Sports Clubs, Societies and Volunteering Opportunities: Where to Begin?

One of the best parts of University is, without a doubt, the myriad of opportunities available. From clubs and societies, to internships, careers fairs and conferences, there are so many opportunities thrown at you left, right and centre that it can be difficult to know where on earth to begin.

The first opportunities I was introduced to was the 60+ sports clubs, 250+ societies and a wide range of volunteering programs at the freshers fairs. These fairs (2 days of societies fairs, 1 sports fair and a volunteering fair) are a great opportunity to see the fantastic things you can do at uni. They can be a bit intimidating with students pushing leaflets at you from all directions and trying to sell their society or club like they’re on the Apprentice, but if you keep your mind open, you could find a brand new hobby or get involved in a sport you’d never even heard of before. This was definitely the case for me as I joined the Dodgeball club (having had no experience of the game before at all) and am still a member as we begin term 3.

As a general rule, I’ve found that you can’t be actively involved in more than about 3 clubs; there just isn’t the time available. Of course, this number will fluctuate depending on the commitment involved for each club, the number of contact hours your course has and other personal preferences and habits, so don’t be too concerned with the number if you can fit them all in. Also, don’t limit yourself right from the outset. The first few weeks of term 1 are the most relaxed of the year; use that extra time to experiment with any and all clubs and societies that catch even a morsel of your attention.

University is a great place to gain a variety of experiences but you can only gain this if you’re open to every opportunity and give things a try.