5 Ways to Get Involved in Student Campus Life at Gordon College 

While focusing on academics during college is important, making time to get involved on campus can enrich your student life. Campus student groups and activities can help you find a supportive community, make lifelong memories and even explore hands-on opportunities to stretch your career interests.  

There’s a diverse and engaging campus life at Gordon College just waiting for you to explore. From outdoor adventures to varsity sports and Bible studies, here are just a few of the many student activities at Gordon College where you can belong, engage and thrive. 

1. Clubs and Societies 

A lot of Gordon College student involvement on campus is through student-led groups (like Advocates for a Sustainable Future), academic associations (like Poetry Club) and event-based organizations (like Campus Events Council), all of which fall under the leadership of the Gordon College Student Assocation (GCSA). These student organizations provide networking opportunities, professional development and a platform to share interests with your fellow students.  

The best part? Most student clubs are free and open to anyone, regardless of major. Gordon also has student organizations like ALANA (African American, Latin American, Asian American, Native America & Allies), Afro-Hamwe and others that engage our multicultural student population and offer healthy spaces for dialogue about cultural identity. 

2. La Vida: Personal Growth and Leadership 

Gordon’s La Vida Center for Outdoor Education and Leadership provides immersive, experiential learning in nature as part of the First-Year Experience. Over 65 percent of Gordon students take a half-semester class called Discovery, where they engage with teambuilding exercises and a high-plus-low ropes course right on campus.  

The incoming first-year students who do not take Discovery instead spend 12 days in the Adirondack mountains, backpacking or canoeing across the wilderness as they learn to pitch tents, start fires, scale mountains, make new friends and encounter God in nature. Many students continue to stay connected after the first year by volunteering at the La Vida Rock gym, joining the Outdoor Club or becoming leaders for future first-year student groups. 

3. Athletic Programs 

Student athletes are a vibrant part of Gordon’s student body, both in varsity and intramural sports. As an NCAA Division III School, Gordon has sports teams training hard in our athletic center year-round for baseball, basketball, cross country, lacrosse, rowing and more. Our teams have gone on to win championships at the regional and state levels and are overseen by professional coaches who help our athletes become the best they can be, both as individuals and team members.  

If you love to play sports but aren’t looking to compete collegiately, create your own team for one of our intramural leagues. Choose from sports like beach volleyball, ultimate frisbee and flag football in the fall semester or basketball, pickleball and gaga ball in the spring semester. It’s a great way to combine fun, fitness and teamwork! 

4. Arts and Culture  

If you want to practice your creative passion on campus, the Adams School of Music and the Arts has several musical ensembles, from choirs to orchestras to jazz bands, that any student, regardless of major, can audition for. All campus ensembles have multiple shows per year, including our Christmas Gala—the largest Christmas celebration on the North Shore, drawing in thousands of patrons! Gordon also hosts multiple theatre productions each year, from musicals to short plays, that all students are welcome to join, and special art exhibits and workshops in our Barrington Center for the Arts where students can display their artwork. 

5. Faith-Based Activities  

As a Christian college Gordon offers a wealth of activities to help you grow in your faith and engage with Christ-centered communities. In addition to our regular Chapel gatherings, you’ll find many discipleship and ministry groups on campus, from small groups that dive into a single book of the Bible to worship teams, such as God’s Chosen Gospel Choir.  

There are also multiple Gordon-sponsored missions trips each year, with both domestic and international destinations, from Northern Ireland to Mexico. Students often return to campus with deep friendships built within their trip cohorts. Some students find community by volunteering with peers through the Office of Community Engagement at various organizations on the North Shore, from soup kitchens to after-school programs, to bring the light of Christ to our neighbors.  

Experience Student Activities at Gordon College 

Whether it’s your first semester or your last, getting involved in campus life at Gordon College will give you a fun, enriching college experience that also helps prepare you to thrive after graduation. Dive deeper into our 50+ campus clubs and activities, get in touch with their organizers to learn more or come up with an initiative of your own and propose it to the Gordon College Student Association to make it an official club! We can’t wait to welcome you to campus life at Gordon College.