Even non-music types can do these...

Even though I had a passion for music, I was never musically inclined; so, I had to find way to express my passion in other ways.

1. Hold a Music Festival. Luke Bronin's deep love of folk and country music was manifest in the New Haven Folk Festival, a non-profit cultural event celebrating folk music and arts, of which Luke was co-founder and director.

2. Have a music collection? Categorize, alphabetize or create an XML file of your collection. Display on your web site.

3. Meet with friends to discuss and critique new music.

4. Hold an Ode to my Favorite Artist week. Immerse yourself in the music and biographies of your favorite artist. Wear clothing and memorabilia of the artist. Share your favorite with others, telling them of your special week.

5. If you are musically inclined, be a DJ or start a band. Jam Sessions! Practice rooms for music students are often open for non-music majors; have practice there. Or use a vacant dorm lobby.

7. Pay homage to your favorite artist; visit their grave.

8. Write music reviews for the school newspaper or local idie media source. Check out my attempt at a music review.

Check out:
Jazz
Indie/Alternative Rock
RollingStone
PitchFork

So, no artist needs advice from me, but here it is anyways...

1. You don't have to be a drama 'geek' to try out for a school play. Write or draw something for the school magazine. Play in the Band or learn to play an instrument. Be involved in the Arts. Try out for a school performance.

2. Write/draw a comic strip. Submit to the local or school newspaper. Make your own copies of your comic strip and leave on cafeteria tables or tape on bathroom stalls. This is a great way to practice your artistic skills and make a statement at the same time.

During my college graduation, several art students passed out small comic strips about life after college; they were thoughtful strips causing students to laugh and think about the journey upon which they were fixing to embark.

3. Use your art to promote something else, like a band, a banquet, a protest etc.

4. Keep a notebook, website or blog on artists you have learned about or admire. Post pictures or things you find interesting about each artist.

Time, time, time

So, there are a lot of suggestions to be given on which extracurriculars to participate in, but how do you go about making them a reality?

1. Time Management Skills: calendars, hour by hour scheduling, planning, priorities. Be creative. Create a system that works for you.

2. One of my favorite sites is: StevePavlina.com. I really hate self help shit, but this guy has totally stripped the ideas of goal planning and hard work down to those bare essential things that must be done in order to be the person you want to be.

3. Multitasking. Listen to music while you type up your notes from the day. Go through your French note cards while jogging on the treadmill. Review the material that you have learned for your test while taking a shower.

4. Prioritize. What activities are truly important to you? Which activities can you not afford to devote your attention? If you allow your GPA to drop so low, you may be placed on academic probation or loose your scholarship.

5. Create a Semester Calendar when you first get all of your syllabi. Write down all test and paper dates; note those busy week like midterm week. Don't plan any special trips or events right before or during that week.

Reading Groups

Not ready to commit a huge chunk of time to researching a particular topic? Start a reading group with friends on a topic of interest. Maybe everyone could commit to reading the same book, meeting once each week to discuss a chapter or two at a time. Have one person responsible for developing discussion questions.

A friend and I realized that we had a significant gap in an area of our education. So, we each did some reading and met a few times to discuss what we had found. You might want to meet for dinner with friends and bring a conversation starter like an object, articles or books. Take turns developing discussion material and preparing dinner.

So, you think you love books? Well, if you say you love books, then I am sure you do, but how can you transform your love of books into ways to explore how you might spend the rest of your life studying, admiring and consuming them? I mean even a book critic does get paid to simply read books. So, what are you going to do with your passion?

1. Write a review for the school newspaper. School newspapers often do not require that you be a full time staff writer to submit an article. Letters to the editor are also usually acceptable. Or write reviews on Amazon.com. You can help fellow shoppers and if you amass enough reviews, you become a top review with all of its privileges.
2. Maintain a list of books to read. Cross off and add to. I keep my list on my web site so that I can access the list from anywhere and keep track of what I have read by using the strikethrough tag.
3. Aid your reading comprehension by expanding your vocabulary. Sign up for Merriam-Webster's word of the day email. Or buy one of those word a day calendars. Are you a total etymology whore, always referencing the etymology of words during conversation?
4. Keep 5-10 of your favorite books in your dorm room. They will cheer you up when you are down, and make you feel at home when you are far away. They also can serve as paper topics or beginning points for reflection on a topic. I would flip through them and remember literary devices their authors used. I was given this advice by a college survival book, and it helped me out so much. My books reminded me of how far I had come.
5. Check out the Purchasing Groups information maintained by Amazon.com. See what students from around the country are reading, listening to and watching. You can also see what persons from different companies are buying.
6. Start a reading group among your friends. Read a book per month or every other month. Get together and have dinner together and discuss the book. Don't make it directed or scholarly; just have fun.
7. Give away your books after you read them. This is a great incentive to finish your books. You gain a sense of accomplishment and giving when you share your stuff with others.
8. Hold a Poetry Reading. Ask everyone to bring their favorite poem or a new found favorite to read. Don't forget to advertise. You might want to create a theme for the poetry to be read: war, love, nature or pick poetry from an era or by a particular author. If friends are reading their own poetry, you might want to set out some guidelines concerning
9. Start a Newspaper or Literary Magazine. Being a part of the inaugural season of my school's independent newspaper was a great experience. I began by working on the layout for the newspaper, and for the second edition I actually wrote two articles for the paper. Is there a faction of your school whose voice is not being heard? Contact a local printer and get organized.
10. Read an amazing book and the author is still alive? Write her/him with questions and comments. No harm done if he/she does not reply. Writing accolades and criticisms strengthen your ability to think as well as write.