So you want to get into Harvard? But you don’t know how to present yourself in the best possible way to increase your chances. You want to know what you should be focusing on and what you can forget about, right? I wanted to share with you one of my favorite “shortcuts” to improving your resume: Starting your own club. It demonstrates iniative and leadership. It’s a fabulous learning experience, and there’s no easier way to get a club president notation on your resume than to start one yourself.

Start a Club at School

If it’s easy to start new clubs at your school, do that. Typically, you just need a teacher who is willing to sponsor you. This may or may not be a trivial hurdle at your school, but you won’t know unless you try. The key to starting your own club is making it about something different that you and others care about. It should not just be a rehash of another pre-existing club. I started a club my junior year that focused on social justice and environmental issues. We led voter registration and recycling initiatives at my school. It improved my leadership and organizational skills and was a fun way to do something meaningful with my friends.

Image courtesy of Ambro/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Outside of School

If you can’t start a club at your school for whatever reason, check out meetup.com. You can start a meetup group for $12-$19/month, the cost of which you can pass on to members as dues. Again, think of a unique topic for your meetup group. If your meetup becomes very popular, this can be extremely impressive on a resume, demonstrating that you step outside the confines of your school to expand your mind and build life skills. Just make sure it is a relevant topic and not just “Taco Lovers of Denver.”

If you need help thinking of ideas, check out my Base Brainstorming Workbook to systemize your approach.

If you’re still stuck, leave me comments about what you’re interested in, and I would love to give you some pointers. You can also email me at jyeager@post.harvard.edu. I read every email!

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