Members from hundreds of organizations sought to grab students’ attention at this year’s MSC Open House held on Sunday, Aug. 25 from 1-5 p.m.
The annual event, hosted by MSC Hospitality, is a platform for students to explore various student-led organizations and clubs that align with their interests. This year, over 460 organizations participated, with booths spread through the Memorial Student Center’s hallways and ballrooms, while professional organizations also advertised themselves along Simpson Drill Field.
The Aggie MedReach booth attracted many students by offering a chance to win prizes by answering trivia and spinning a wheel. As students gathered around to win, biomedical sciences senior Tia Patel promoted the organization.
“We’re mainly a volunteering and leadership organization for students who are interested in health,” Patel said. “We’re seeing so many people come in here and interested . . . and be ready to come to our meetings.”
Just a floor above, political science sophomore Camry Klinge advertised Alpha Omicron Pi, a panhellenic sorority on campus. As a recently developed organization, outreach events such as the MSC Open House can help increase membership, Klinge said.
“We’re here to open recruiting after our formal recruitment period,” Klinge said. “We just chat with incoming freshmen or sophomores who didn’t want to go through the formal recruitment process but are wanting to go through the more easygoing process of recruitment throughout the semester.”
Each section of the MSC was dedicated to a specific category of organizations. Upon exploring the career and professional section, biology freshman Samantha Reid said she found herself interested in medical organizations aimed at pre-med students.
“I wanted to find clubs to make more friends, build connections with people and hopefully expand on my professional outlook on pre-med,” Reid said. “I’ve joined [Minority Association of Pre-Health Students] already . . . and I also really liked [American Medical Students Association] as well, so I might be joining that too.”
However, interest is not the only determining factor when joining clubs. Reid expressed that the appeal of an organization also depends on the people advertising it.
“A lot of orgs can be similar, but it’s about who is representing them at the table,” Reid said. “If they bring the energy and the excitement, and if they really just seem passionate about their club, it makes you also want to join as well.”
Looking back at her freshman year, Patel shared her own experience with MSC Open House as a student looking to get involved.
“I’ve always loved MSC Open House,” Patel said. “As a freshman, this is where I started to join organizations and learn about organizations where I made some of my closest friends … It’s been great in general.”
