Clubs Sign-Up Day: Oh deary deary me

With the first classes having taken place and all the second years having returned, it was time for the 2005-6 Club season to be in motion. Now, everybody knows that in O-week in 1st year uni, you sign up for FAR too many things; such that you sign up for nothing in 2nd year and beyond. But, I thought, this time is different. I mean, these are clubs just for the 750 people at the Graduate School of Business, not 30,000 people in UNSW ... these people are my friends, my colleagues ...

Oh deary, deary, deary me.

Clubs I actually paid for (and how much - yes, this is US dollars)

• Eating Club. We basically take turns hosting dinners for 6-8 people throughout the year. You can pick which dinners to go to using a sophisticated "chocolate points bidding system". Thirty five dollars.
• Social ventures Club. This club is for people interesting in helping people (particularly in or around underpriviliged areas) set up businesses and become indepdendent. Ten dollars.
• Africa Club. For people, um, interested in working in Africa and African development issues. Twenty dollars.
• International Development Club. This is far too similar to the Africa Club, really, to justify joining. Fifteen dollars.
• Asian Club. For Asians?! (I got a free USB adaptor, OK!) Fifteen dollars.
• Greater China Club. For great Chinese people. OK, just kidding. Actually, I'm not sure what this is about, I've forgotten. Ten dollars.
• Health and fitness club. For people who are healthy and fit (or aspire to be?!), and/or want to work in the health industry. Five dollars.
• Marketing Club. For people interested in working in marketing jobs over summer of longer term. Twenty five dollars - but I got a coffee flask with "Marketing Club" written on it, OK ...!
• Product Design and Manufacturing Club. People interested in learning about brainstorming and design, and stuff ... Ten dollars.
• Entrepreneurship Club. For budding entrepreneurs, people wanting to start their own businesses, and talk to others who have. Thirty dollars (gee, I wish I had thought of this club as a business! But I got a FREE t-shirt!!)
• Futurist club. I have no idea why I enjoyed this club; I think it's got something to do with techie gadgets or something. Ten dollars.
• Real estate club. For people interesting in working in real estate investment (which I'm not, but hey). Twenty dollars.
• Government and politics club. A place to debate about what George Bush is doing, and all that stuff. Fifteen dollars.
• Partnerships for Education (P4E). Seeing I'm doing the combined MBA/MA (education) degree, I felt a sense of peer pressure to join. Twenty dollars.
• Europe Club. I want to work in London, OK?!! Oh, and for an extra ten dollars, you got a FREE subscription to the Financial Times! Including subsription: thirty dollars.
• Indian Club. The catch phrase line of their ad was "Have you wanted more of Indian culture beyond "Monsoon Wedding" and "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"?" And, apparently, it looks like my answer is YES. Ten dollars.
• Family business club. A club for people who own their own family businesses (ok, I admit, this is now getting pretty stupid!). Ten dollars.
• FOAM. This is some club that has free drinks every week from 9pm to midnight on Tuesday nights. The usual cost is $170 (free drinks for the year!) but a non-alcoholic membership was a bargain! Fifty dollars.

Total damage = $340 =(


Hey, but to make up for it - I joined all these other FREE clubs. These were fantastic value!

Clubs I didn't pay for

Leadership club, Card club, Net impact conference club, Admit Weekend club, touch rugby club, Christian club, Consulting club, Bases: entrepreneurs club, Stanford reporter, Stanford center for social innovation, Build: mentoring club, GSB show, Entrepeneurship Conference club, GSB band, Board Fellows ...


OK, so it's a lot of money!

True, and now I can't eat for a week. But only time will tell if this was a sound investment (or, if not, if I should take more finance classes ...) =)