Back to School: College Clubs That Can Help Your Career

When you’re looking to gain experience and start building your network it can be tough to know where to start. Thankfully, you may not even need to venture off campus to start building valuable skills and connections. Now that you’re starting to settle in to your fall schedule, it may be time to think about joining a student organization that can help you. Here’s a look at some common on-campus activities that will help you build your resume while making friends with similar interests, meeting professionals in your field, and gaining some new skills.

Law Society/ Mock Trial
For the future intellectual property lawyers out there, these are the organizations you’ll want to look for. My university had them as two separate organizations but they may be united as one. Mock Trial helps you experience what it’s like to be in a court room by preparing a case and arguing it in a mock court room. It may even mean competing against other schools and having the chance to test your acting skills by taking the stand as a witness. Law societies usually focus more on educational opportunities including panels, networking events, LSAT prep, and law school tours.

Marketing Association
These organizations are usually college chapters of the larger American Marketing Association. It’s for students who are interested in work in marketing and offers educational events, guest speakers, and networking opportunities.

PRSSA
The Public Relations Student Society of America is a national group of college students interested in public relations and communications. They have college branches at many universities. Each chapter hosts its on service, educational, and networking events and the national organization hosts national and regional conferences. It’s a great resource for anyone who is interested in work in PR.

Radio
If you have any interest in working in radio or learning how it works joining your college radio station is the best way to get started. You’ll learn about programming a station, build connections with record labels and musicians, and maybe have the chance to have your own show. It may also give you an opportunity to attend the CMJ festival and conference held each year in New York.

GRAMMY U
Alright, I admit this one isn’t exactly on campus but it’s an organization I’m a particular fan of because there’s really no other than offers such an impressive array of educational and networking opportunities for students interested in music careers (and at such a great price of only $50 for your entire college career). Check out the previous post, How GRAMMY U Can Help You Start A Music Career, for more info.

Student Activities Board
This may go by another name but regardless of what your school calls it it’s sort of like the student council in high school. Similarly, it is responsible for planning major events on campus and possibly even things like concerts, movie nights, dances, and comedy shows. It’s a fantastic way to get event planning and management experience and potentially have the opportunity to organize and promote a concert with major artists on your college campus.