Why Student Organizations Matter More Than You Think

The majority of student societies, clubs and organizations are chaired by students, who manage and oversee the internal and external activities and events that happen, as well as the funding and allocation of resources and facilities.

Each year, students have the opportunity to be elected by their peers to run for committee roles, such as president, vice president, treasurer, raising and giving secretary, wellbeing officer – every role can offer a real sense of achievement.

It’s also where you can improve your experience and knowledge of valuable professional skills such as event planning and organization, market research, budgeting – all of which employers seriously value and can help set you up nicely for exciting positions later in life.

Every year EDHEC hosts the annual EDHEC Sailing Cup (Course Croisière), which is considered the best student sporting event in Europe. It’s an event that is organized for students by other students who manage a budget of over €2,000,000 (~US$2,256,000) and oversee a team of art designers, fundraisers, project managers, and more.

And sometimes being part of a club or society will be your ticket to traveling the world (really!). While many degree programs at EDHEC including the Master of Science – Financial Economics and the Master in Management, Global Economic Transformation and Technology offer international study trips, students who are part of the EDHEC United Nations have the chance to take part in a five-day conference at the UN Headquarters in New York City with 5,000 other students from around the world.

Being part of a student society lets you take a break from the demands of studying and assignments. But it’s also where you get to know yourself better and learn what it means to manage your time carefully between your degree and other interests. Knowing you have only a set amount of time to dedicate to studying or writing an assignment can be a real motivator.

Having the courage to take that first step and put yourself out there is pretty admirable. While your ultimate goal of studying at business school is to earn a degree, business school is also a valuable opportunity to try something new – so don’t be afraid to get out there.

Which leads us nicely on to our next point…

Being part of a student society demonstrates your commitment to other activities outside of your degree, and if you’ve had a position on the committee then you can definitely use this to your advantage when it comes to applying to graduate jobs.

Give examples of memorable moments from your time at the club. For example, if you were on the board, was there a time when you had to make difficult financial decisions for the club’s resources and facilities? It’s things like this which can make great discussion points in your interview.