UT students have one huge red flag: our commitment issues. It can often feel like students are only loyal to two things: our football team and whatever event we heard about 20 minutes ago. Clubs, friend groups and restaurants are constantly swapped out for whatever seems most exciting. With so many options competing for students’ attention, committing to one community can feel like a trap instead of a space to grow.
Austin’s abundance is one of its greatest strengths, making it one of the best cities to live in as a young adult, but it makes us terrible at committing to plans and people. College students are constantly told to try everything. Join a club, go to a concert, meet new people, attend coffee chats — and that advice is reasonable. Especially in a new city, trying everything is a good way to find your community. But this leaves us with a population of students who are too good at leaving.
“I do think (having so many options) pulls students in so many different directions where they feel so overwhelmed,” said Dhanush Kondapalli, a neuroscience and Plan II senior and secretary general for Central Texas Model United Nations. “(Sometimes they can) feel like even if it is a club they’re really passionate about, they don’t feel like they have the time to dedicate to it.”
The problem isn’t that students are simply too busy; it’s that we’ve normalized treating every commitment like it’s temporary. There’s always another organization meeting if you miss one, another party if you don’t go out one night and a bounty of info sessions during org recruitment season.
What students are missing is the sense of community that comes from committing to something. Dedicating time to an organization can help you build field-specific skills you wouldn’t otherwise get the chance to develop and find like-minded individuals.
“Overall, our retention rate is very high because, a lot of times, people come in because they want to grow,” said Kapil Oswal, business senior and operations lead for Longhorn Racing. “They know what skills they want to grow, and I think they learn a lot that (is) not necessarily tangible from their classes.”
When students feel invested in an organization and community, they have a reason to keep showing up. Community doesn’t happen at the first meeting; it happens when you consistently show up and keep your commitments. At the end of the day, instead of trying to blend in with the crowd and overwhelm yourself by attending a huge influx of events, settling on a couple of commitments can help you build a real community.
“If you find people (in an org) that you really resonate with, (and) find yourself connecting with, (and) you enjoy the cause that they enjoy, then I think it’s a good reason to stay in it,” Kondapalli said.
Austin will always have another organization or event you can attend, but the benefits of committing outweigh the assortment of experiences. Don’t act like a bad friend and ghost your commitments; it’s time to start showing up and get rid of our commitment issues.
Sengupta is an international relations and global studies and Plan II sophomore from Leander, Texas.
