Her Campus (HC) has shaped my college career and I’m always looking for more ways to share my love with others. As a senior in the Michigan State chapter (HCMSU), I’ve had so many great experiences thanks to Her Campus.
I joined my chapter in September 2019 and have worked my way up to Campus Correspondent (CC) and Chapter President (CP). I’m also a part of the Campus Trendsetters (CT) and College Fashionista (CF) communities within the Her Campus Chapter Network (HCCN). Previously, I was also a part of their internship program.
I am a seasoned member of the community and I want to make sure everyone knows the different opportunities they have to grow within their chapter and as a person. Each chapter is run at the discretion of their CCs with some guidance from Her Campus Headquarters (HCHQ) so I will distinguish what is chapter specific and what is available to all Her Campus Chapter members.
If you’re not currently a member of an HC chapter, you can still take advantage of some aspects of the HCCN. I’ve included information on how to join a chapter at your school or even create one.
Being a Published Writer
The first one is probably the most obvious. As a college student, around the ages of 18-23 (give or take), you are given the opportunity to publish for a global, well known, and respected publication. Each chapter posts anywhere from 5-30 articles a week on behalf of their school and each writer has their own page with all of their articles and basic information about them such as their school year, major, interests, and held positions in HC.
At HCMSU, our chapter has won a plethora of awards including best team builders, most spirited, one of the most frequently updated, best events, winners of the HCCN March Madness 2022, and some additional awards for articles. We’ve also been an elite chapter for the past few years which means we are in the top 5% of all chapters.
Brand Partnerships
Brand partnerships take place at the chapter level, but if you’re part of a smaller (or not super active) chapter, there are still opportunities for you. Each chapter receives brand partnership opportunities given the size of their team and school and the chapter leaders will fill them out on behalf of the chapter.
On the individual level, there are the Campus Trendsetters and College Fashionista programs. I’m a part of both of these, I joined CT around Spring 2020 and CF around Spring 2023.
Through them, I’ve had partnerships with Garnier, Sweet Chef, and Lancome to name a few. I’ve also participated in a few of their back to school kits which are filled with a ton of goodies. Here is a TikTok I made of the kit I got at the end of this past school year. This year, I got to participate in the College Beauty Awards and for that I received 15 different full sized products to try out for the summer, some that aren’t even on the shelves yet.
At HCMSU, we have had chapter wide partnerships with YSL, Fenty Beauty, Garnier, and Sun Bum. In the past, we’ve collaborated with Bumble, Microsoft Teams, Diva Cups, and more. It is only the start of the semester and we already have a few lined up for this year
The Friendships
I have met my best friends because of Her Campus. The friends I had outside of Her Campus, all ended up joining after seeing how fun it was. I still talk to our alumni from a few years back and make sure to acquaint myself with all of the new members each semester. As a whole chapter, we’ve done collaborations with other chapters and I would consider some of my fellow CCs close friends of mine because we’re all in the same boat.
At HCMSU, we offer a mentor mentee program. Through this program I have had Greta, Lauren K, Meghan, Lauren C, and Sam. I have so much love and respect for all of these women and I’m thankful for everything we’ve been able to teach each other.
Merch
Most chapters will design their own individual merch but the frequency and specifics depend on the chapter. Her Campus has the HCXO shop which includes tons of cute merchandise to represent your favorite organization. A majority of my e-board members have the enamel pins and will wear them to photoshoots and recruitment events. An additional benefit is that seniors can get grad cords through the HCXO shop.
At HCMSU, we’ve done tees, sweatshirts, lots of stickers, cups, bracelets, little bears, sticky notes, and so much more. This semester we also bought bookmarks to use as recruitment flyers.
Events
Each chapter hosts a variety of events for their members and these are catered to the interests of the members and the general community of their university/city. I’ve seen lots of chapters do tote bag decorating events, powerpoint nights, movie nights, Galentine’s parties, game nights and plenty of themed meetings.
At HCMSU, we’ve had so many successful events and have found ways to connect with our community. We also do a ‘theme’ at all of our meetings to encourage involvement from members.
Leadership Opportunities
Pretty much every chapter has people in charge of running their social media, leading events, and editing articles. Depending on the size of your chapter, there may be ‘teams’ of people doing these things and/or additional positions such as designers, photographers, secretary, treasurer, recruitment chair, DEI chair, etc. Some chapters even have book club managers. There are so many ways to get involved in gaining leadership experience within your own chapter and within the chapter network.
I got my start in the chapter as the Events Director during my freshman year pre-covid, meaning that during the 2020-21 school year, I had to find a way to bond 150 chapter members virtually. It was an amazing experience and it prepared me for being the Chapter President. Being the Chapter President also makes me one of the two Campus Correspondents for my chapter. I’ve put more work into HCMSU than I have in most of my part time jobs throughout college and even though it can get stressful, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I love my chapter and it’s going to be so hard to leave when I graduate in the spring. I was also able to use my experiences in Her Campus to assist in starting a Creative Writing Club on my campus and be the president of that too.
Myself, and so many other members, have used HC to score jobs. Whenever it is brought up in interviews, our employers have asked for more details and we have so much to show for our time in the chapter.
You Are A Part of Something Much Bigger
The Her Campus Chapter Network has over 440+ chapters globally. We are active in 11 countries across five continents and have over 12,000 chapter members worldwide. There are chapters in 46 states and chapter social media accounts have a combined total of over one million followers.
At HCMSU, we already have about 130 members and we’re still actively recruiting for the fall. We’ve always been a large chapter and welcome anyone to join regardless of major, school year, writing experience, or gender. This creates a large, open community made up of a diverse group of members that all come together to share our love for writing and female empowerment.
Other Opportunities
There are a lot of opportunities within the HCCN. Some of these include the chance for internship opportunities, Spoon University, Generation Hired, Her 20s, and more.
Additionally, there is the chance for professional connections, general resume building, becoming a better writer, and so much more.
HCXO
There truly is something for anyone and everyone within the Her Campus community.
If you are interested in joining Her Campus at MSU, click here to go to our Instagram page. We keep an updated link to our interest form/application in our bio. All you have to do is fill it out and you’ll hear from us after a few days.
If you want to join a chapter at a different school you can either search for them on Instagram or search for them on the Her Campus website to see if one exists. If you find them on Instagram, you’ll just have to message them for further steps as all chapters recruit and onboard differently.
If your school doesn’t have a chapter, that is just as exciting because you can be the founder of your school’s chapter. For that, click here for more information on starting a chapter.