The best decision I have made as a college student so far has definitely been attending the student run Advertising Club. I have a very strong interest in the world of advertising, especially in the creative and account branches. This was one of the few clubs I signed up for that I knew about prior to the involvement fair in the beginning of the year, and it was number one on my list. My first experience with this club was at the involvement fair, and it raised my level of excitement quite a bit. Coming from a high school where clubs just meant hanging out with friends, I was very surprised to hear what this club was really like. When I asked the president of the club what we would do, she told me that the club offered a plethora of opportunity. That caught my attention very quickly. The president of the club told me that the club was created to assist advertising majors in learning about how to find internships and jobs. My prayers were answered! I have always had the thought in the back of my head of,”How the hell do I find an internship?” I hadn’t even attended a meeting, and I was in love.

On the night of the first meeting I was trembling with excitement and intimidation. I have had the urge to learn about advertising for quite some time. Ad club seemed like the way to cheat the system of taking all your gen ed classes first, and I was going right to the good stuff. I noticed that most of the people in the club were sitting farther in the back and I took this as an opportunity to make my presence known. I talked to the chair members for fifteen minutes before the meeting started and they seemed to like me a lot. Talking to them really helped with the intimidation I had and I felt even more comfortable.

The meeting began shortly after my conversation with the vice president of the club ended and it was time to get down to business. The first half of the meeting was introducing all the executive chair members. I was very jealous to see the internship experiences that all of the chair members and I still stride to match their accomplishments. The next quarter of the meeting was talking about important organizations some members should join. The most important organization seemed to be the AAF. The AAF is the best way to find jobs in the advertising field and to stay connected to the advertising world. It was advised to join this organization as a junior or senior, so I still have some time. During a sidebar, I asked one of the executive chair members how to get more involved and he said that I could become a sub-chair member by assisting a chair member. This was my time to really get involved, and I was going to do anything to get the sub-chair position.

“Anyone who wants to be an assistant to a chair member raise your hand,” said the president to all of the new members. Along with myself, three others raised their hands for the position, and I found my competitors. I had no clue how the voting process worked or what requirements this position needed, but I told myself I would do everything in my power to try to get it. “Ok, everyone who raised their hands, come to the front and tell your piers why you should have the position,”is what followed, and I was terrified. I do not have the strongest public speaking skills, but that was not where the problem lied. I had no experience, no real advertising knowledge, no real reason of why I should get the job. The only tool I had in my arsenal was the fact that Ad Club was one of the two clubs I joined. This meant that I would have no other commitments and I could focus all my attention and efforts on assisting the chair. This strategy seemed to outshine the two people that were after me, but the last one of my competitors had it all. He was a transfer student from Altoona who already had two years of advertising knowledge under his belt. On top of that Ad Club was also the only club he joined. As suspected he won in the landslide vote, but that is alright with me. This club has done more for me than any other club I know of would, and it is teaching me how to network. I have a good feeling about this club, and I am excited to see where it takes me.