, consider joining a community service organization. The Nashman Center is a hub for volunteer opportunities like GW Alternative Breaks, a program where students attend service trips during their holiday breaks. Another student organization that operates through the Center of Student Engagement is The Store. If you like working with kids, try Camp Kesem at GW, which raises money to provide a weeklong sleepaway camp at no cost for families affected by cancer, or EngageDC, a network of service opportunities from tutoring to cultural enrichment programs.
Mostly C’s: You love media. Mostly C’s indicate that you enjoy writing, communicating and creating. Choose from one of the many campus media organizations, where you can learn about everything from print to broadcast television. While I’m quick to recommend The GW Hatchet, there are other campus media groups like GW-TV and WRGW District Radio. For a more political publication, join MediaFile DC, a platform that tracks trends in political communications. GW also offers Ace Magazine, the only multicultural publication at GW.
Mostly D’s: You love the outdoors. Luckily, GW houses many student organizations that involve physical activity, outdoor education and environmental advocacy. One of the most popular outdoor student organizations is GW TRAiLS, an adventure program that takes outdoor excursions like hiking, camping and apple picking. If you are more interested in environmental advocacy, Green GW, Sustainable GW and GW Innovation Center are the student organizations for you. Green GW and Sustainable GW focus on ways students can lead more environmentally friendly lifestyles and advocate for change both on campus and around D.C. Meanwhile, the GW Innovation Center houses programs like Fast Fashion Textile Tech initiative, which leads conversations surrounding sustainable fashion.
Mostly E’s: You love performing. Whether it’s singing, dancing or acting, GW has you covered with a place to express yourself. Several different theater organizations exist on campus like Forbidden Planet Productions, Generic Theatre Company, 14th Street Players and GW Shakespeare Company, as well as the comedy group GW Laughs. If you’re a singer, try out for one of many acapella groups here at GW like the Sons of Pitch, Troubadours, the Mother Funkers or Sirens, which hold semesterly auditions.
