Aside from going to class—and, in the case of those seeking their part-time MBA, also going to work—many prospective MBAs join clubs or student organizations.
Some clubs provide great networking and professional benefits, such as access to industry leaders, professional development opportunities and the ability to make a real impact. Meanwhile, other clubs focus on travel and even more are just for fun.
These organizations can truly add value to the academic and professional experiences students have over the course of their MBAs. A U.S. News & World Report list describes the following as reasons why it’s a good decision to get involved in a club in college:
- It allows students to become connected to their school.
- It helps them build community.
- It allows them to discover their passions and strengths.
- It’s a résumé builder.
- Sometimes, busier people do better.
- Utilize your school’s resources.
Here is a list of some of the coolest MBA clubs and student organization’s in the Washington, DC, metro area.
Robert H. Smith School of Business
At the Robert H. Smith School of Business, the MBA Association (MBAA) coordinates more than 20 student-run groups. Each club is focused on building a sense of community by providing Smith MBA students opportunities to interact through social and career development activities held throughout the year.
Smith Human Capital Association: Human capital is defined as the skills, knowledge and experience possessed by an individual or population, viewed in terms of their value or cost to an organization or country. The Smith Human Capital Association (HCA) prepares MBA candidates to make a powerful impact in their future human capital roles. HCA efforts will be focused on exploring careers in human capital and connecting students with local professionals, Smith alumni and target companies.
Data Analytics Club: As Big Data and Data Analytics becomes a bigger part of business, the Smith School has created a new club focused on these ideas. The Data Analytics club provides seminars in SAS, Google Analytics and Search Engine Optimization that will be open to everyone. The club also hosts fun events focused on bringing the community together, like a March Madness–themed Data Crunch.
Part-Time MBA Association: Clubs aren’t only for full-time students. Graduate MBA students who attend part time on the Shady Grove (Rockville), Washington, D.C. and Baltimore campuses will find that the Part-Time MBA Association best represents their interests. According to the school, the PTMBAA represents the combined concerns of students and serves as a liaison to the administration and faculty of the University of Maryland.
George Washington University School of Business
Business Gives Back: This student-led initiative celebrates the George Washington School of Business’s past, present and future commitment to promoting responsible corporate citizenship by fostering partnerships between business, alumni, students and their communities. The club hosts an annual gala highlighting the great things the business school has done for the community and honors current students and GW alumni who have engaged their business degree in socially responsible business endeavors.
GWSB Follies: For those students who like to goof off a little, GWSB Follies is where aspiring MBAs can gather safely at the intersection of business and society to identify the very best qualities GWSB has to offer, then relentlessly mock them. MBA students can write, create, produce and act in a sketch comedy show—then perform in front of a live audience at the Jack Morton Auditorium.
Kogod School of Business
Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE): Forensic accounting is an exciting field where accounting skills are used to investigate fraud or embezzlement and to analyze financial information for use in legal proceedings. The purpose of ACFE at Kogod is to give students interested in forensic accounting and other fraud related topics a place to learn, network and have fun.
Toastmasters: The Toastmasters Club is open to students and faculty and holds learn-by-doing workshops where members hone their speaking and leadership skills in a friendly atmosphere. This is an international organization with more than 345,000 members around the world. Members improve their speaking and leadership skills by attending one of the 15,900 clubs in 142 countries that make up a global network of meeting locations.
George Mason School of Business
Mason Entrepreneurs: The entrepreneurship club provides programs and activities exploring all aspects of entrepreneurship, including the idea creation, funding, management and operational issues facing the entrepreneurs of today and tomorrow. The club offers workshops designed around various issues in building a company, a dinner series where club members meet informally with local entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, field trips to mid-stage startups and local venture capital companies and a Young Entrepreneurs Summit that features young, successful entrepreneurs sharing their career paths with students from Mason and other regional universities.
The Real Estate Association for Leaders (REAL): Interested in making money in real estate? REAL provides a direct link between students and top employers within the real estate industry. Aside from networking opportunities, students will have the opportunity to participate in activities with trade organizations (ULI, NAIOP, etc.), attend luncheons with potential employers, tour metro-area development projects and gain meaningful satisfaction through events with charities like Habitat for Humanity.