Club Officer

<p>Does being an Officer in a club REALLY make a difference on your resume?<br>
I had been planning and designing a club that I wanted to start at my school for about two months. I finally got it approved by the principal and the first meeting was this afternoon. I was hoping to be president since I had put so much time into the club beforehand and knew what I was doing. However, random people showed up and beat me out of EVERY office position, random people who hadn't done any pre-planning or had any knowledge of the goals of the club.
Now, I'm just a regular member of the club I FOUNDED. Is that really fair at all? Club Offices just seem to be popularity contests at my school. I'm wondering if being an officer helps you out in college admissions or do colleges see through the bs of club election processes.</p>

<p>I think you should speak to your GC about this. It is definitely NOT fair. It should have been made clear at the start of the meeting that you are the founder and president, and that other positions are up for grabs. THis is what my daughter put on her applications:
Heritage Appreciation Club - Founder and Leader
Because I know that some schools actually have software filters than actually filter out all of the leadership positions. So as long as you put that, don't worry about the titles. Just my opinion.</p>

<p>I appreciate the reply. At our school, general club rules are that anyone can run for any office, but they seem to be missing rules about club founders and their status as officers in the club. Maybe its just me, but if I attended a club meeting and the founder was running for any office, I would not hesitate to vote for them, as they put in the most work in creating the club. Once again, thank you for the reply sunshadow. I will definately look into this more, and any other opinions would be great.</p>

<p>what do you want to bet those people will not follow through and are dong it for show and you will end up doing all the work anyway</p>

<p>me, I would be $)(#@</p>

<p>is there anyway you can take whatever th club is about OUT of the school</p>

<p>Somehow I doubt colleges will care less about the title and more about what you did. If you care about the title (and you should!), does your school rules allow for any uh... impeachments? If they do, just impeach them next week when they probably won't show up.</p>

<p>It's a film study club, and unfortunately, we can't meet outside of school, so we have to go through school election processes. Sure, being founder and president would look great on the resume, but I too have a feeling that these people are running JUST for the resume booster. I love viewing and discussing movies, and while I can do that as a regular member, I feel like my agenda is going to get shafted and changed by the club leadership now that I don't even hold an office. Again, the problem with impeachments is, club offices are essentially populairty contests. There would have to be a 2/3rds vote in favor of impeaching the president or any other officer in order for it to occur, and I don't have that much sway in the club (Why I didn't get enough votes to win an office in the first place).</p>

<p>I would not recommend taking it out of school. That is opening a whole other can of worms, and you will have to be willing to deal with can be a considerable amount more.</p>

<p>I can express my sympathy and say I know just a little of what you feel. I have been in my school's high school choir since I was a freshman and the choir teacher has been so, so, so supportive of me and is teacher who just loves me as a student. (I don't say that with arrogance. She is a wonderful woman and I do not deserve the kind way in which she treats me. :)) I am so incredibly loyal to her class and she comments on how eager I am to come.</p>

<p>She chooses officers herself, and this year when she choose them, she put three seniors in office (alright, that's good for them), but she also choose a new freshman girl over me for an office. I am NOT one of those people who thinks seniority should= privilege, not at all. I was still a bit hurt that when she was choosing people for offices, she choose a girl she had just met and who was new to the choir (and had already been given unrelated leadership positions in other places in the school and would have those) over me. At the beginning of next year, I intend to speak to her about the possibility of being appointed to an office, because it takes a huge time commitment and I would to be able to show something from it besides "1st and 2nd Sap". I think for an office that the teacher chooses, my years of work for her should be worth something. </p>

<p>Hang in there. :) Also keep in mind that you can put that you started the club on your college applications, and that shows leadership in and off itself.</p>

<p>I'm very sorry to you too. Thanks for the advice.</p>

<p>All I can really say is that you got shafted. I started a Rock Club (like the music, not a stone) and it wasnt even a question that I was president. None of the clubs at our schools are elected except student government. The leaders apoint new ones. The club you started will probably die because the people who took it over just want to say "Yeah i was president of this", so i would try starting it up when it dies. I would make some sort of provision that the founder is always the president.</p>

<p>I thought by creating the club, you have the automatic link to be the president.</p>

