Starting an interest club

[csanc159]

I was hoping someone on here could give me some insight on how starting a club would benefit me. I feel like I'm missing that leadership role as an applicant and I thought starting a club would be great, aside from the fact that I'm genuinely interested in my club idea. I was thinking something like a neuro club so anything dealing with the brain, neuropsych, neurocognitive, new research in the field, etc. and we don't have one in school. I spoke to my pre health advisor and he mentioned it was a good idea but the problem was how that club would be maintained after I left. What do you guys think? My ideal goal is for the club to, obviously, stay alive once I'm gone but is that such a bad thing if it does not?
Thanks!

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[NotASerialKiller]

Just make sure you have all your permits before you open up anyone's skull. I found out the hard way that there are a lot of "anasthesia" requirements before you get started.

 

[DrHart]

Just as a word of advice, you should start by saying you are genuinely interested in neuroscience, and then follow with "I want to start a club." Saying that you're "missing that leadership role" makes you look like a hoop jumper.
As to running a club, I suggest recruiting others who are interested in helping you start. With luck, you can find some who are a year or two below you and who could take over when you graduate. From my own experience, it's no easy thing to run a successful club... but if you're serious about it, you really should do it for the right reasons... not just for a line on your resume.

 

[LizzyM]

I'm not as impressed with someone who starts a club as I am with someone who gets involved with and climbs into a leadership role in an existing club.

That said, if you can recruit students from all 4 years and come up with programming that will appeal to students and perhaps some outreach to the public to inform people about the amazing things that the brain does and how it can be protected then you might have the start of a longstanding and useful club.

 

[Catalystik]

if you can recruit students from all 4 years and come up with programming that will appeal to students and perhaps some outreach to the public to inform people about the amazing things that the brain does and how it can be protected then you might have the start of a longstanding and useful club.

Six weeks ago, @LizzyM gave some great advice to another member, Frodo, about starting his own club. This thread inspires me to repost selected excerpts which might translate into strategies of use to the OP:

Form yourselves into an informal film club, talk about the film afterward, and call it the "Frodo Film Club". Make something up about being a loosely knit group dedicated to the enjoyment of contemporary films with a focus on .... [insert something here about your favorite genres and/or directors]. List a pal as the contact. 99.98% chance no one will ever contact your friend but if so, your friend can legitimize your film club experience.

Have polo shirts made with "Frodo Film Club" embroidered on upper left chest or have pin-back buttons made.
Submit your photo to the med school wearing the shirt or button.
Like a ton of movies on your Facebook page.
Create a Facebook page for the club and invite your buds to join.
Put your upcoming events (friends going to the movies) on the club page. Even if your friends to a movie without you, have them list it there.
Start a Frodo Film Club blog. Link to imdb.com or Rotten Tomatoes with a few lines about the film. Post two or three films per week whether or not you have seen them personally. Or get a pal who is a communications or English or Film Studies major to do the blog so that it will, at least, come up on a Google search. After all, people in those majors are going to need something for their portfolio before they get a job folding sweaters at Old Navy.

LizzyM was smokin' hot that day.

[Obviously these comments were made "tongue in cheek" in case you were wondering.]

 

[WedgeDawg]

Just make sure you have all your permits before you open up anyone's skull. I found out the hard way that there are a lot of "anasthesia" requirements before you get started.

rofling

 

[LizzyM]

Six weeks ago, @LizzyM gave some great advice to another member, Frodo, about starting his own club. This thread inspires me to repost selected excerpts which might translate into strategies of use to the OP:



[Obviously these comments were made "tongue in cheek" ]

No they weren't. As far as fun, you just can't beat starting a chapter of Frodo's Film Club on your campus today!

 

[Catalystik]

No they weren't.

I stand corrected.

I really did like the community service component of helping non-science majors to round out their CVs.

 

[csanc159]

I'm not as impressed with someone who starts a club as I am with someone who gets involved with and climbs into a leadership role in an existing club.

That said, if you can recruit students from all 4 years and come up with programming that will appeal to students and perhaps some outreach to the public to inform people about the amazing things that the brain does and how it can be protected then you might have the start of a longstanding and useful club.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[csanc159]

Just as a word of advice, you should start by saying you are genuinely interested in neuroscience, and then follow with "I want to start a club." Saying that you're "missing that leadership role" makes you look like a hoop jumper.
As to running a club, I suggest recruiting others who are interested in helping you start. With luck, you can find some who are a year or two below you and who could take over when you graduate. From my own experience, it's no easy thing to run a successful club... but if you're serious about it, you really should do it for the right reasons... not just for a line on your resume.

Thank you for your insight! It definitely would not be for the line on the resume because for that I would do some random club but I really do enjoy neuroscience and I'm volunteer in a neuro-cognitive research lab right now so I thought the PI could also help me out by being the advisor.