With such a vast range to choose from and social schedules packed with pub crawls, Wednesday sport socials and budget-busting balls, it can seem impossible to engage meaningfully with societies. However, they can be a way to meet like-minded people, engage with a new hobby, and even avoid burnout! As someone who has experienced the highs and lows of society life here at university I have compiled a guide for how to get the most out of these fickle institutions.
- Find the society that’s right for you
Here at Edinburgh there are more than 290 societies that cover a vast range of niches. The staggering number of options can seem overwhelming at first but once you find the one that’s right for you there’ll be no looking back. If you are particularly indecisive I would recommend looking back to a childhood hobby or trying out something completely new and exciting. In order to find the perfect group for you, take advantage of activities fairs and ‘Give It A Go’ week.
- Getting involved
Once you’ve found your perfect society, it’s time to get involved! It can often be a bit daunting, especially in societies with a large membership, to throw yourself into socials and classes. At every society event I’ve attended (for the societies I’ve loved, and even for the ones that weren’t for me) I can attest that everyone is willing to meet new people and chat about their shared interests. As well as this, almost all societies offer different levels of involvement so you can decide how invested you want to be. You can attend a few events a year or all of them, you can join the classes or you can join the committee; the choice is all yours!
- Managing your social calendar
We all know that managing your time at university can feel impossible and lots of societies have very busy social calendars which can feel overwhelming, especially around exam season. The key to managing your societies is to not oversubscribe yourself and to know when to take a step back from the social commitments and prioritise yourself and your studies. That being said, it’s easy to forget that societies are also run by students who understand the struggle of managing your time at university. As a result many societies pull back on the social events during those busy exam seasons and some even run chill, study-break style events that take less time and effort to attend.
- Using societies as the antidote to burnout
University life can be stressful at times; we’re all dealing with looming deadlines, impending exams, and late night library sessions. Many people think that joining a society would simply add to these burdens, but, I believe that when used correctly societies can serve as the antidote to academic burnout. Having scheduled social events, a chance to get active, or even just a built-in study break is a great way to avoid burning yourself out and can even improve the quality of your studying.
Whether you’re an avid society attender or looking to take the leap and join your first one, I hope you take some time to consider how you can improve the way you engage with them and ask yourself if you are getting the most out of the opportunities they present.
Photo by Hillary Ungson on Unsplash.