Some clubs may be competitive regarding participation, but not about membership. For instance, your student could join an investment/banking/business club, but not be one of the decision makers - sort of like not being on the board of directors for an organization. The inexperienced members can attend meetings, participate in low-level activities, and sort of intern for a year. Then in the second or third years, as they become more knowledgeable, they could be in a better position to actually make decisions and be a more active member.
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That I would be fine with.
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I wasn’t aware of how prevalent competitive clubs were until my older daughter’s freshman year. It was fall 2020, kids were barely allowed out of their dorm rooms yet she was having to go through rounds of zoom interviews to try to get into a few clubs. It was a rough experience to have so much rejection as an already isolated freshman.
When I toured schools with my 2022, I asked more questions. On one business school admitted students day I asked our tour guide what the acceptance rate for what appeared to be the two most popular clubs. It was less than 10% for both.
My 2022 ultimately chose a program where there was less competition to join what we used to think of as standard clubs. This school still has a few pre-professional fraternities that do have a rush process, but overall the clubs are more open and inclusive.
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This is why many people (especially parents) post here on CC looking for colleges with a non-competitive campus environment. They or their kids work their bottoms off the get into a good college, and they don’t want to spend another four years fighting to stay at the top.
If, in general, all clubs are competitive, it isn’t too likely that the clubs you’re asking about are going to be less competitive. I think it’s part of the current hyper-competitive culture around getting into top colleges today and I am sure it’s worse than it used to be. It’s not surprising to think that if it’s that tough to get in in the first place, some of that atmosphere is going to spill over into other aspects of the college vibe.
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Actually, in many ways I find it egalitarian. The competitive clubs are almost always quite diverse, and do offer helpful training to those who might otherwise lack family or other connections to these industries, so that they are better prepared to compete for these jobs. For my 1 kid who was in such a club, very few were polished upon joining, but 100% were upon leaving. Having 64 practice interviews does help some.
Do we have a list of these on CC?
Yes, but a lot of those same skills can be accessed at the campus career center. All colleges have workshops for getting jobs, they have job fairs, they have recruiting events, and there are other resources available to kids who don’t want to or can’t get into a club. If you’re at a top school, there is no reason why you need a club to help you get a job. Practicing interviewing doesn’t sound like a fun idea of a club to me, haha. It’s probably as much about making connections with people as anything else.
My point is that I think kids compete to get into these clubs because they want to. A lot of people thrive on competition. It’s great for some and not for others. I think it gets ridiculous though when virtually every club is competitive.
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Agree it’s depressing, although the YouTuber was rather entertaining. I guess I am not Harvard material because I find the environment described rather stressful.
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I don’t think there’s a list either way. Could be a good thread to start though.
Colleges with competitive clubs
Colleges with clubs that are open to all
That’s why I said club membership wasn’t essential, and that kids not in clubs can land targeted jobs as well. In those 3 fields, however, preparation is quite important-some prefer to do it in a club setting, some do it solo-whatever works. Actually, I think it is more helpful for kids who are not naturally competitive nor polished-it can be a big boost to their confidence. The kids who are superstars dont need it
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Usually there’s both. @Mwfan1921 singled out UCLA for having competitive clubs so I’ll share my daughter’s experience with an Engineering Club. To be part of it, the freshmen have to take a design course their first quarter offered by the university that gives them the skills needed to be part of the club. Then anyone can join. There are two arms to the club, one for students new to the club and one for upperclassmen. There are leadership positions that one has to interview for but everyone can be a member and learn/help out. You basically get out of it, what you put into it. I don’t know much about the business/premed clubs.
I’m curious what university the student transferring out of UCLA is attending, and how this student vetted the club opportunities of the new university.
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These are exactly the kind of organizations that I would want my kids to join in college. They are accessible to all, but to move up the ranks and especially in leadership positions, you have to have sweat equity.
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@mynameiswhatever I made a list thread here: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/t/list-of-colleges-with-competitive-or-open-clubs
Anyone can add to it.
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Excellent. Thank you!
It would not be surprising if capacity-limited clubs were more competitive at larger schools, simply because there are more potentially interested students at the larger schools.
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Both of my kids auditioned for dance clubs. Those clubs had limited space and they looked for certain type of dancers.
D1 is in finance and D2 is in law. Neither one joined any pre professional clubs in school. They participated in a lot of volunteer activities that were non competitive. They did join Greek life, which was quite competitive at their school. They just did what they wanted without considerations for their future employment or grad school.
There is always pressure in life, and our kids need to learn how much they want to put on themselves. They don’t always have to be the best to enjoy any activity.
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Also there are always many clubs, including religious and service groups, which are not competitive entry. Many ( most?) Schools have competitive social clubs in the form of Greek life, and almost all have competitive athletic and performing arts clubs. Not really understanding why the additional pre-professional clubs now on campus would influence anyone’s decision. It is ok to be exclusive socially but not professionally?
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The other club my kid is active in spends Friday afternoons at the local elementary schools working with kids on their writing. It’s a breath of fresh air for her and the kids love the attention 
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Mine too. She said the nicest kids were in the service clubs!
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This list is already proving illuminating! The mention about UVA and other publics with restricted business majors points to why this may be a practical rather than exclusionary restriction.
…now the dining clubs at Princeton are totally different. 
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