Even when freshmen knew they were not interested, they sometimes could not avoid having brochures pushed into their hands.

“I don’t like being forced to take flyers,” said Allyson L. Covello ’16, “but I feel bad turning them down.”

Other freshmen simply took what they were offered. Looking over her collection of freebies as the fair wound down, Stephanie G. Franklin ’16 realized she had received a Christian Bible. “I’m Jewish,” she said. “I didn’t know what they were handing me.”

Despite long lists of prospective members by the end of the fair, club leaders could not be sure all those people would ever show up at a meeting. “A ton of people just put their name down,” said Marc F. Shi ’14, who represented Health Leads. “They don’t really realize what they’re getting into.

The incoming freshmen expressed similar sentiments. “I’ve signed up for twenty or so things,” said Levin. “I’ll see what I can manage.”

But he did know that the Harvard Quidditch team was an option for him. “It sounds amazing,” said Levin. “And I hear you can tackle girls.”

—Staff writer John A. Elzinga can be reached at jelzinga@college.harvard.edu.