how many societies are university students part of?

Anonymous #1

how many societies are university students part of? especially unis like oxbridge, lse, ucl which are really academic

Reply 1

BankaiGintoki

Original post by Anonymous

how many societies are university students part of? especially unis like oxbridge, lse, ucl which are really academic

You can join as many as you want. Joining one, and actively being a part of one, are two different things.

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

Original post by BankaiGintoki

You can join as many as you want. Joining one, and actively being a part of one, are two different things.

how many can you actively be part of

Reply 3

UniversityOfSunderland

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

how many societies are university students part of? especially unis like oxbridge, lse, ucl which are really academic

You can join as many as you want, there is a fee usually and you can typically find out more at your Freshers Fayre that takes place during Welcome Week. They often have socials so the more you join the more chance there would be a clash but again you can ask about this when submitting your interest.

Reply 4

University of Bradford

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

how many societies are university students part of? especially unis like oxbridge, lse, ucl which are really academic

Hello 👋 you can join as many as you like! I joined quite a few in freshers as I wanted to try new things, but I also joined my academic based society too. I did drop out of some as time went on and I wanted more time to dedicate to study and my main societies (with clashes in socials too). Also a lot of societies did drop ins and give it a go sessions throughout the year so even if you decide not to sign up after, they're still a great opportunity to try them out!

Find the balance that's right for you :smile:

Jennie

Reply 5

Lancaster Student Ambassador

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Original post by Anonymous

how many societies are university students part of? especially unis like oxbridge, lse, ucl which are really academic

Hi, you can be a part of as many societies as you want, but in terms of being active members of societies I personally am active in 2 societies; one of which I am the president of, and I also occasionally go along to two more. It depends on what you want your 'work life balance' at uni to be, but its easy enough to participate in multiple and keep up with your studies.
-Lucy

Reply 6

mnot

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by Anonymous

how many societies are university students part of? especially unis like oxbridge, lse, ucl which are really academic

Depends on the student, the society and commitment.

For example you can do 3 or 4 if you attend every couple weeks and it’s very relaxed, easy going an a couple hours here & there…

Simultaneously you could be running a society in a role like president and if it’s something like a sports team you may have a couple training sessions per week, plus a BUCS fixture, you may want to go support some of the teams matches in your society and do socials, plus a committee meeting so that one role might mean you only have time for the one…

Id say 2 is about the average, but it varies a lot. There is no hard and fast rule.

Reply 7

Chester Student

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

how many societies are university students part of? especially unis like oxbridge, lse, ucl which are really academic

Hi there,

As many have said, you can join as many as you'd like!

I personally tried a few taster sessions, but decided not to join any sports or societies (maybe next year!). Instead, I focused on campus events, part-time work, and volunteering - all of which are great things to get involved in!

Depending on your course, workload, and other interests, I think one or two societies is the average. It really depends on the person, but if you dedicate the time and effort and don't compromise your degree, it is absolutely doable.

It's all about finding out what works best for you! 🙂

Isabella
Geography with a Year Abroad Student

Reply 8

hallamstudents

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

how many societies are university students part of? especially unis like oxbridge, lse, ucl which are really academic

Hi there,

Yes you can be part of as many as you want to be!

I would recommend going to your freshers society fair as you will be able to find out more information about them here and you can often sign up to some trial sessions too so you can see which ones you like the sound of. This is a good idea as you often have to pay for societies so it's good to see what you like before you commit and pay for them.

Each society will be different and will require different levels of commitment. Some sports societies will expect you to do 2/3 training sessions a week plus sometimes a match, whereas some societies are a lot more low in terms of commitments and they could only expect you to go once a week, or even once every two weeks. It really depends on the society so try and find this out at the freshers fair as this will give you a better idea of what you can realistically do.

It also depends on how full on your course is- some courses will expect you at uni every day while some you will only need to go in twice or three times a week so this will affect how much time you have spare and you also need to factor in how much time you will need to spend doing uni work in your own time outside of uni hours too.

