3 reasons to join a business student organization at ASU

Fact: There are over 1,000 registered student organizations at ASU. These clubs cover an incredibly wide range of interests, so it’s really easy to find something exciting to fill up the time between class and homework. Here are three reasons to get involved.

Fact: There are over 1,000 registered student organizations at ASU. These clubs cover an incredibly wide range of interests, so it’s really easy to find something exciting to fill up the time between class and homework. If you aren’t exactly sure if student organizations are for you, don’t worry because I’m here to give you three reasons why getting involved will positively impact your college career!

1. Building relationships

I've made some of the best friends as a result of joining student organizations. While you can definitely make friends with people in your classes or major, student orgs also allow you to build relationships with students who have similar interests and who you might not have met otherwise. If there is one thing that the business school truly emphasizes, and for good reason, it’s networking. This is more than just exchanging business cards or adding people on LinkedIn; networking requires you to find commonalities with people and build mutually beneficial and lasting relationships.

People hire people they like and it’s possible that your friend in that one breakdancing club you were in (this is an actual thing), could be working at your dream job and provide a reference. Thinking less long-term, joining a student organization is a way to have fun and relieve the stress of daily classwork.

2. Leadership

Especially for first-year students and sophomores, having leadership positions in student organizations are a great way to build your resume before you start applying for internships. However, I want to make an important note that you should not just consider your involvement in a student org as a resume builder.

It is much better to join clubs that you find value in because when an employer looks at your resume, it should tell a story about who you are and what you are passionate about.

But what if there isn’t a club on campus that focuses on what you want to do? Start one! When I realized that there wasn’t a business organization that would help me network with people interested in careers in the entertainment industry, I founded the Entertainment Business Association. While there are quite a few details that go into it, actually registering to start an organization is super easy. Whether you start a club or join an existing organization, there is so much opportunity to build new skills that will translate well in any interview.

3. Finding your path

If you’re like the majority of college students, you still aren’t sure what you want to do when you graduate — and that is totally okay! One of the best ways to figure it out is to get involved and start discovering what you are really interested in and also importantly, what you aren’t interested in.

Just in W. P. Carey, there are organizations for your specific major and other professional interests such as entertainment or sports, and there’s even a student-run advertising agency. Many of these organizations bring in guest speakers to talk about their career paths, offer advice, and even offer internship or job positions.

Every time a new guest speaker visits my organization, I learn about a career I didn’t even know existed and it helps give me more perspective of the opportunities available. Furthermore, there are upper-division students in every organization, especially on executive boards, who have so much insight to share from their own experiences. Getting involved in a student organization will give you access to students who could become the mentors you didn’t know you needed.

Learn more about student clubs and organizations at ASU's W. P. Carey School of Business.