OTHER CLUBS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Queen’s University is filled with incredibly talented and driven people… and not just in Smith Engineering. Check out my advice on networking, joining other clubs, professional development, and building soft skills beyond the engineering setting.

UPPER YEARS ARE THE BEST TOOL.

They’re the ones who have already gone through it! They’ve taken all your classes, applied to the same clubs you want to, and applied to the same jobs you want to get. Overall, they’re great people to seek out for advice.

Your FRECS: some of the first upper years you will meet. Ask them as many questions as you’d like about first year, because they literally JUST took the classes you’re about to take. Pro tip: ask them for old textbooks and notes, they’ll probably still have them!

Club executives: if you’re thinking about getting involved in some clubs, or even taking on a leadership role within a club, these upper years are very helpful to reach out to. The best place to find them would be on the Engineering Society website, but especially LinkedIn. If you haven’t already, make yourself a LinkedIn account!

Your TAs: these are more experienced upper years, typically in 3rd or 4th year. They are the best to talk to about career paths and discipline selection.

Reaching out to upper years can be a little daunting… especially if you don’t know them and you’re reaching out online. I’ve created a few templates for reaching out to people to make this easier:

My favourite clubs for innovators

If you like to innovate, build stuff, code stuff, or whatever it is you’re into, there are lots of amazing clubs on campus to help you out.

QMIND is Canada’s biggest AI club, and its main hub is right here at Queen’s/Kingston. If you’re into AI, machine learning, or you just want to learn something new, this is a great club to join. It’s a great network of people and a fantastic way to learn how to work in a team.

QMIND

Have you ever wanted to work on a side project (like coding an app or making a short film), but haven’t found the time or the motivation to actually do it? id8 is an incredible club where you get to work on your project every week for a few hours. When I attended, we were just a bunch of cool (and highly motivated) people hanging out and doing our work. I got to tell people about what I was working on, get feedback from my ideas, and enjoy a few snacks.

ID8

If you like the arts, this is a great place to be. The first time I got to see a VCFS performance, I was IN AWE. The production level, the music, the dancers, and the fashion was so impressive, and there had clearly been a lot of work put into the show. Being in this club means giving back to charity, meeting really artistic people and developing a new skillset.

VOGUE CHARITY FASHION SHOW

COMMERCE CLUBS

Okay… let’s set aside the commerce/eng rivalry for one quick minute. If you have any interest in getting involved with business, entrepreneurship, finance, or anything commerce-related, you should definitely check out these clubs.

Commerce clubs are some of the most well-structured organizations on campus; the alumni networks, the training, and the project work is so good at getting you involved with real-life experience. As someone who is hoping to work in a management position at an engineering firm, I feel like being in one of these clubs has made me so much more acquainted with interviews, being a good team members, utilizing excel, and diversifying my friendships.

I hype up these clubs a lot, and for good reason. If you are planning on applying, however, the application process is significantly more competitive (in my opinion) than engineering clubs. The best thing you can do to prepare yourself with applications is:

  1. Reaching out to upper years on the clubs you’re thinking of joining. Ask them about their experience, what the application process is like, etc. Scroll up and check out the outreach templates to help start you off with this.

  2. Leveraging your engineering skills. People want you because of your awesomeness, your analytical problem-solving skills, and your strong mathematical skills.

  3. Go to the information sessions. This will give you a good look at the applicants demographic, and you’ll have more chances for the upper years to know who you are. Make sure you’re talking to people on the clubs you’re interested in and asking questions.

  4. PREPARE for the interviews. Make sure you know what types of questions you’ll be getting into: nail the “why this club” and “tell me about yourself” questions, because those will almost definitely be asked. Practice your answers in the mirror, time yourself, record yourself, and practice in front of friends to get feedback. Many interviews will also require market sizing or business knowledge questions (I remember failing these miserably the first time I interviewed for a business club because I was silly and didn’t prepare)! Watch YouTube videos and practice multiple times until you feel comfortable with your answer.

  5. Be kind to yourself. You’re applying with students who study commerce for a living, while you might just be learning these concepts for the first time. Be patient with yourself, and recognize that it’s okay if you don’t know a concept or nail an interview as well as you’d like.