While you are getting your MBA in marketing, you obviously won’t want to spend every waking moment focusing on your business skills. Joining some student activities is a good way to blow off some steam. However, student activities don’t need to be all play; if you are strategic about the student activities you join, you can further your MBA at the same time as you are learning a new hobby. Here are some ideal activities for you to join while getting your MBA in marketing.
Professional Clubs
Joining a professional club is a great opportunity for networking. You can meet others with goals similar to yours and a drive to succeed in their careers. Meeting other professional oriented people who are also students gives you an automatic connection with them, which makes it easier for you to form a lasting relationship. Any business school should have some professional networking groups that you can join.
You can also join the clubs of closely related fields, or general networking clubs. When you meet professionals from different fields, you get the chance to create a network that goes beyond just business people. If you need to use the creative talents of someone in another field in the future, you will have a lot of contacts to call upon. Students with MBAs in marketing may collaborate closely with artists and psychologists in the future, so networking with these individuals can be especially helpful.
Personal Interest Clubs
Don’t be afraid to join a club relating to one of your personal interests. Although it may not be related to your business degree, doing an activity that you enjoy will certainly further your studies. It will give you a reprieve from your studies and allow you to focus better when study time comes. Plus, you’ll meet many new people from different backgrounds and this will give you the chance to strengthen your communication skills.
Clubs to Strengthen Business Related Skills
Finally, you can consider joining clubs that would help you hone the skills needed in business. For instance, a debate team would help you work on your persuasive speech skills and your ability to speak in front of others. A chess team would help you strengthen your analytical skills. A foreign language or international interest club would allow you to work on your cross-cultural communication and understanding. An art club might help you develop a stronger aesthetic sense that you can use in your future marketing campaigns. These extracurriculars can be a fun way for you to learn new things while also adding tools to your business skill set.
Finally, just because an activity doesn’t seem to further your MBA in marketing, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t participate in it. Any of your personal interests will only help make you a stronger and more well-rounded person. Those skills may come back to help you in the future if you are able to connect with a client over them, or you are given the chance to manage a marketing project in that field. So while some student activities appear to be more ideal than others, any activity that makes you happy during your studies is a good one to pursue.
Additional Resources: Professional Resource Guide for Marketers
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