Colleges With The Best Extracurriculars

Forbes lists the University of Notre Dame as the 11th best college for mixing academics with athletics. And College Magazine specifically cites the school's College Mentors for Kids student group as one of the best of its kind. This organization focuses on building constructive mentoring between Notre Dame students and school children studying between first and sixth grades. Each week, the schoolchildren visit the Notre Dame campus and take part in educational and community positive activities. 74% of the children serviced are in poverty. The organization is so successful that they have been able to exceed their recent $15,000 fund-raising goal by more than $4,000.

10. Colorado State University

This is the third best college for mixing athletics with academics, according to Forbes. USC also has the 14th most student organizations in America, according to College Xpress. As the University of Southern California is one of the world's greatest film schools, it can be a strong idea to get involved with a cinema group, even if film isn't your major. You'll get to work with some of the best up and coming filmmakers in the world and will handle some incredible equipment. USC currently recommends the African American Cinema Society, Asian American Cinema Association, Delta Kappa Alpha, Persistence of Visionaries and other clubs for engaging with film.

Forbes considers the University of Maryland to be the 14th best college for mixing athletics and academics. Also, College Xpress states that the college has over 800 student organizations overall. The University of Maryland certainly has a wide range of unusual clubs. For example, there is The Makeup Society for people who would like to exchange advice in enhancing natural beauty, The Maryland Magicians for those who are keen on learning amazing tricks and The Lego User Group for children at heart.

This college places on all three methodology lists that ranks institutions by numbers. It has the 12th most student organizations in America, according to College Xpress. It also is the 12th best college for mixing academics with athletics, according to Forbes. Lastly, Business Insider places it at 26th for most fun colleges in America. University of Florida's Student Activities and Involvement Department considers the best new organization at the college to be the Gators for Environmental Community Outreach (GECO.) In 2017, they awarded it the title of Outstanding New Student Organization. The group teaches grade school students about the importance of sustainability and environmentalism.

The University of Iowa is Business Insider's third most fun college in America. And it has the 34th highest number of student organizations, according to College Xpress. While the University of Iowa has fewer organizations than some other colleges on this list, the organizations are definitely high quality. For instance, it has the Bijou Film Board, which is one of the preeminent student cinemas in America; SCOPE, which brings concerts onto the campus; and incredible fraternities, which donated more than $800,000 to charity in 2016.

This Athens based college makes three methodology lists. College Xpress notes that it has the 21st largest number of student organizations in America. Business Insider names it the 21st most fun college in America. And Forbes names it the 17th best college for mixing academics with athletics in America. Clearly, this is a great choice for students interested in a wide range of extracurricular activities. But while its fun and sporting organizations need no explanations, it's important to note that this college also has some great support clubs. For example, 7Cups provides emotional support for students through anonymous conversations with trained listeners.

This college is ranked at 11th on Business Insider's list of the most fun colleges in America and 13th on College Xpress's list of colleges with the most organizations. And Virginia Tech manages to get some great equipment for its student organizations. For example, this year, the Hang Gliding Club was given $6,550 by the Foundation for Free Flight to buy two new hang gliders. This means that for the first time in 30 years, the Hang Gliding Club can organize gliding lessons close to campus, instead of traveling hundreds of miles.

Business Insider names Vanderbilt University the 14th most fun college in America. It can't be a coincidence that College Express states that the college also has the 15th most student organizations in America, standing at just over 700. Vanderbilt is located in one of America's music capitals, Nashville, so there are many, many organizations that take music to their heart. This includes groups that sing a cappella, such as Harmonic Notion, groups that sing for the elderly, such as Harmonies for the Elderly and groups that use music to help mental health, such as Blair Student Health Council.

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill is Forbes's seventh-best college for mixing academics with athletics. Additionally, it's College Xpress's college with the 27th most student organizations in the US, with almost 600 in total. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill certainly has one of the largest offerings of intramural sports. There are currently 50 different sports running, with some of the more unusual offerings being sit down volleyball, spikeball, pickleball, innertube water basketball, disc golf and corn hole. Two out of three undergrads participate in these sports during their study, meaning it's one of the sportiest campuses in America.

18. Vanderbilt University

This college just about makes Forbes's list, coming in at 25th for colleges that balance academics with athletics. It is also at 16th place on College Express's list of the schools in America with the most student organizations. You may not have thought of Indiana as one of the best places for humor, but it turns out that Indiana University has six groups dedicated to comedy. Some other groups of particular interest are the Chinese Calligraphy club and the Gaming Club.

