Nothing compares to the feeling you have the first few weeks in college. You’ve heard the speeches, survived orientation, and found your way to most of your classes on your own. Somewhere between the dining hall and your dorm room, it hits you that the people around you are still strangers and the environment around you still doesn’t feel like home. It doesn’t matter if you’re a freshman moving into your first college room, or a transfer student starting over at a new school. I remember feeling that way when I moved in, and it’s more common than anyone lets on. What I wish someone had told me earlier is that finding your footing at URI doesn’t always happen in class, sometimes it happens at Campus Rec.
Here’s the part that surprised a lot of new students, Campus Rec isn’t just a place to work out. It’s one of the easiest ways to answer the question every incoming student is quietly asking themselves that first month, which is “how do I actually meet people here?”. Between group fitness classes, intramural sports, outdoor recreation, aquatics, and the Anna Fascitelli Fitness & Wellness Center ,there isn’t just one way in. There’s an entry point for almost every personality, whether you’re someone who wants a class on the calendar, a team to show up for, or just a quiet place to decompress after a long day. You don’t have to know which one is “your thing” yet, just try one!
The Anna Fascitelli Fitness & Wellness Center is one of those places where showing up puts you in the same room as the same people over and over, and that repetition is where the actual connection happens. When I was a freshman, I started going to group workout classes. The classes offer strength, pilates, yoga, cycling, and so many more. It’s super easy to sign up through IMLeagues. I ended up going pretty regularly, but that part matters less than you’d think. Even dropping into a class once a week is enough to start recognizing faces. After seeing the same people a few times, you’re nodding hello, then actually talking, then making plans. You don’t need to be a “gym person” or commit to some rigid schedule for this to work. Some of my closest friends came out of just showing up to a class here and there and letting familiarity do the rest.
If the gym setting isn’t really your thing, intramural sports are worth looking into. URI Campus Rec runs leagues throughout the year including flag football, soccer, basketball, volleyball, and more through Intramural IMLeagues. It’s low commitment, fun, and one of the best ways to meet people with similar interests as you. If you like playing sports but don’t want to sign up for a high-pressure, tryout-based team, this is a way to keep doing something you love while building a little community around it, no experience or long-term commitment required.
One thing that most new students don’t realize right away is that access to URI Campus Recreation is already included in being enrolled as a student. The gym, the Tootell Aquatic Center, outdoor fields, the tennis courts, and the bike path are all available and included with your membership. Trying a few different activities in the first few weeks and seeing what sticks helped me become more familiar with the campus. The bike path became that space for me. When I needed a break from campus, it was where I went to clear my mind, whether that meant watching the wildlife along the trail, listening to music, or just getting some fresh air after a stressful day. It wasn’t about fitness, it was about having somewhere on campus that felt like mine, a place I could go without needing plans or people, that still made URI feel a little more like home. Finding a space like that, wherever it ends up being for you, is its own kind of settling in.
The best time to explore what Campus Rec has to offer is before the semester gets too hectic to think about it. You don’t need a plan, a friend group, or a fitness goal to walk in the door. Just pick up one thing this week and that is one small step is often how the rest of it starts. URI gives you a lot of resources, and Campus Rec might be one that helps everything else feel a little less familiar.
By:Megha Sud
Graduating: May 2028
Major: Communications