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Thought getting into Harvard was hard? Try joining one of its clubs.

A month into the semester, comp — the process by which clubs at Harvard admit new members — is winding down. In its wake lies a trail of first-years with bruised egos, some of whom were cut before even getting an interview, and others who spent weeks chasing coffee chats and prepping materials only to be rejected in the final round.

Clubs may need selection processes, but for a school that prides itself on excellence, many comps feel more judgemental than meaningfully evaluative. Across the last two decades and more than a dozen pieces in The Crimson, students have expressed concerns about comps being too competitive, too exclusive, or just downright rude. At one point, administrators even threatened to audit comp processes. Despite it all, little has changed.

The problem? Clubs know they can keep running brutal comps because freshmen keep lining up to endure them. If we truly dislike intense, exclusive, and unprofessional comp processes, we need to stop participating in them and put our time and energy elsewhere.

Clubs hold a significant weight in Harvard student culture. It’s easy to feel as though a rejection is some stain upon your talents or character.

But the fact is: Comp directors are students, not professional recruiters. They may have some relevant experience, but their judgements are still subjective, limited, and hardly definitive of one’s worth. You can’t expect a sophomore who spent 15 minutes interviewing you (and who will go on to interview 20 others) to be the best authority on your talents or character.

This is not to say that all student comp directors are devoid of decent judgement. While exclusive pre-professional clubs often make decisions about your perceived promise in their fields, other organizations — like performing arts groups — evaluate if applicants possess certain foundational and necessary abilities, like being able to sing or memorize a witness statement. Still, at a school like Harvard full of highly talented individuals, distinguishing between two perfectly capable candidates involves little more than splitting hairs.

We shouldn’t expect that students have the nuance of an experienced director or admissions officer, but without this discerning eye, factors like charisma are bound to unintentionally affect their decisions.

Because of this dynamic, competitive comps can often feel highly judgemental and unclear, especially for students who dedicate weeks or months to the process, only to be let down with little feedback or rationale. These rejections can leave people spiraling, or worrying about missing out on valuable resources.

By the end of the club fair, many first-years feel that their social and professional lives hinge on club acceptances. I am not denying that these clubs do offer valuable benefits like alumni connections or experience. However, none of these benefits are unique to “elite” clubs with hostile comps.

According to a 2020 report, only half of Harvard’s student organizations have a comp process. And of those that have comps, they are not all cut-throat or time consuming processes. You can find robust community and wonderful extracurricular experiences in any number of clubs with educational or no-cut comps.

Not to mention, you can get professional experience through internships, research with professors, or resources like the career services office. Harvard offers an incredible wealth of alumni connections, much-envied by other schools. If you want to do an activity that’s genuinely offered by an elite club and nowhere else, you can start your own.

Anything a mean-spirited comp might give you can be found elsewhere – without the culture of humiliation attached. You don’t need clubs nearly as much as they need you.

That being said, exclusive comps do offer one unique benefit: getting to feel like you’re on the “in.” If that’s what you want, more power to you. But when you pine for a club for the very reason that they don’t take almost anyone, you can’t complain when their judgemental gaze doesn’t include you.

I am perfectly aware that this op-ed will probably not stop the first-year scramble for exclusive club acceptances. Realizing that many of these clubs simply aren’t worth your time might be a lesson best learned from experience. However, I still consider it an important message — especially coming out of a punishing comp season.

So when you are inevitably cut from a club, don’t allow that to crush you. Don’t allow yourself to spiral into feeling inadequate or othered by a random group of students. You can have more dignity than that.

If we all cared less about clubs, and invested our time into truly educational, transformative (and significantly less abusive) communities, comp processes would have to evolve. Clubs would no longer be able to scare people into joining out of fear of losing something special.

The shame of exclusion only has power if we let it. Refusing to play along is the first step to building a healthier Harvard culture.

L.A. Karnes ’28, a Crimson Editorial Editor, lives in Mather House.