When I was attending college in Michigan, I flew into Orlando to attend a 5 day leadership conference being held at a five star resort.  I paid three hundred dollars for the entire trip. You cannot buy a one-way plane ticket for that much money.

Later that same year, I attended a 3 day leadership conference in Manhattan at the University of Columbia with all expenses paid.

How did I accomplish this experience of a lifetime and resume building trips for next to nothing?  I did this by joining a school organization.  Most organizations have non-profit status with the university, advised by a faculty member, and are funded by the university in many creative ways.

It is said that college is supposed to be the time of your life.  However, you cannot simply attend college and have the time of your life.  Unless you simply desire to party in the dorms, which in that case all you have to do is live in the dorms and stay conscious.  Otherwise you have to be proactive in your participation at your college.  A school organization is a perfect outlet for a student looking to better him or herself.

Here are the top 10 reasons to join a school organization:

1. It is a great opportunity to meet like minded individuals.

Did you know that universities usually have hundreds of school organizations ranging from Music to Politics?  And if there isn’t an organization that exists, you can create one with the help of the school.

2. Resume builder.

Let us be honest here. We all would like to spice up our resume.  Remember in high school when your counselor told you that participating in sports and after school events looks good on a school application?  If they didn’t tell you that, you should request that they be fired!  The same thing applies to job applications after graduating from a university.  Being on the executive board of a school organization is a great way to get ahead of your competition, trust me, I know.

3. A free meal once a week.

These organizations generally have meetings once a week and offer free food to entice membership with the group.  Because it is a non-profit organization with a university, most local restaurants are more than happy to cut a deal for food each week.  I remember the days of endless pizza and pop from our local pizzeria! If you are crafty, you could even swing a free date this way.

4. Free trips!

As I mentioned above, these organizations are generally centered on a particular topic.  For me, it was around entrepreneurship.  Naturally the university was more than willing to support us in our ventures.  All entrepreneurs are interested in furthering their leadership skills, so the university helped fund our trips to leadership conferences around the nation. Where does this money come from?  Talk to your student government.  They have allocation each semester to hand out to organizations.  Did you know that most deans also have the ability to allocate money each semester to organizations as well?

5. To have fun.

If you are absolutely crazy about politics, a.k.a. an activist (just kidding, I am not that narrow-minded), than what would be better than joining an organization centered on that very thing?  It is nothing more than a gathering of individuals who have the same desire as you do and wish to entertain that desire intelligently.

6. Network, network, network.

Almost all established organizations are not only well connected to the university, but they are well connected to the community as well.  As a member of the entrepreneurship club, we had guest speakers on a weekly basis.  Many of these speakers were business owners and chief executive officers.  One of our members had great interest in growing a restaurant business and he was lucky enough to meet the owner of the largest restaurant chain in our city at one of our weekly meetings.

7. Give back to your community.

Fundraising events for your community are held constantly throughout the year.  Volunteering for these events becomes a matter of putting your name and number on a sheet that is passed around at the weekly meetings.  If you are looking for ways to give back to your community, it does not get any easier than this.

8. Learn about your university.

Many times multiple organizations will combine efforts with events.  This means that while you may be a part of the Real Estate organization, you will combine with the Finance organization and work together for a common cause.  These events, such as fundraisers for Breast Cancer awareness, generally attract officials from all departments at your university as well.  At the end of the day, you have helped contribute to Breast Cancer awareness, met exciting new people from a different interest area, and networked with university officials.  A pretty active day wouldn’t you say?

9. Develop yourself.

Through talking with many graduates, I am finding that more and more schools are requiring a portion of higher-education be related to liberal education.  That is to say that in order to graduate, you must take classes focused on teaching you about how you fit into this world.  I would call that “being cultured”.  Bringing people from different walks of life together to unite under one type of causality is exactly that.  To see something through someone else’s eyes is of great value in today’s world.

10. Is a secret.

You may not realize this, but your university is powerful.  And by university, I mean the faculty and students that make up the university.  There is a big difference between attending a university and being a part of the university.  The majority of students just use the university as a means to an end, the end being a piece of paper they can frame and use as a direct means to a salary increase.  But for us others, we see everything else a university can provide for us in addition to our accredited education.

For those of you who know that it is not only what you know, but also who you know, a student organization is the ticket.

To find information about student organizations at your university, call or go online to the Student Services department.  Or if you attend Michigan State University, go to the local pub.

Until next time,

Mr. Education

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