<p>How did the meeting go on, without the leadership of the FOUNDER, which is you?</p>

<p>This is really confusing me.</p>

<p>I'm sorry to hear that you have been booted from your own club. Though I agree that you should have been firm on who is lifetime dictator of that club, I do value your sense of fairness in an election. </p>

<p>What you should have done is when founding a club, you fill it with your friends first and officially start the club, no promotion/frills etc. After you have consolidated your position, you can start promoting the club(already the rest of the club positions awarded to your most loyal friends/supporters).</p>

<p>This is another one of those cases in which life isn't fair.</p>

<p>Well, I also thought that by being founder of a club you automatically gain the presidency, but my school rules say we HAVE to hold elections for every office. I posted the signs, I let everyone know about the meeting, I let everyone know that I was the club founder and had been working on this club for the past two months. I also let everyone know that they could run if they wanted. Needless to say, everyone ran for the offices I created and everyone voted for each other. That left me out. Gryffon, heinsight is 20/20, but you are 100% right, I really should have done that. I am still upset that people didnt respect me and my hardwork enough to elect me president, but you cant win them all I guess :)</p>

<p>yeah and really all clubs on campus are good to have on your app as an exc but dont really make a significant difference. Nation wide how many clubs are there affiliated with schools? Too many. And because of that, they dont hold that much weight. Instead of investing ur time in clubs, you should try to do things otuside of school that not alot of ppl can do but since your are short on time, doing an internship over the summer for a well establisehd company or doing research for a lab or something of that nature will best suit u because A) it will hold more weight/be exclusive to a certain amount of ppl B) you can get a rec from your employer.</p>

<p>You can easily become an officer, you said it yourself. If its a popularity contest, become more popular.</p>

<p>^</p>

<p>ok...</p>

<p>anyways, can't you still claim you were the founder. You did technically set up its existence. So, when you do your college app., can't you just say you founded the club, and not mention any other position?</p>

<p>Thats very true flong, I see your point. I am definately going to try to pursue other opportunities. I believe I could put founder on my college app, but Im not sure. I guess I am just a little ticked off that no one voted for me :)</p>

<p>You can definitely put that you were founder of it. You might even get away with 'leader' if you have heavy involvement in the club (as in speaking to the members often, etc.). In addition, did you mention to the potential members that you founded it, worked hard to create it, etc.?</p>

<p>You did all of the work to found the club, so that definitely should go on your apps. Based on what you've posted, I bet the other students got club offices just to look good on their resumes. If you stay in the club and end up doing all of the work, you still can have a great club and describe in your applications what you did.</p>

<p>For instance, you probably will be the one who'll create any projects or events. If so, then you can correctly describe yourself on applications as "Club founder, and creator of an event that did....."</p>

<p>Impact is far more important than holding an office. You also can have the advisor write a recommendation that details what you did.</p>

<p>I don't suggest bowing out of the club just because you didn't get an office, though I have empathy for you about how the other students shafted you. If you truly care about the club for more reasons than resume dressing, you still should do what's needed to have a good club even if others are holding offices. You can write your college essays about what you did or you can discuss that in interviews. The relatively few colleges that factor nonathletic ECs into their admissions decisions are far more interested in the work and leadership that a student showed than what their offices were.</p>

<p>Thanks for the advice kyledavid and northstarmom. I will definately still continue to be heavily involved in the club..To have a good time and lay a foundation for the club so that it continues even after I graduate. Appreciate the help :)</p>

<p>hahaa that is hilarious. Outrageous but hilarious. I'd love to hear the speeches made before those votes...</p>

<p>You: Well basically I founded this entire club. We wouldn't be here without my 2 months of dedication and hard work.</p>

<p>Competitor: Umm....movies are cool. I'm really into them. I play JV basketball and um.. idk. </p>

<p>And yet you lost to all of your competitors. I'm gonna say maybe its time to forget about clubs unless its social skills 101. Anyone can go ahead and yell popularity contest and while that might have a lot to do with it, i think your inability to plan/demonstrate interest to others might have to do with it. I really think thats hilarious though. I feel bad and its pathetic to any outsider looking in but its still funny. Maybe you should start another film club and fight your old film club...challenge them to a film making competition or a film viewing marathon competition to raise money for a charity mb?</p>