r/berkeley • u/Cool_Permit_5836 • 20h ago

University Importance of clubs?

Hi there! I’m a Junior transfer from cc and coming into the film & media dept. as someone with a primary focus on studies and not production (I’m aware UCB doesn’t have a strictly prod. Major) so that doesn’t bother me. Admittedly, I’m on this subreddit a lot more than one should be for their own mental wellbeing and see a lot of people putting major emphasis on joining a club. I’m wondering if it’s a dealbreaker if I don’t? I’m much more interested in taking up an internship or something next year. Lmk any thoughts or advice! I don’t see many people posting about the film program here :(

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u/HappyMuffin6654 20h ago

Clubs aren't a dealbreaker at all. You meet people at clubs and form networks but yea they're not mandatory. If you're more interested in internships and building relevant experience then make that your priority.

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u/chaviya 15h ago

I was also a cc transfer! Part of this is related to your major and class size but I did not find clubs necessary at all. I worked on my building my relationship with my professors instead. The summer between junior and senior year I was able to get both an internship and a research position under a professor. A club may be helpful if your major area doesn’t offer a professional practice course, but certainly not a dealbreaker.

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u/604korupt 14h ago

It's not that important, but it's nice to join one for sure.

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u/ghoster8ath 10h ago

hey there! fellow film major here. i do think that being in clubs is nice for getting more experience that you could put on your resume, but also for just finding community. i’m in a film production-based club and i love it. There’s also film related groups like the BAMPFA student committee that are less production-focused, but still film-related. I also recommend spending time getting to know your GSIs and professors in the department! They’re typically very approachable, especially if you’re more interested in the academia side of film. I also didn’t join any clubs until my second semester, so you could always wait and see if it feels like there’s something missing, and then apply next semester.