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Societies at uni

Hi,
I’ve not been at uni since 2014, and really want to get more involved than I did last time when I start in September. I’m much more confident now.

Would you say it’s important to go to a uni with lots of societies? The one which is my firm doesn’t have a lot of societies. And I’m starting to think I would be better off at another local one which has loads I’d be interested in. Are societies a big thing at uni? And is it easy to make friends on an allied health course?

Reply 1

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous #1

Hi,
I’ve not been at uni since 2014, and really want to get more involved than I did last time when I start in September. I’m much more confident now.
Would you say it’s important to go to a uni with lots of societies? The one which is my firm doesn’t have a lot of societies. And I’m starting to think I would be better off at another local one which has loads I’d be interested in. Are societies a big thing at uni? And is it easy to make friends on an allied health course?

Hi there,

When I started here at BCU, I joined the burlesque society, and this is where I've made most of my friendships at uni. But, this is the only society I've been a part of for the past two years and I've found being part of loads of different societies isn't essential to make more friends, but it could be good to branch out to meet different people.

I would definitely base your decision on the course and university first, but if joining in activities and societies is important to you, this is of course an important factor. Are there any societies that you like the look of at your firm choice? Maybe there's a stand out one or two that you like the look of?

Hope this helps.
Emily :smile:

Student Rep at BCU

Reply 2

Catsandcake

Thank you Emily that’s so helpful and good to know! I had a look again and the podcast and lgbt society stand out. Sounds like a good variety choosing them two :biggrin:

Reply 3

YSJstudents

Official Rep

Hi,

I joined a society in my 2nd year of uni, as my first year it was lockdown, so it wasn’t possible. I joined the mountaineering society, which was out of my comfort zone as I’m terrified of heights! I went along to the taster session and didn’t really know what I was expecting but I wanted to meet friends outside of my course. I ended up absolutely loving it. I’m now in my 4th year (doing my masters) and I’m now the captain of the club, which is something I would have never thought, would have happened. I have met the majority of my friends through the society and it’s really been one of my highlights whilst being at uni. I would definitely recommend going to taster sessions, even the ones you may think you won’t enjoy, as you might find yourself absolutely loving it.

I would also suggest that you base the university that you want to go to, on the course that you want to study and not the clubs and society’s. As you can always make new ones, whilst you’re there. Although clubs and society’s are a great way to make new friends and try new activities, the university that you choose to go to should be based on the course and the university itself, as there’s other ways you can meet friends, such as through your course, part time jobs and volunteering.

Hope this helps!

Suzan - Student Ambassador

Reply 4

Catsandcake

Original post by YSJstudents

Hi,
I joined a society in my 2nd year of uni, as my first year it was lockdown, so it wasn’t possible. I joined the mountaineering society, which was out of my comfort zone as I’m terrified of heights! I went along to the taster session and didn’t really know what I was expecting but I wanted to meet friends outside of my course. I ended up absolutely loving it. I’m now in my 4th year (doing my masters) and I’m now the captain of the club, which is something I would have never thought, would have happened. I have met the majority of my friends through the society and it’s really been one of my highlights whilst being at uni. I would definitely recommend going to taster sessions, even the ones you may think you won’t enjoy, as you might find yourself absolutely loving it.
I would also suggest that you base the university that you want to go to, on the course that you want to study and not the clubs and society’s. As you can always make new ones, whilst you’re there. Although clubs and society’s are a great way to make new friends and try new activities, the university that you choose to go to should be based on the course and the university itself, as there’s other ways you can meet friends, such as through your course, part time jobs and volunteering.
Hope this helps!
Suzan - Student Ambassador

Thank you Suzan, that’s so cool. You’ve inspired me to try something different!

Reply 5

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous #1

Hi,
I’ve not been at uni since 2014, and really want to get more involved than I did last time when I start in September. I’m much more confident now.
Would you say it’s important to go to a uni with lots of societies? The one which is my firm doesn’t have a lot of societies. And I’m starting to think I would be better off at another local one which has loads I’d be interested in. Are societies a big thing at uni? And is it easy to make friends on an allied health course?

Hi Anon,
I wouldn't say picking a university with lots of societies is very important, if you prefer the other university as a whole. I'm in my 3rd year, and whilst at the start of uni i joined lots of different societies, now i'm just part of 1 society which allows me to get more active in this society and attend more of there events, and therefore make better friends within the society.
Hope this helps!
-Jasmine (Lancaster Student Ambassador)

Reply 6

CardiffUni Rep

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous #1

Hi,
I’ve not been at uni since 2014, and really want to get more involved than I did last time when I start in September. I’m much more confident now.
Would you say it’s important to go to a uni with lots of societies? The one which is my firm doesn’t have a lot of societies. And I’m starting to think I would be better off at another local one which has loads I’d be interested in. Are societies a big thing at uni? And is it easy to make friends on an allied health course?

Hi there,

It's great to go to a uni with a lot of societies but I wouldn't recommend basing your choice off of it! Depending on your goal, it might in fact be best to go to a uni with fewer societies and then you can create one - which would look so much better on your CV but still allow you to be part of something that you're interested in and meet people. Therefore, I would say that your course is the most important thing to consider when coming to university.

I hope that helps.

