Being on an Exec

This year I have been the Academic Officer for History Society, and I have loved it! I realised last week, however, that elections for next year’s exec (short for ‘executive’ — the students who run the society) are only a few weeks away, and I will be passing the baton onto the next cohort. It has gone incredibly quickly, but has nonetheless been a great experience. If you are considering running for an exec position, my overriding advice is to go for it! Nonetheless, I wanted to share my experience in this blog to give you an insight.

1. Time commitment

One of my apprehensions approaching the position was that it would be big time commitment. I know a lot of people tend to take exec positions in their Second Year, but I was entering my Third. The year ahead would inevitably be a busy one, and I wondered if I was putting too much on my plate. Of course, the last few months have been busy! Having said that, I have been very fortunate to have been on such a collaborative and helpful exec. When I had deadlines approaching, or a HistSoc task was taking up a lot of my time, I knew I could get in touch with someone on the exec for a helping hand. We have helped each other out through the year to keep things running smoothly, so it has never felt as though a great deal of pressure fell on me alone. Being on an exec is a commitment, so I think it’s important that you consider how much time you can realistically afford to give. This varies hugely according to the society and the position, but for me, it wasn’t really anything to worry about.

2. Meeting people

After a bit of a strange period away from uni, I was eager to be on an exec to meet people. Societies and sports clubs are a great way to do this anyway, as everyone shares an interest. Being on the exec, then, means you’re at the heart of the society. We meet each week to discuss the events we’re running. I have loved being on the HistSoc team, and working together to make events happen has been a lot of fun. At each event we run, I get to meet lots of new people who I probably would not have crossed paths with otherwise. It’s pretty much impossible not to meet people when you’re on an exec, which has been a highlight of my experience

3. Fun!

I know being Academic Officer will be a highlight of my uni experience. I hope the events I ran have been helpful, and I really enjoyed being able to contribute to the History community. I have had the opportunity to run the events I chose, decide how they work, and lead them in my own way — all while having a supportive team to fall back on. We have loads more to look forward to before we hand over our exec jumpers (figuratively), like HistSoc Ball, international tour, and plenty of social events. Being in HistSoc has meant being part of a fun and friendly community — and being on the exec has only magnified this.

If you’re unsure whether or not you want to get involved in your exec, I would definitely recommend it. It can be hard work and feel like a juggling act sometimes, but looking back on this year, it’s clear what a fun and rewarding experience it has been.