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How do students make time for societies at uni?

So I'm in my penultimate year at university and I'd say I've done a little bit in terms of societies and extra-curricular stuff - I've been part of departmental society committee and the undergraduate course representative.

But I was just flicking through a word doc I'd made in first year with all the stuff I wanted to do while at uni but I've just not had the time to do it and feel quite unfulfilled :frown:

I've always wanted to be an active member of FemSoc (feminist society) and be part of a sports team and maybe work with STAR (student action for refugees). I feel that I've been privileged enough to go to a big university with a huge union of clubs and activities, yet I have no idea how I would have had time for them all.

Next (and final) year, I hope to drop working with the departmental society and try joining FemSoc, but I feel that I should have done so much more by now!

Does anyone else feel a similar way?
Has anyone found a way to manage their clubs/societies along with their studies in an efficient manner?

Reply 1

Jake22

If you have a job in the evenings and weekends then obviously, it becomes pretty difficult to fit in these extracurricular activities.

If you don't - then you obviously have other priorities or are just too disorganized or lazy.

Relatively few degrees require more than a consistent few hours a day 4 or 5 days per week.

Reply 2

Helioghost

Original post by tsr-member

So I'm in my penultimate year at university and I'd say I've done a little bit in terms of societies and extra-curricular stuff - I've been part of departmental society committee and the undergraduate course representative.

...

Does anyone else feel a similar way?
Has anyone found a way to manage their clubs/societies along with their studies in an efficient manner?

"With great difficulty", would be my reply to the title.

I think general opinion is that if you get heavily involved in one or more societies, it becomes very difficult to keep your degree up, but that it's better than getting a 1st with little extra-curricular activity.

Reply 3

Mbob

Original post by tsr-member

I think that most people find that their studies don't take up much more than about 25 hours a week, so there should be plenty of time for those things unless you have a particularly demanding course. Doing extra-curricular stuff shouldn't mean you do less well academically. The people who get no work done are often the people who sleep in until midday and then spend a few hours watching daytime TV. Activities tend to give your day more structure - if you have to dedicate periods of time to academic work then you're more likely to get it done.

How much extra-curricular stuff you can do depends what sort of person you are - you can fit a lot into a week if you are reasonably organised and don't mind running around from place to place a lot. On the other hand if you feel you need three hours of sitting in front of the TV/listening to music every night in order to unwind, followed by 9 hours of sleep then your options are bit more limited!

Having said all that, most people do tend to wind down their activities in their last year so they can focus on getting the best marks they can in their finals.

Reply 4

pinkangelgirl

i went to uni determined to join loads of societies....in reality its a lot more difficult.

I think a lot of people just focus on one society. I do some volunteering which takes up a lot of time, because i do some for Uni and some for Alzheimer's society.

I also have a part time job and was on 2 society commitees.

It does get annoying, because sometimes it feels like i dont get any rest time, but the idea is to just focus on a few things that you want to do instead of too many.

Reply 5

Arekkusu

Pinkangelgirl is preaching the truth there, I have tried to be part of too many societies and have ended up not doing very much at all for any of them. Focus on one society, though if it's something like your subject society or a recreational society it's not exactly too much work. If it's something like media or sports or drama you will have to focus on it or you won't be properly involved.

Reply 6

BKS

I had all the time in the world in first and second year. I tried to join a few societies but some weren't very welcoming and some were nearly impossible to track down. I was left with one I was really involved with because it was big and clearly organised. I made friends there and once we had our friendship group we slowly stopped going to the society. Especially by third year when we didn't really want to have the same conversations over and over again with freshers. So I never became seriously involved.

I wish I had succeed in being involved with a few more when I was willing and had time. I could have been more persistent in getting involved with them but I was less outgoing then so it not being clear made me nervous. By 3rd and 4th year I was working more hours and taking more time over uni stuff. I also volunteered in a few place outside uni

I wish there was such an active civil society/community groups in the world more generally so I could more easily do these things once i graduated. I know they exist but not to the same extent and I find them often full of older people who have been there a long time and tend to not be too welcoming

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 7

PhoenixFortune

I have no time at all, especially with deadlines coming up and I work at weekends. There are only sports societies or the Christian Union at my uni to choose from, and if you aren't sporty or religious, there isn't really anything for you.