All the best,
Jaz - Cardiff student rep

Reply 7

Heriot-Watt Uni

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous #1

Hi,
I’ve not been at uni since 2014, and really want to get more involved than I did last time when I start in September. I’m much more confident now.
Would you say it’s important to go to a uni with lots of societies? The one which is my firm doesn’t have a lot of societies. And I’m starting to think I would be better off at another local one which has loads I’d be interested in. Are societies a big thing at uni? And is it easy to make friends on an allied health course?

Hi!

I'd say it's nice to go to a university with societies you like - if the university only has 3 but all 3 sound perfect for you then the lack of choice isn't an issue however if there's none you like the sound of then it may be something to think about.

For me when looking at universities my most important things were:

•

Course type (I wanted it to involve AI quite heavily)

•

Curriculum

•

Percentage of exams vs coursework

•

Location

•

Careers help

•

Social Life

•

University feel (how I felt on the open days)

So societies and clubs was within social life for me. While I don't think it's a make or break kind of thing as you can form your own society if you wish or just make friends through other means if you do want that classic society experience then it is something to think about. I'd recommend just looking at both universities and weighing everything up not just the societies and seeing if one is clearly better for you than the other.

I hope this helps!

- Jessica
2nd year, Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence)

Reply 8

hallamstudents

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous #1

Hi,
I’ve not been at uni since 2014, and really want to get more involved than I did last time when I start in September. I’m much more confident now.
Would you say it’s important to go to a uni with lots of societies? The one which is my firm doesn’t have a lot of societies. And I’m starting to think I would be better off at another local one which has loads I’d be interested in. Are societies a big thing at uni? And is it easy to make friends on an allied health course?

Hi there,

I wouldn't say that the University having lots of societies is important, it's more if they have any that yo are interested in. I would say that realistically you aren't going to join more than two or three so I would more look into what societies that uni you want to go to offers and see if there are any you are interested in.
If there are any you are interested in, I would say this would be great and it doesn't matter if there is only a couple you like the sound of as you likely won't be joining more than this!

I'd say that societies in general are quite a big thing at uni, I know lots of people that are part of a society and love it! I would definitely say it's worth joining one as you will make friends while doing something that you enjoy doing! It's also good to just get out of the house for a bit when you aren't at uni and do something you enjoy.

I hope some of this helps!

Lucy -SHU student ambassador.

Reply 9

FayeYSJ

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous #1

Hi,
I’ve not been at uni since 2014, and really want to get more involved than I did last time when I start in September. I’m much more confident now.
Would you say it’s important to go to a uni with lots of societies? The one which is my firm doesn’t have a lot of societies. And I’m starting to think I would be better off at another local one which has loads I’d be interested in. Are societies a big thing at uni? And is it easy to make friends on an allied health course?

Hi!
Societies are definitely a great way to make friends and meet people, however their importance really lies in what you are looking for from your university. If your firm choice has a couple of societies that you are interested in then that should be plenty of opportunity. Additionally, if there's a society you are looking for and your university doesn't have it, you can start your own!
Societies are definitely a big part of university life and, again, a great way to meet people and take a break from studying to pursue other interests. But, I also know many people who are not part of any societies and are loving their university experience. I would say, figure out wether the societies offered are a priority for you; or wether you'd rather go to a university with fewer societies but perhaps a better course and location.

Hope this helps!
Faye :smile:

Reply 10

YSJstudents

Official Rep

Original post by Catsandcake

Thank you Suzan, that’s so cool. You’ve inspired me to try something different!

Hiya,

I’m so glad! You’ll have amazing time at uni. You can always get contact with some of the clubs/ society’s over Instagram or other social media, over summer, to find out more stuff about what the clubs get up to. It sometimes makes it less overwhelming in September, when you go to freshers fair, as you’ll already have an idea of the clubs and society’s that you are interested in and know potentially when the the taster sessions are.

Good luck!

Suzan- Student Ambassador

Reply 11

University of Sunderland Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Hi,
I’ve not been at uni since 2014, and really want to get more involved than I did last time when I start in September. I’m much more confident now.
Would you say it’s important to go to a uni with lots of societies? The one which is my firm doesn’t have a lot of societies. And I’m starting to think I would be better off at another local one which has loads I’d be interested in. Are societies a big thing at uni? And is it easy to make friends on an allied health course?

Hi there,
It's good if a university has a lot of societies but it's not the only way to make friends and definitely not the only thing to be looking at when choosing your university.
Different ways you can make friends at uni include getting a part time job, staying in student accommodation and meeting other students, sports clubs, going for student events and activities and many more. More societies doesn't necessarily mean you'll find something you like, it might be because it's based on nationality(asian society) religion(catholic society) or course (medicine society). Some things you might want to be looking at instead is:

The location of the university
What career services the have that'd help you when looking for a job
It's facilities and support available to students
Cost of going to the uni(including accommodation, feeding, outings etc)

These are a few things to consider. Concerning making friends on an allied health course, I can't give first hand info as I don't study any health related course. But at my university, there are course societies and they have different event organized regularly and they seem to get along well due to having a lot of lessons together. I would say have a close friend group and a few good friends is all you really need to go through university, in other words, don't worry too much about this. Hope this helps!