Wednesday 25-08-2021 - 11:59

 

Written by Cynan, Societies and Development Officer

 

 

Societies are one of the best ways to get stuck in when you first arrive at Uni. My society experience started during my first year by getting on a committee and even founded my own society in second year. By the time I graduated I'd run one of the Art School's gallery spaces for a year, performed on stage in a musical, and won first place in a national student tabletop competition. So, with all that showing off out of the way, here's a quick introduction to what societies are and what they can do for you!

In case you didn’t know already a society is a group of students that have decided to band together around a certain subject, theme, or idea. Once a group has formed The Union will then support them with access to meeting spaces and grant funding. This allows them to organise ambitious events and give students cheaper access to things like sign language classes, pole dancing instructors, and group trips. Best of all, these activities are put together entirely by students, so the creative control is in your hands.

Since the groups are entirely directed by student interest they're a great social space to meet people. Making friends on your course can be tough when you're all focused in on the work and going out to a Welcome event night on your own can be incredibly intimidating. Societies are almost a middle ground between those two extremes. Sure, it’s a little scary heading of to a social for the first time, but once you get there you know that the other people are going to share your interests and that you won't have to cut your conversation short to listen to a lecture.

If you decide to stick around then those social spaces can become a real anchor for you. Knowing that you have at least one night a week where you have some guaranteed company is a surefire way to avoid the isolation of being away from home. You might even get some future housemates out of it. Then, if you don’t end up feuding over the washing up, you might be lucky enough to make some friendships that will carry you beyond university.

You're also likely to pick up a lot of great skills if you stick with a society. For example, I never would have been confident enough to get on stage and reading the poetry I was writing for my art undergraduate if I hadn’t spent my first year playing silly characters at the tabletop gaming society. And that’s before you even consider all the actual classes that societies put on!

Finally, I'll let you in on a little secret. The tutors on your courses are far more likely to say yes to a scheme you have if you do it through The Union. Say you want to use a university meeting room to hang out with a few friends to chat about your favorite book. If you have a particularly nice tutor you might get lucky and grab a room that week, but if you tell them that the Book Club needs a place to meet you might be set for the whole year. The same is true for the help you get from technicians, art school gallery spaces, and even financial support from departments. If you show people that your part of a community, they will help you grow it.

 

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