The University of Minnesota has the 19th most student organizations of any college in the US, states College Express. It's also the 21st best college for mixing academics with athletics, according to Forbes. And the University of Minnesota has really invested in making its athletic facilities world leading in recent years. For instance, its TCF Bank Stadium is one of the newest in America and has one of the largest video boards in any stadium. And the stadium isn't just for sports, it also hosts concerts and other activities. All of the college's sporting organizations and many nonsporting organizations can benefit from this space!

20. Indiana University, Bloomington

Placing at 32nd on College Xpress's list of schools with the most student organizationsand 22nd on Forbes's list of schools that are great at mixing academics and athletics is the University of Connecticut. The college's campus life section of its website personally recommends a small selection of the more than 500 student organizations. One of the most original and impactful of these organizations is HuskyTHON, which raises funds for Connecticut Children's Medical Center. Its main effort is an 18-hour dance marathon that it hosts every year. In 2018, this dance marathon raised over $1 million for the hospital, and it's all thanks to the students who joined the organization!

This is the first of two Florida based colleges on the list, with College Xpress noting that it has 34th highest number of student organizations of any American college. Business Insider also names it the 25th most fun college in America. It's not surprising that the Sunshine State has some colleges with incredibly active student organizations. The great weather means that FSU students can enjoy outdoor activities much more than many other college attendees. Some of the many student organizations that take advantage of the climate of Florida State University's surroundings include the Campus Recreation Club, the Cycling Club, and the Baseball Club. And if an FSU student isn't sure which club is right for them, then they can take a survey which recommends the best ones for their personality and tastes.

22. University of Connecticut

Clemson is fifth place on Business Insider's list of the most fun colleges in America. The article specifically cites the college's intramural sports as one of the main reasons why it earns this place. The college's athletics page shows that Clemson is indeed very welcoming in its sports offerings to students. In fact, Princeton Review names it the third best college where almost every student plays intramural sports. It also ranks at second for students packing the stadiums, seventh for happiest students and first for students loving their school.

23. Florida State University

By being based in the famously fun city of New Orleans, Tulane University comes in at second place on Business Insider's list. And while its number of student organizations is somewhat small, at just over 200, the clubs definitely place quality over quantity. In fact, the college even ensures this high quality by allowing faculty and staff to become advisors to student organizations. Advisors give, "guidance, a historical perspective, mentorship for student leaders, and much more." The college even trains up these advisors to ensure that they are functioning as well as possible for the organization.

This is Business Insider's fourth most fun college in America. However, it isn't mentioned on any other list. But further research proves that there are indeed many great student organizations on offer, with almost 500 clubs being officially registered on the college website. In particular, the sports clubs have some original entries. There is the Paintball Team, which has a meeting every Tuesday and Thursday, with additional weekend events sometimes happening. Also, the Shotgun Sports Club competes in intercollegiate shoots and teaches gun safety.

Cornell University is one of six colleges in the US to have 1,000 or more student organizations, according to College Xpress. Unsurprisingly, many of these organizations are highly ranked on a national scale and very interesting. One organization that really showcases this is the Mock Trial Association, which competes against other colleges in defending and prosecuting fictitious court cases. In the last tournament, Cornell managed to place fourth and ninth. This club definitely suits law related students, but the association is free for all Cornell students to join.

26. Kansas State University

This college has the ninth highest number of student organizations in the USA, according to College Xpress. And every year, Iowa State University's Student Activities Center presents awards to the best student organizations, so that incoming students know which ones are the best. 2017 recipients of awards include the Asian Pacific American Awareness Coalition, the Human Sciences Council, Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Lambda Beta and the Chinese Students & Scholars Association. The Chinese Students & Scholars Association won the outstanding event of the year, as they created an incredible Spring Festival Gala that was great at bringing the entire college community closer.

This college has just under 1,000 student organizations, according to College Express. The organizations are indeed unique and helpful to both society and students. For instance, for animal lovers, there's A Cause for Paws, which, in the college's city of Lafayette, assists no-kill animal shelters and convinces other shelters to become no-kill shelters. For the more business-minded student, there's 3 Day Startup, which helps students with bringing their business ideas to life fast!The club does this by connecting faculty to students every Thursday.

Business Insider states that Syracuse University's organizations and clubs keep the students happy, particularly sports and fraternities. In fact, the college has over 60 fraternities and sororities to choose from. 30% of students overall enroll in one of these. But all organizations, athletic, Greek or otherwise compete to be recognized by the college's 44 Stars of Excellence Awards. In 2018, awards for diversity and inclusion went to representatives of the Muslim Student Association and Black Reign Step Team, and The Entertainers of the Year Awards went to Raices Dance Troupe and Black Box Players.