As the semester nears the end, it seems that point in the year where clubs start to reach out to new members for next year. Whether it is more school-based clubs such as the National Honors Society, Patriot Ambassadors and Wootton Tutoring, or clubs that are on the more fun side like the Ping Pong club and Wootton’s Sports Talk Club, each club has its own application process.
Whether it is new or returning, clubs look reach out to new members a year in advance to prepare for the upcoming year with the loss of the senior class. Reaching out to students and having them apply this early allows time for club members to look over applications, figure out the upcoming year’s leadership and create upcoming events. “Allowing people to be accepted into the club before next year helps us figure out how many people will join and leave the club along with where we will meet based on how many people we have,” junior Ping Pong Club president Roy Ke said.
For clubs like Patriot Ambassador and National Honors Society that are run through the school, the application process can be more in depth than one of a more relaxed club. Clubs like these involve a full application, which includes questions ranging from why students are interested in the club to student’s involvement in the school. These clubs also tend to ask for a student’s upcoming planned schedule and GPA, requiring a certain GPA to apply to be in the club.
The National Honors Society for example requires a student to have a 3.7 unweighted GPA or a weighted GPA of 4.2. Another main component of clubs like Patriot Ambassador and Wootton Tutoring is having an interview as part of the application process. These interviews are meant to see what students are like without simply reading a paper, along with seeing what people’s social skills are, as that is a big part of some clubs. “One of the biggest parts of the Patriot Ambassador process was the interview,” junior Patriot Ambassador Ben Stoller said. “It allowed me to show what I was like, which is a great idea for the whole application process so students can present themselves even more than just through answering questions.”
In contrast to school run clubs, there are dozens of clubs that are created by students for having fun and that have a different approach to their application process. The Sports Talk Club that was created by juniors Joseph Pohoryles and Jake Smith and Ping Pong Club, which is run by Ke both have a relatively easy process for applying that consists of showing interest and signing up. “I like the table tennis club application process because all I have to do is sign up, which allows me to focus on my school work and not be stressed out with a big application,” sophomore George Li said.
Danny Rothenberg
News Editor
