COMP

Begun in spring 2002, the Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business "comp" is a membership application process that lasts several months and was developed to ensure a level of business competency and club dedication in members.

The purpose of the WIB comp is two-fold: first, to educate members about career and internship opportunities in business as well as business resources found on campus, and perhaps more importantly, to allow members to build skill sets applicable in a real business setting while contributing to achieving the goals of WIB and growing its membership base.

Throughout a series of panels on different business careers including public relations, marketing, and consulting; sessions introducing prospective members to the resources and committees of WIB; a presentation by the Harvard University Office of Career Services; and resume reviews, "compers" familiarize themselves with the opportunities available and are able to better target their own strengths. In addition to these mandatory events, prospective members are invited to interact with current associates in a social setting by participating in Business Roundtable discussions on current trends in business, and are offered the chance to be paired with an upperclassmen mentor in their field of interest through the One-On-One Mentorship Program.

After completion of the semester-long comp process, which is capped by compers working in small teams on a mini-project for their chosen committee, the new associates are invited to apply for a limited number of committee positions in which they will help craft the vision of WIB for the future and will gain experience in fundraising, event planning, team leadership, and personnel management.

While the WIB comp is designed to imbue business knowledge and experience, many associates recognize the comp as the best possible introduction to WIB and the talented and driven women who make up its membership and who have become some of their closest friends.