Fletcher student organizations on display

With all the conversations I have with prospective students about the admissions process and academic requirements at Fletcher, I often try to remind people that grad school isn’t just about taking a bunch of classes. One of the key components of the vibrancy of our community is the variety of active student organizations, which make up what I think of as Fletcher’s civil society. These groups include student-run academic and professional journals, regional or issue-specific organizations, and affinity or activity-based groups. Whether your thing is food policy or fermentation, climbing or countering violent extremism, you’ll find something that speaks to you among the seventy currently active student organizations at Fletcher. A lot of friendships develop through the work of student organizations, and I’ve heard plenty of Fletcher students and alumni point to their involvement in them as among the most important aspects of their time here.

Many organizations are currently set up in the Hall of Flags for today’s Student Organizations Fair. Given that most students are only at Fletcher for two years, it’s important for student groups to take advantage of opportunities for large-scale publicity and recruitment. There are cookies, candy, tchotchkes, and copies of publications on offer, while other groups rely on a smile and a good old fashioned analog sign-up sheet. We often trawl the fair, too, in search of volunteers for our Admissions Ambassador program, through which current students can get involved in the work of our office. It’s the rare student who spends two years here without getting involved somehow in the work of student organizations. Prospective students can count on one or more of these groups being a big part of their Fletcher experience!