About Christina: Prior to Anderson, Christina Tadin (’22) lived in New York City and worked in retail real estate at a boutique consultancy firm called Robin Zendell & Associates. Her MBA focus is on entrepreneurship, more specifically in the health & wellness sector. In her spare time, Christina enjoys eating out at new restaurants, playing tennis and spending time with her three nephews who live in Chicago.
With over 50 student led clubs, deciding which clubs to join at Anderson can be daunting at first. I know I felt overwhelmed the first few weeks of summer quarter as I was slowly exposed to student life and involvement at Anderson. My biggest piece of advice? Listen to the onboarding committee’s guidance and do not worry about clubs until you are formally introduced at the club fair. Administration does not give first year students access to clubs until the start of fall quarter because they want you to get settled and have a better sense of your career trajectory. Clubs can then serve as a tool to best support your career path.
This year, we had two virtual club fairs. The first was a “no pressure club fair” at the end of August, which I used as an opportunity to better understand what clubs exist. At that point, the only club I knew I wanted to join was the Entrepreneur Association. Otherwise, I joined breakout rooms for clubs that I thought sounded interesting so I could get a better feel for what they do. Use this as an opportunity to meet club leaders and to better understand the clubs’ missions. See what you like and do not like and ask questions!
By the beginning of October when the official club fair rolls around, you should hopefully feel more settled into life at Anderson, with fall quarter having started. Let both your professional and personal interests drive you in deciding which clubs to join. Joining clubs without taking a leadership position is a relatively low time commitment, but membership fees are expensive, so try and narrow membership down to a handful of clubs.
I would suggest joining at least 1-2 professional clubs focused on your career of interest. Most professional clubs send out a weekly newsletter only accessible to members. The letter highlights internship opportunities, as well as upcoming events and coffee chats with industry professionals. For interest-based or socially focused clubs, ask around and see what clubs your friends plan to join. For example, I signed up for wine club with a few of friends, which is a great way to socialize and meet people in a more relaxed setting. I also signed up for tennis club to stay active and meet other players.
When thinking about applying for club director roles, focus on positions that play to your skillsets and strengths. I love to network and meet new people, so I applied to be a Director of Speaker Series within the Entrepreneur Association, knowing that I would get to connect with entrepreneurs. Director roles are a time commitment, so apply only to positions that you are passionate about. That way, dedicating your time and effort is more of a fun task than a burden.
One of the nice things about clubs is that there is no cut-off date to sign up. You can always wait and see how you feel and join later in the fall or winter quarter. Remember to pace yourselves and just enjoy the moment!
Student Blogger: Christina Tadin ’22
Undergrad: Georgetown ’16
Pre-MBA: Retail Consulting
Leadership@Anderson: Entrepreneurial Leadership Development Program (ELDP), Director – Admissions Ambassador Corps, Director of Wellness – Women’s Business Connection, Director of Speaker Series— Entrepreneur Association, Riordan Scholar Mentor
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