Hello!

This week, we thought we’d talk about all the amazing societies you can take part in while at university. It’s only at uni that you’ll have the opportunity to try out almost any sport/hobby you can think of, so if there’s anything you fancy having a go at, now is the time.

It might be the case that you already have something you’re interested in (perhaps you’re on your sixth form’s hockey team) and you would like to pursue it in uni. Joining the society means that you’ll instantly gain friends with the same interests as you. It may be that ages ago you tried something out as a one off and you enjoyed it and would like to give it a go again. Or, of course, you may have never tried something out and you just fancied it. The great thing about societies is that you can pretty much turn up with no experience. Never be put off joining something because you feel that everyone else will be some kind of expert- we guarantee,  anything that’s even remotely unusual (i.e. not football/netball) , most people will join as complete beginners.

During Freshers’ week, you’ll have the chance to go to the Freshers’ fair, in which all the societies and extra curricular activities have stands set up and you can walk through, see what sparks your interest, and talk to existing members of the club to see if it’s something you’d be interested in. Our advice here is: sign up to anything and everything! There is no harm in putting your name down so they can email you to let you know when the first session/meeting is. That way, you can go away and think about the societies you want to dedicate your time to.

Some examples of the kind of things you can get involved in is: pretty much any sport you can think of, a range of martial arts clubs, charities, performance based societies, subject based societies, debating, even board gaming, the list goes on and on. Lancaster’s collegiate system also means that there are numerous teams for certain sports. For each of the 9 colleges, there are several football and netball teams, as well as a bar sports team. These teams then compete between colleges which means that there is a healthy rivalry, which is always fun, and great for college pride.

Another great opportunity that you can get involved with in societies is becoming part of the exec. If you find that you really enjoy being involved in your society, you may want to have some responsibility. There are a number of roles on the exec, and these can vary depending on your society. For example, sports may need equipment/safety roles. Not only is this a great way to really engage with your society, but it also boosts the CV, and if you can do this by doing something you enjoy, it’s surely worth it!

Something else that is very important to societies, as most will tell you, are the socials. This is usually when you really get to know your fellow members, and will help you to become good friends with them. Socials can involve bar crawls and nights out in clubs, as well as pizza nights in, fancy Christmas meals and film marathons. Be sure to get involved with socials, even if you’re a bit nervous about not knowing anyone there, all the freshers will be the same and existing members will be aware of this and do everything they can to get you to know one another.

University is the only time you can try out such a range of different activities, so give it a go! You never know what hidden talent you could uncover!

Becky and Katie x