4 Reasons To Join Societies At Warwick
The prospect of joining societies at university can certainly feel daunting. As a Fresher in 2020-2021, societies were often limited in the events that they could hold due to the pandemic, and so I was unable to get as involved as I would have liked. Initially, this made it feel even scarier to delve into societies this year (my second year), as I had not experienced what they were like in Year One. At one point, I felt like I missed out completely on societies, and that I wouldn’t really have the chance to make up for it. How wrong I was!
My worries were completely unfounded, with societies being very welcoming in the Societies Fair earlier in second year and wanting as many people as possible to get involved, regardless of what year you were in. Even if you feel nervous to join a society, take the plunge and do it – even in Term 2 or 3, as a Fresher or finalist, it is never too late to get involved.
Below are four reasons to join societies at Warwick, because with over 250 on offer, there’s certainly something for everyone!
- It’s a way of making new friends with shared interests
Whilst this may seem like the most obvious one, it is also the point that I want to labour the most! Joining a society allows you to connect with people who share similar interests, and meet together in a relaxed and friendly environment outside of the curriculum. It also feels really nice to be part of a community where you all share a common, mutual interest.
- They are an easy way of expanding your life at Warwick outside of academics
It’s important to strike a balance between academics and extracurriculars, and joining societies is an easy way of taking time out from your studies at Warwick, whilst still forging a sense of community at university. You don’t need to join lots of societies to feel this benefit either – many meet on a regular basis and have events on campus, as well as off-campus – so with just one society, there will most likely be many opportunities throughout the term to engage in activities with them.
- You can get even more involved by becoming a member of the Exec
When you become part of a society, you will be aware of some members in it referred to as ‘Exec’, or ‘executive members’. Essentially, these are members in the society with roles such as President, Vice President, Secretary, Welfare Officer, Academic Officer and more, whose collective job it is to ensure that the society runs smoothly. Each exec member takes on a slightly different role in order to contribute to the smooth running of the society – and by joining a society, you could run for these positions, which are a great way of getting even more involved with a hobby or interest that you may have! For example, I am Media Officer for Warwick Documentary Society, so as well as attending events, I also help to run the Instagram page of the society, as well as the Warwick DocSoc blog which I recently created.
- You could go on a trip or ball with the society!
Many societies at Warwick offer the opportunity to go on trips, often coined as ‘tours’ in both the UK and abroad. As well as this, other societies (usually academic ones) host balls throughout the year, where you can get together with your friends to attend a dinner!
Whilst it may feel scary at first to join a society, especially if you are joining alone and initially do not know anyone, it is definitely something you should do whilst at Warwick. Regardless of your year group, it’s never too late to join! From my positive experiences of being a member of Warwick Documentary Society this year, I cannot say enough about the positives of joining societies.
