Waffle House Anonymous by Andrew

Waffle House Anonymous by Andrew - December 2019 Scholarship Essay

When I came into college, I was the only one in my friend group that was going to the University of Cincinnati. It was a big change since this was the first time I ever lived outside of my town for an extended period of time. I had never moved as a child, so I grew up in the same neighborhood all my life. So, going to a bigger university with nobody I knew was a transition that I had to face on my own. During the week of our move in, we had a fair where we discovered the clubs that are available at my university. There were many clubs at the fair, but the one that stood out was a club “Waffle House Anonymous”. It was a club that met at the Waffle House just outside of campus every Wednesday at midnight. I first thought of this club as a joke and signed up just to say I signed up for a club. They added everybody who signed up to a group chat and it totaled almost 700 people. The leaders sent out an email detailing the first meetup. I was unsure if I was going to go but I decided to go just to see what it was like. When I went there, the line was out the door and it did not seem to be moving fast. Instead of leaving, I toughed it out and waited in line. I started talking to the people that were in line and I found people who were engineering majors like myself. It was a great time and the time seemed to fly by and I got in the door in no time. When I was able to be seated, I got a table with the people I met, and we had a great time just eating and talking about where we came from. I still keep in touch with the people I met there, and I go back there when I have free time.
While at first I did not understand why a club like that would be made, I know understand it is perfect for first year students to open up and meet new people. Moving to a new place and meeting new people is difficult, especially for younger people, so clubs like that offer a way for people to connect with something they both enjoy, food. Waffle House Anonymous definitely helped me and a lot of others transition to college life and find people who have stuff in common with each other. Then, it also helped me destress during the school year due to everyone feeling the same stress. Joining this organization has allowed me to open up and make new friends, while also giving me a place I can go to and give myself a much needed rest from the constant rush of college life. Plus, you get to eat waffles while having a good time with people. In essence, this organization is the perfect club for a first year college student and I will highly suggest them to every student that is wondering what club to join.