Why are extracurriculars so hard to join in college now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most clubs are open to anyone. It's just that people make a ton of noise when they encounter the ones that have a tryout/application/etc.

Not true for Greek life and club sports

My kid is in two clubs that had tryouts. The issue is that they travel for competition and have very limited funds so can’t take more than like a dozen people. But each club then has like a B team that doesn’t travel that I think pretty much anyone can join.
But some of these seem like artificial scarcity— like the example of the business fraternity. There’s no reason to limit that.

[Anonymous]

It's unbelievable that some of these schools cost close to 100K per year and our kids have trouble joining clubs, teams, etc.

For the person saying "just start your own club" - that is way easier said than done. These clubs, especially the career oriented ones, are very structured, employers know them, it's just not a reasonable response.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College is no longer a time to explore sadly. Many engineering clubs at top schools have applications and interviews you have to pass to make it into the club. Greek life is selective as always. Club sports are even more selective than varsity sports teams at large high schools. It’s insane

So start your own club. Put that on your resume. Whatever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's unbelievable that some of these schools cost close to 100K per year and our kids have trouble joining clubs, teams, etc.

For the person saying "just start your own club" - that is way easier said than done. These clubs, especially the career oriented ones, are very structured, employers know them, it's just not a reasonable response.

I can see how starting your own club and creating the network with employers (the whole reason anyone wants to join) can be a full-time job. It does seem crazy to spend that much and still not have access.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's unbelievable that some of these schools cost close to 100K per year and our kids have trouble joining clubs, teams, etc.

For the person saying "just start your own club" - that is way easier said than done. These clubs, especially the career oriented ones, are very structured, employers know them, it's just not a reasonable response.

I can see how starting your own club and creating the network with employers (the whole reason anyone wants to join) can be a full-time job. It does seem crazy to spend that much and still not have access.

Didn’t Wharton recently put limits on how clubs select members? They’re well aware that the exclusive behavior of these clubs is reducing the value of the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most clubs are open to anyone. It's just that people make a ton of noise when they encounter the ones that have a tryout/application/etc.

Not true for Greek life and club sports

Again, MOST clubs are open to anyone. SOME have a tryout or application.

Clearly, for a club sport, you have to show some talent or aptitude. Same for anything that requires performances or competitions.

Greek life doesn't even count because we all know practices differ from place to place. At some schools, you're guaranteed a spot IF you fully participate and fill out all the ranking spots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College is no longer a time to explore sadly. Many engineering clubs at top schools have applications and interviews you have to pass to make it into the club. Greek life is selective as always. Club sports are even more selective than varsity sports teams at large high schools. It’s insane

It’s really life mom.
Wake up.

[Anonymous]

Be kind. We all want our kids to find their people in college. With iPhones, casual hanging-out and chatting in common rooms and dining halls isn’t as much of a thing at a lot of colleges now. Kids are trying to join clubs not only to get a leg up in the job market but also to find their people.

[Anonymous]

The thing is - you don’t need the clubs. You don’t need the consulting club to get to McKinsey. And you don’t need the engineering club to get into an internship. For once, get your kid off the rat race, just tell them to get great grades in college and The doors will open. Trust

- F500 HR

[Anonymous]

What do you actually DO at the business/finance/consulting clubs? Is it like pretend work projects? Serious question, I did not have this at my college.

And couldn't it be more valuable to just get a job, even a low-wage service sector job for your resume?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The thing is - you don’t need the clubs. You don’t need the consulting club to get to McKinsey. And you don’t need the engineering club to get into an internship. For once, get your kid off the rat race, just tell them to get great grades in college and The doors will open. Trust

- F500 HR

For engineering, good grades by itself won’t get an internship. I know that for certain

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do you actually DO at the business/finance/consulting clubs? Is it like pretend work projects? Serious question, I did not have this at my college.

And couldn't it be more valuable to just get a job, even a low-wage service sector job for your resume?

Some of the consulting clubs (all? I don’t know, but certainly some) get “jobs” to work on from big name companies. I assume these are for educational value for the students and future recruiting not because fortune 500 companies are really looking for business insights from a bunch of 20 year olds at Harvard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College is no longer a time to explore sadly. Many engineering clubs at top schools have applications and interviews you have to pass to make it into the club. Greek life is selective as always. Club sports are even more selective than varsity sports teams at large high schools. It’s insane

Not true for all schools. For example, I can think of a few hard-to-get-into colleges that do not have cuts for club sports. So don't get discouraged or generalize.

If open access to joining clubs and sports is a priority for you or your kid, focus in on that and ask people to name schools that fit your needs. But don't assume that all schools are the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most clubs are open to anyone. It's just that people make a ton of noise when they encounter the ones that have a tryout/application/etc.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most clubs are open to anyone. It's just that people make a ton of noise when they encounter the ones that have a tryout/application/etc.

Not true for Greek life and club sports

Again, not true for all schools. For example, Davidson has different eating houses for female students, which are social clubs like a sorority, and anyone who wants to join will receive a spot. Same for club sports at Duke, if I remember correctly. No cuts.