A Guide to Making the Most of Your Clubs

Connect with like minds, gain valuable experience and have a blast

Via mmolinari

By: Herbert Lui, Staff Writer

Clubs week is awesome. Anyone that knows me knows that one of my favourite times of year is clubs week. (Not an exaggeration.) It’s a great way to re-connect with old friends and learn more about their interests and passions. At the same time, it’s also a wonderful time to meet new friends and learn more about what they do.

For all of you unfamiliar with clubs week: universities and colleges typically hold an event where students can a taste of each and every club in one convenient location. This week-long event has club executives and leaders connecting with all sorts of students interested in their club. Like minds connect with like minds, and sometimes lifetime friendships are kindled at clubs week.

Depending on how clubs at your school work, you either pay to register at the end of clubs week, or at the first general meeting of each club. Either way, most schools require that you pay a small fee to join the club, to carry on club operations. As a student, I was interested in getting the most bang for my buck, and I’m interested in helping you do the same.

1. Interview for an Executive Position

The best way to get the most thorough club experience is to be on the other side of the club – the side that organizes and runs events. This means applying for an executive position, so that you can:

• Meet the rest of the executive team, who are student leaders in your field of interest. Not only do they make for great friends, they also offer advice and encouragement that you might not get otherwise. Plus, you might run into them in your field when you’ve graduated.
• Connect with club members, and gain valuable experience in organizing events and expertise in whatever your club does. For example, with social clubs, you might have to hustle and sell tickets to club events. With academic clubs, you might have to lead seminars or get in touch with industry professionals. The possibilities are endless!
• Gain relevant experience to show future employers. A lot of organizations look at extracurricular experience. Here’s your chance to demonstrate to these recruiters what you’re capable of doing!

I know that not all of you think you’re the most gung-ho leader or the most confident interviewee, but not all clubs are necessarily looking for that type of person. You might think you’re a bit inexperienced, but maybe the club is looking for a blank slate to teach and pass their experience on to. (Not to call you a blank slate…)

Besides, interviewing itself can be a great experience as well. You won’t leave empty-handed: worst-case scenario, you’ll end up with an idea of what kind of questions that specific club asks, what kind of person they’re looking for, and you’ll have made an impression on each of the interviewers. If they don’t remember you the next time you bump into them, it’ll be more likely that they’ll remember you after you re-introduce yourself.

2. Attend all club events

One of the most crucial aspects to being an executive member is the fact that they are forced to attend all events. This is how they naturally bond. Luckily for you, this essential trait can be replicated whether you are executive or not if you go to every event and connect with the club. Events are great ways to connect and reconnect with your fellow club members and the executive team.

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You might think you’re a bit inexperienced, but maybe the club is looking for a blank slate to teach and pass their experience on to

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The only asterisk is this: you have to make your presence known. It won’t really do you much good if you just go to the meeting and sit in a corner in your own bubble. Go ask a question, or meet someone new. Find out something interesting about them – what they do for the club, what they study, or what they find most interesting about the club or their field of study.

3. Audit Other Clubs

As students, we’re on a very limited budget. Understandably, you can’t sign up for all the clubs you really wanted to join. You pick a few that are at the top of your list or priorities – but what do you do with the rest?

Here’s an idea: connect with an executive member from the other clubs you were interested in, and ask if you can sit in on a members meeting, a seminar, or an event. Tell them that you wanted to test the waters before joining their club – they’ll understand, because they’re students too! They’ll provide you with information, you’ll have unofficially connected with them (and so it’ll be easier to start a conversation as well as ask for more information), and you now know where and when they’re holding the meeting. Of course, only do this if you actually intend to join. I don’t advocate mooching (or trying to mooch) a free membership off the club. They need the money to survive!

If you’re already an executive of another club, this is a great way to get in touch with clubs and make connections that weren’t there before. Cross promotion is a wonderful thing in university, and everyone could use a little more love and support at their events. Maybe the Economics Students Association will give your club members discounted rates if they sign up for their exam bank through your club, or maybe the social club on campus will send members to your lectures if you can get them more attendees to their events. You’re going to be adding value for both parties, which is a beautiful thing for members and executives alike.

Gear it up!

You might learn something new about university, the world, or yourself. Clubs week is over at UWO, so I’ll have to party away the blues on the weekend, but the school year is just beginning! The possibilities are endless. Grab your trusty inky pen, and start filling out those executive application forms that you just printed out. Cheers!