How college students can get the most out of leadership conferences

Karin A. Lips is the president of the Network of Enlightened Women as well as a senior fellow with Independent Women’s Forum.

College is about more than lectures and textbooks. This fall, look out for opportunities to participate in a conference or some other type of leadership program. These advanced programs aren’t like a class—the goal isn’t just to get a good grade, but to learn a lot outside of academics and leave a strong impression. If you do, one conference might turn into a launchpad for your next internship or job. 

Here are five ways to make the most of a conference opportunity.

Participate fully.

Attend the full conference. Students routinely come up to me after a conference we’ve organized at the Network of enlightened Women (NeW) to tell me a speaker they had never heard of was their favorite speaker. A speaker doesn’t need to have a big name to communicate an important message to you. You might also find a new topic that interests you.

And the sessions aren’t the only part of the conference that matters. Attending conferences is a great way to build community and learn tips and tricks from others who have similar interests. I’ve learned about some of my favorite podcasts from chatting with students between sessions. Listen to the speakers, but also get to know the other participants. 

Research the staff organizing the conference and find out who has similar interests.

Look up the team members of the organization putting on the conference. Many of the staff will likely be in attendance and appreciate the chance to talk with students who share interests (and it is a nice break from logistics!). It is flattering when a college student comes up to a young professional woman to say she admires her career path, hopes to follow a similar one, and would like to ask her how she got there. 

I always enjoy it when students ask me about my background in law and want to talk about law school. By looking up the biographies of the team members in advance, you will be able to identify who you want to learn from and can be intentional about seeking them out. 

Ask thoughtful questions.

Whether during formal Q&A sessions or a one-on-one conversation, ask thoughtful questions that show you have thought through the material. Don’t ask a question that can be easily answered by just reading the speaker’s bio. If you do this well, speakers will remember you and appreciate that you took something away from their talk.

Follow up afterwards.

Christina Sandefur, executive vice president of the Goldwater Institute, spoke at the Republican Women of Prescott group in Arizona about five years ago. After Cameron Teel heard her speech as a high school student, she knew she wanted to work for the Goldwater Institute one day. She invited Christina to speak to her NeW chapter at the University of Arizona. Cameron told me, “After hearing Christina discuss the importance of the free market for women, I went home and began working on my internship application.” Cameron was accepted as a Ronald Reagan Fellow during school, and after working in DC, has moved back to Arizona to work full-time at the Goldwater Institute. She connected with Christina and stayed in touch.

Don’t just chat with speakers—follow up with an email and keep the connection strong. Leaders like Christina are excited to hear from students, help them, and even hire them.

If you can’t attend the full conference (or some optional programming), learn how to say no professionally.

Throughout my time at NeW, we have provided lots of opportunities to our students. While sometimes they are offered to a wide audience, sometimes the invitations are more targeted. I’ve noticed that some women will be super responsive when they want to do something or are available, but then ghost when they can’t. It’s as if writing the “no” seems worse to them than not responding.

But this is the opposite from my perspective. I much prefer students write back that they can’t attend than hear nothing at all. An easy way to do this is to write something like, “Thank you for thinking of me, but I’m unable to attend.” 

There have been times when we have been able to offer very exclusive opportunities, and I often think about whether someone will reply before extending the invitation because I’d rather offer an exciting opportunity to those who will respond quickly.

If you get invited to a conference or an additional opportunity at the conference, respond back even if you can’t attend.  

You can start leaving a good impression with the conference organizers by being responsive from the start. Then show up and participate, get to know the staff and speakers, and follow up. These are some simple steps that will make you stand out and might even lead to a job.