Club Rush is a time of giant poster boards set at shaky tables where the chances of not stuffing your hands with candy are very slim. However, we have all heard of or experienced the freshman year Club Rush frenzy: students in blue lanyards run around and write their names on every signup sheet in sight. However, if you follow my guide, you can kiss the confusion of navigating through Club Rush goodbye. 

1. Prepare beforehand.

Decide what clubs you’re interested in before Club Rush. You don’t have to plan every little thing but have a general idea. All the clubs’ locations will be available on a map, so figure out which ones intrigue you so you know where to go. Beware: there are many upperclassmen who will push any freshmen out of their way if they stand in one spot for too long.

2. Move around!

Once you sign up, move on. While it may seem like a good idea to stand there and recollect your thoughts, it is not. The gym becomes incredibly tight. You have many places to hit in about an hour, so keep those young legs moving. 

3. Ask for help.

This is your first Club Rush, meaning you are not an expert — trust me. The tables are a maze, so you might not know your way around but your elders do, and we’re there to help. Ask them where to go or what clubs they recommend. If you are interested in a club, ask the students at the stands. They’ll tell you about their club and maybe even lead you to another one.

4. Don’t sign up for every club!

We’ve all been there. You walk into the gym, and a gust of air conditioning hits you, taking all your senses with it. You know you’re not going to participate in Glee Club so drop the pen. At the time, it may seem smart to sign up for any club with a flashy poster board. However, later down the road you won’t even remember if it was Underwater Basket Weaving or the Hula Hooping Club. Make a smart decision of which clubs you’ll actually stay in, and if you see any that do really interest you, then sign up. You won’t want to scroll through a catalog of clubs to look for your biology Google Classroom page. 

Even though the other grades try to deny it, we have all been freshmen. Club Rush is a time of high energy and one of the first big events you experience in high school. Just remember that the most important thing is to have fun and choose what interests you. Who knows, maybe if you survive, you can help the next batch of freshmen navigate.