You can also sometimes join your course society which is sometimes free and doesn't require much commitment but it is still a good way of making friends so you could do this alongside another society or two without it needing much extra time and commitment.

I would say that realistically two societies is probably a good number as this should allow you plenty of time to do other things alongside it but also be able to make it to these societies each week!

I hope this helps,

Lucy - SHU student ambassador :smile:

Reply 9

UCLan Student

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

how many societies are university students part of? especially unis like oxbridge, lse, ucl which are really academic

Hey!

I would definitely recommend joining a couple when you start university as this is a great way to make friends and have an escape from the academic side of university!

Sports societies are a great way to keep fit and make friends at university but you'll also find that most places have something for everyone!

Best of luck at university and enjoy!

-Rebecca, UCLan

Reply 10

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

how many societies are university students part of? especially unis like oxbridge, lse, ucl which are really academic

Hi!

You’re able to join as many societies as you like, but typically most students will be very active in 2 societies maximum otherwise it may affect your studies!

At the start of term, societies tend to organise free taster sessions so it’s a really good way to try many different societies to see which ones are your favourite! It’s also a great way to meet new people so I really recommend joining a society!

Hope this helps! 🙂

Jamimah
(Lancaster University Student Ambassador)

Reply 11

UCLan Student

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

how many societies are university students part of? especially unis like oxbridge, lse, ucl which are really academic

Hi there 👋

Nice to meet you, my name is Siobhan and I’m a 3rd year student at UCLAN. This is a great question and one that a lot of other will be thinking about too at this stage!

I would definitely recommend attending your university’s freshers day where all the societies reach out to you and can provide you with more info about what they do!

The best thing is, there really isn’t a limit on how many you can join and you also don’t have to join straight away. If you decide to change societies in the year then that is perfectly okay ☺️

Typically there will be lots and lots of societies available in your uni, ranging from creative ones like art and music to the more academic ones you stated like engineering, maths, medical societies and more!!! 📚🎶

Like I said, there’s most likely no limit in how many you can join but I would definitely recommend finding a balance if you do plan on joining a good few!

Hope that helps and please feel free to ask away if you have any more questions at all!!

•

Siobhan (3rd year Physiotherapy student at UCLAN)

Reply 12

WrexhamUniReps

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

how many societies are university students part of? especially unis like oxbridge, lse, ucl which are really academic

Hi

There is no minimum number or maximum number of societies that you can join as a university student, I would try to join a few as they are great ways to make friends and make new connections.

As well as this joining societies at university are great for developing new skills for the future for example developing communication skills and organisational skills.

I hope this helps,

Matt
Wrexham Uni Reps

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 13

Heriot-Watt Uni

Official Rep

Hi!

Thank you so much for your question :smile:

I would say that joining and taking part in societies varies between person, uni and society.

For example, in my first year I was actively involved in the cheerleading society which was time-consuming as it was competitive. Therefore, I only joined cheer and another society that year, which met less frequently.

In my second year I joined four societies and loved spending time between them all! So it does show that the amount you join depends on how much time/involvement you would like with each one.

I would recommend going to the society stalls during your Fresher's Week and see if there are any that take your fancy. Try not to aim to join a certain amount, but see what you are interested in/what works with your timetable and go from there. I would also suggest attending trial sessions to put yourself out of your comfort zone- you might find a new hobby or sport to get involved with :smile:

All the best!

Lucy,

3rd Year Languages Student

Reply 14

Squiggles1238

I can speak on behalf of Cambridge students and give a candid answer- it depends on your degree and how good at time management you are. There’s no denying that a degree at cam is intense, and there’s less free time than at other unis. I know people that do natsci that honestly don’t have time for more than one society (and even then they sometimes struggle to go due to the workload), and then I know others with lots of free time that join several societies.

I would definitely say to try and join socs if you can as they are a great way to destress and meet new friends, all I’d say is that if you’ve got a lot of work on your hands, then I’d just make sure you’re really good at time management.

I actually regret not joining a soc in my first year, so I’ll definitely be joining at least one in my second year!