Honestly, I dont think it is a bad thing if a graduating high school student doesn't get involved with his or her college team their first year in college. Im not. In college, grades are your most important issue, not a robot or a robotics team that will most likely kill your GPA. I will be keeping in touch and volunteering at probably one regional next year and I should be loitering around the championships. This advice was given to me last week, but if you do not go with a team in college ever or right away, keep in touch with the program, keep in contact with your connections, and volunteer. One day down the road maybe one of your contacts might set you up with a good job after college.

So the long and the short of it:

If you don't join a team keep involved through volunteering at events and keep in contact.