Nothing compares to the feeling you have the first few weeks in college. You\u2019ve 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\u2019t feel like home. It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re 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\u2019s more common than anyone lets on. What I wish someone had told me earlier is that finding your footing at URI doesn\u2019t always happen in class, sometimes it happens at Campus Rec. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s the part that surprised a lot of new students, Campus Rec isn\u2019t just a place to work out. It\u2019s 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?\u201d. Between group fitness classes, intramural sports, outdoor recreation, aquatics, and the Anna Fascitelli Fitness & Wellness Center ,there isn\u2019t just one way in. There\u2019s an entry point for almost every personality, whether you\u2019re 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\u2019t have to know which one is \u201cyour thing\u201d yet, just try one! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s super easy to sign up through IMLeagues<\/a>. I ended up going pretty regularly, but that part matters less than you\u2019d think. Even dropping into a class once a week is enough to start recognizing faces. After seeing the same people a few times, you\u2019re nodding hello, then actually talking, then making plans. You don\u2019t need to be a \u201cgym person\u201d 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n