{"id":177549,"date":"2026-02-24T05:34:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T05:34:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/177549\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T05:34:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T05:34:23","slug":"competitive-student-orgs-are-beneficial-not-essential-the-daily-texan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/177549\/","title":{"rendered":"Competitive student orgs are beneficial, not essential\u00a0 \u2013 The Daily Texan"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Competitive<\/a> <\/p>\n

The unfortunately common email line \u201cWe regret to inform you that we are unable to offer you an invitation to progress to the interviews,\u201d has flooded plenty of students\u2019 inboxes as the spring 2026 recruitment season for campus orgs ends. From spirit orgs to business frats, university organizations are ruthlessly competitive. Excessive rejections often discourage students, and many feel as though they will not have a college social life or a prosperous future career.<\/p>\n

The reality is that these organizations can be beneficial, but not essential. Students can still go to social events, volunteer, network and build a portfolio without being bound to a top campus student organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoughly, I\u2019ve been rejected from orgs about 10 (or more) different times,\u201d said Margaret Cartee, management information systems sophomore. \u201cI took it pretty hard when I initially got those rejections. \u2026 Even though it sucks to get rejected, in the end, everything has worked out for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rejection from multiple orgs often feels like a personal failure as opposed to a competitive numbers game. Org applications can affect a students\u2019 self-worth and can feel like a reflection of poor character or potential, even though what it really reflects is limited spots and high demand.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe weave (needing to be in an org) throughout our messaging. Students are getting that from orientation \u2026 They\u2019re probably hearing that from their peers,\u201d said Marialena Rivera, assistant professor of instruction in communications, the introductory course all Moody students are required to take. \u201c(But) not every student necessarily needs to get involved right away, and not every student needs to do a competitive organization.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Beyond orgs, students have access to plenty of resources such as career centers<\/a>, expos and mentorships. Classes present networking opportunities through group projects and guest speakers, and portfolios can be built through class assignments and personal projects. These alternatives to competitive student orgs allow students to experience social and professional growth without depending on subjective acceptances.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, competitive orgs still have many benefits. Social groups like spirit orgs provide built-in communities and make it easier to find friends, while elite professional orgs offer hands-on experience and alumni networks. For many students, orgs like these help with meeting people and accessing exclusive opportunities. It\u2019s easy to feel dejected because orgs are so prevalent on UT\u2019s campus, but while other university resources aren\u2019t marketed as much, they can provide similar opportunities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are plenty of opportunities on campus, for sure, that are less competitive,\u201d Cartee said. \u201cYou have to be really proactive about finding that for yourself if you\u2019re not going to find those resources through an org.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve experienced both sides of this reality. As a member of The Daily Texan and BurntXOrange<\/a>, I know how organizations can provide mentorship and published work, especially in a creative field like journalism. At the same time, I\u2019ve been rejected from plenty of both social and professional orgs.<\/p>\n

In my experience with journalism classes, plenty have had hands-on experience providing work to add to your portfolio. Professors also have invited guest speakers that students can network with regardless of being in exclusive organizations. For me personally, though I\u2019m not in a social org and didn\u2019t actually join a professional org until second semester of freshman year, I met most of my close friends through orientation and classes.<\/p>\n

Students should not feel discouraged when rejected by these competitive orgs. They may enhance the college experience, but they don\u2019t determine its value.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cintron is a journalism sophomore from Houston, Texas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The unfortunately common email line \u201cWe regret to inform you that we are unable to offer you an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":177550,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133],"class_list":{"0":"post-177549","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-austin","8":"tag-austin","9":"tag-austin-headlines","10":"tag-austin-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=177549"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177549\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/177550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=177549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=177549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=177549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}