On-campus for the first time, or for the first time in a while, and feeling a little disconnected? One of the best ways to get the full collegiate experience is to get involved on campus. Here are the top 4 reasons why you should take the time to do more than go to class and go home.

1. Make friends. Finding other students who share your interests is a great way to make friends. Student groups often have upper-level students in them that may share your major and can be a great resource to you. You also meet students who have had very different experiences than you which helps you to gain perspective on a variety of cultures.

2. Discover new interests. With over 500 organizations you can gain explore a variety of interests and you may end up with an entirely different career path once you explore some new subjects and fields of study.

3. Strengthen your leadership skills and build your resume. There are opportunities to get involved on campus that can complement your degree and make you an attractive candidate to a future employer. As you become more involved with an organization you can complement your experience with leadership training provided by Leadership Programs.

4. Perform better academically. You enrolled at Georgia State to get an education, but a lot of important learning happens outside the classroom. Don’t pass up student engagement opportunities because you’re afraid they’ll take time away from your coursework and lower your grades. Several studies have shown a positive correlation between student engagement and academic success. Data shows it may even play a role in increasing your likelihood to graduate!

The Panther Involvement Network (PIN) lists upcoming events hosted by organizations and departments such as information sessions, trainings, workshops, retreats, service events and more. Events can also be filtered by campus, organization categories, perks, themes and keywords.

To browse events:

1. Sign in to PIN.
2. Select the "Events" tab on the left side of the screen.

The Panther Involvement Network (PIN) lists all of the active registered student organizations. Organizations can also be filtered by campus, and organization categories, e.g. academic/professional, activism/awareness, arts/media & music/performance, cultural/multicultural, graduate, honor societies, etc...

To browse registered student organizations:

1. Sign in to PIN.
2. Select the "Organizations" tab on the left side of the screen.

In addition to PIN, each campus hosts a student involvement fair at the beginning of each semester.  For Spring 2024, they are:

• Atlanta – Tues., Jan. 23, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., State Ballroom, Student Center East
• Alpharetta – Weds., Jan 24, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., AB 105
• Clarkston – Weds., Jan. 24, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., CN Café
• Newton – Thurs., Jan. 25, 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., 1N Lobby
• Decatur – Thurs., Jan. 25, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., SC 1st Floor
• Dunwoody – Thursday, Jan. 25, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., NB 1000 Student Center

Almost all university events will require you to check in with either your Panther ID or your Panther Involvement Network (PIN) Event Pass. Be sure to save your event pass on your mobile device for faster check in by visiting pin.gsu.edu/eventpass (you must be logged into PIN for this link to work).

Otherwise, go to pin.gsu.edu and either log-in or create your account and log-in. Once logged in, go to the circle with your initial (or profile picture) in the top right corner of the page and click on it and you will see a QR code on the left. Click the QR code to see your event pass and then be sure to save it to your mobile device.

Students are highly encouraged to check out the list of active organizations on the Panther Involvement Network (PIN).

Steps to register a student organization:

• Do research.
  • Search to make sure a similar group doesn’t already exist on PIN.
  • If a similar group is found, reach out to that organization to learn more information.
• Consider whether this group needs to be a Registered Student Organization.
  • For example, if a study group is looking to reserve a study room, work with the academic department to get space to study instead of registering a new student organization.
• *Recruit at least five (5) currently enrolled Georgia State students that would like to be a part of this organization.
• *Recruit a faculty/staff member on the specific campus the organization will be registered on. This member will serve as the on-campus advisor (must be a full-time employee).
• Submit the application.
  • Visit PIN to register a new organization on a Perimeter or Atlanta campus.
• Attend an RSO Officer Orientation
  • At least one of the officers for your organization will need to attend this virtual training session. To RSVP for the required session, login to PIN and search "RSO Officer Orientation" in the search bar.