Student societies — all there is to know about UK’s most popular student groups
Even though the first year of your studies can be a bit overwhelming, especially now that half of your academic activities are being held online, it is important to meet with people, make new friends and relax a bit. You must have heard already about student societies at your university, so if you’re wondering how they work and you’re asking yourself should you join one, this article might bring some answers.
Types of student societies
Student societies are part of universities’ Student’s Unions and offer all types of recreation activities for its students. Societies are groups and organisations that gather students of similar interests. There are dozens of options, from sports teams to religious groups to political and activist groups.
To check which options are there for you, it’s best to visit your university’s Student’s Union webpage. Once you see the list of societies available, you’ll probably have another problem — which one to join?
You can join more than one society, of course. And even though you’re not obligated to attend all events a society offers, try not to engage with too many of them as it will be impossible to keep track with all of them.
First ask yourself what would you like to do? Would you like to join a sports team? Would you like to learn a new language or just meet people from all over the world? Maybe join a book club? It’s up to you! You can always join one session just to check it out and see if you like it and if you do, ask how you can join.
Most societies have some kind of membership fee, but it’s usually just a few pounds to join for a full academic year. First year of your course is the perfect timing to start exploring societies as it leaves you enough time to find something you like and to meet a lot of people that share the same interests as you.
Start your own society
You haven’t found the right society for you? But you already have a dozen friends that have similar ideas and interests like you?
You might be able to start your own society!
You will need to find some more people to join you in your adventure and present the idea to your Students’ Union. You will have to write and create your constitution and fill out an application form. Once you’ve submitted the documents, a member of SU staff might arrange a meeting with few potential members to go over a few details.
If your application is successful, you can continue with your new founded society! And if by any chance your application has not been successful, your SU will probably help you work on your application so it’s ready for the next round of applications.
Starting a new society might be affected by new Covid-19 related rules and guidelines, but it’s best to check with your university’s Student Union.
What if your society cannot meet in person?
“The benefits of being part of a society or team go far beyond fitness and socialising”, as a sports professor David Lavalle from Abertay University said. Transferable skills acquired through societies have shown to have a great impact in graduates’ employability.
So it’s quite hard to adjust for those activities to take place online and still have the same effect as they would have had in person.
However, that shouldn’t discourage you from joining a society. Meeting new people is of extreme importance nowadays, even if it’s online. It’s important to remember that online activities won’t last forever and that people you meet online now, may be your best friends in person next year.
Additionally, being a member of a society still improves your soft skills and potentially your CV. And if all written still hasn’t convinced you to join a society, just remember that joining a group of students just to spend some time together, organise events and talk about similar interests can be of crucial importance to introducing work-relax balance in your life and to take some time off your university assignments.
