Student groups: a fun university experience

When I first came to university, I was very overwhelmed by the number of student groups affiliated with the Guild (Student Union). During my first year, I was very hesitant to participate in any societies, but as we approached the end of the summer term, I saw an email newsletter calling out students to apply for leadership roles to revive the Enactus Birmingham Society. At first, I had no idea what Enactus was, but after a few Google searches, I found that Enactus was a student-led, social entrepreneurial society. This sounded interesting and as someone who loves to take up leadership roles, I was very enthusiastic about applying! And guess what? I got in!! (I’m now the president of the society)

One thing that attracted me the most to Enactus was the bright future career prospect it brought. Also, the fact that all the projects that are run should be focused on the UN SDGs really got my attention as my interests lie in working in International Organizations. This meant I could not just get a good amount of working knowledge about sustainability but also gain practical skills around entrepreneurship, which will make my CV stand out in applications.

Being elected as the President for Enactus has really taught me the challenges you face when working with a team, starting a new project, liaising with the student union, collaborating with other societies, etc.. But when I started looking at these as not just challenges but as lessons, it really helped me grow both personally and professionally. I was able to hone my skills in leadership, project management, stakeholder engagement, financial stewardship, and most importantly, communication.

As the Enactus team representing the University of Birmingham, we often would have to travel to different places for competitions. Recently, my team and I made a trip to London for a project incubator challenge in which we were qualified to be among the Top 5 teams. This was a very fun experience for me and would definitely come under a few of my favourite memories while being at university.

But how can I leave out the most important part? - Socialising!. Yes, being part of a student really helped me get out of my comfort zone, meet new people, and even make amazing friends. When you meet your friends, especially through student groups, you feel a sense of shared interest that will make you bond quickly. The whole society experience has definitely made my university experience more fun and helpful, and I would definitely recommend all of you reading this to go and join a society today!