The Application Process

From your first day on campus, if not much earlier, you will inundated with information about all of the various clubs that your business school has to offer. The Marketing club, the Consulting club, the Ski club, the Wine and Cheese club maybe even the Cigars and Poker club. Applicants are even sometimes asked to indicate which clubs they are interested in during the application process. "Hmmm, I really like both wine and cheese. Sign me up!" And don't forget about "Student Government" where your section will hold elections within a few days of knowing each other for positions such as "Section President" and "Vice President of Recruiting." Almost everyone will have joined multiple clubs and have multiple elected positions. The dirty secret of course is these positions are like the participation trophy of business school, everyone gets one just for showing up.
This is a particularly stark contrast to undergraduate where many students never get involved and running a club was much more difficult because it's hard to always get consistent support from a bunch of twenty year olds who are eager to enjoy the many other distractions of undergraduate life. But, business school attendees in their mid-twenties who are uber motivated and spending their own money to get a better job, they will show up in droves to improve their chances for their dream job.
You might start to wonder what this all means to your student experience and how much or how little you should get involved. I often tell clients that there are three legs to your experience on campus, academics, recruiting and social. And you can only pick two. However, clubs typically span both recruiting and social. It can help your employer networking and look good on a resume, while also giving you more time to spend with your fellow classmates on potentially fun and engaging projects. However, let me provide a few words of caution when it comes to clubs. First, don't overdo it. Joining a dozen clubs (all of which have a membership of ten to thirty dollars) starts to hurt more than it helps. You can't possibly devote enough time to them, it gets expensive and if you write down a big list of these clubs on your resume, it certainly looks like you are simply padding it to make up for other deficiencies in your story. Second, try to make sure they are relevant to who you are. Are you a passionate supporter of LGBT rights? Sure, sign up for the club. Hate golfing, but think it's what "business school" people do? Don't waste your time. Should you try to get one of those many leadership positions? Yes, maybe one. At most two if you are really going to give it some effort. Bottom line, one of the most important things in business school and life, and something that can never be taught, is being authentic. Trying too hard to be a leader, especially if you don't have much real leadership experience on your resume can come off fake and actually turn recruiters off.