Before Medill sophomore Ashley Xue set foot on Northwestern’s campus, she knew she wanted to join Spoon University.
Xue said she wrote about the culinary-focused publication in her college application and applied to be a part of the club during her freshman year. However, when she arrived at NU a few months later, she was shocked to find her application was rejected.
“(Spoon) seemed like a very chill food magazine, so I didn’t really expect that,” Xue said. “I was honestly pretty surprised by how competitive it was.”
Xue said she expected pre-professional clubs to be selective — but not recreational ones.
Weinberg senior Jessica Bradford, Spoon president, said the creative and recreational aspects of the club, such as the combination of students’ love for food and media, might contribute to its large appeal.
Bradford attributed the club’s popularity to its strong social media presence — the publication has nearly 7,000 followers on Instagram and more than 9,000 on TikTok.
“We had a lot of people come up to us at the club fair and say, ‘Oh my goodness, I followed you guys on Instagram before I got here,’” Bradford said. “People are excited to be a part of something that they’ve already seen online.”
However, Bradford said it would be impossible for the executive team to run a club of 200 members. To join, students apply and the executive board interviews those they believe will benefit from membership as well as those the club would benefit from having on the team, Bradford said.
According to Xue, some years, each team only accepts two to three new members.
During Spoon’s selection process, Bradford said she seeks to distinguish those who are merely resumé building from those who truly desire to join the club.
For some, like Xue, displaying this commitment pays off. When she reapplied to Spoon this past fall, she was accepted into the content team and has since had the opportunity to promote local Evanston restaurants via TikTok, along with enjoying perks like free food along the way.
Other popular NU clubs, such as Cookology, may not be selective in their membership, but still have barriers to participation for both cooking lessons and executive board selections, McCormick junior Emma Sellin, Cookology co-president, said.
Cookology’s cooking and baking lessons are open to all NU students. Its Listserv, which informs students about upcoming events, has roughly 300 general members.
Selin said general members must undergo a selective application process to join the executive board, which involves a larger commitment than being a general member due to weekly meetings. Members compete for only eight executive positions and a handful of baker and chef spots.
Sellin said that spots in cooking and baking lessons can be difficult to secure. She said lessons typically accommodate only 25 to 30 people.
“I think a lot of people really enjoyed cooking and baking in high school when kitchens were more accessible to them,” Sellin said. “But after moving into the dorms, it’s a little bit more challenging to do that. I think it’s just a way for them to get back into some of their hobbies.”
When reading applications for Spoon teams and Cookology executive positions, there’s one trait that both Bradford and Sellin look for above the rest — passion.
“I think a big part of it is that through that application process, we’re looking for people who are committed and dedicated and excited to be there,” Bradford said.
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