8 reasons why you should join a society!
Jess Saunders, Music Performance student
- Meet new people – Joining a society gives you the chance to meet people from outside your course. While this idea may sound scary it’s a great thing to do and a good way to escape your course sometimes. You’ll also find people who are on your wavelength and also not necessarily on your course either!
- Try something new – If you’ve always wanted to give football a go or get involved with a musical theatre production then this is a great way to do it. It will cost you a couple of quid to join then you can join in with all the fun activities the societies have going on – find some!
- Looks good on your CV! – Future employers are always keen to see how you spent your time at university and proving you were part of a society is a good way to show you have social skills and can be part of a team. Break down the skills you’ve gained from your society experience and tell employers in your CV and job interviews too. Use your experience to create evidence for employers.
- Gain Leadership skills – Your course may not offer you the chance to take on a leadership role and if this is the case then a society is perfect. You can get involved with the running of a society by becoming a president or vice-president or you can even start one yourself.
- Creates a good work/life balance – Going back to your good old CV, showing that you can balance your university studies and play an active role in a society is something employers also look for. They want to see you have a life outside of your course and that you can have fun! Plus knowing how to balance your studies and social time is a key skill to have in general and will serve you well while at university.
- Networking – Depending on the society you may have the chance to meet potential employers. Often universities will have societies based around a specific course, we have a business society, art society and psychology society (to name a few), and within those societies they may run networking events so you can get involved and sell yourself for future employers. Networking and being able to promote yourself is a real skill and a society may be the way in.
- Improve your fitness – While we have a uni gym which offers discounted rates compared to gyms across the city, if you’re really looking to save on money why not join one of our many sport societies? We have over 27 clubs and teams for you to get involved with ranging from football, rugby and hockey to archery, lacrosse and even ultimate frisbee. It’s a good way to de-stress from uni work and have fun at the same time!
- Have fun! – The main purpose of a society is so you can get the most out of your university experience. You’ve made a huge decision and paid a load of money so you may as well have fun as well Go try something new, get involved and have a laugh!