Which student society should I join at University of Birmingham?

University is an amazing opportunity to make new friendships and meet people just like you, and the best way to do this is by joining a society. Societies are a way of connecting with others of similar interests and with students from other degrees and cohorts, whether that be sport, music, culture and so on. When beginning university, I was told to visit the society fair during fresher’s week to look into societies to join and the wide range of student-led groups was fascinating. There really is a society for everyone at Birmingham.

What are societies and how do I join them?

Societies are student-run groups, through the Guild of Students, which offer you and other students to bond over a common interest. They could be around a specific niche such as a particular movie, or they could be about a broad subject such as music. Due to the endless limits on what a society could be for this means societies often range in size, but this doesn’t take away from the experience of participating in the society. You may want to meet a small group of people or become friends with loads of students and societies allow for both.

Joining them is simple; on the Guild of Students website you can search and look through the different societies which are available and select the one you want to join. Often there may be a cost, but this is nearly always small, and it just helps fund some events that the society can hold. There is also the option to make your own society, and after being accepted by the Guild, you have created a society. I find it amazing that the Guild offers this; every society was founded by someone, so why don’t you start one?

Which society should I join?

During first year, this is the best time to experiment with societies as you often have much more time in your hands. You may want to join one which a friend goes to or one which looks interesting at the society fair and attend one of their gatherings or events during freshers.  For example, I would attend the ACS (Afro – Caribbean Society) with my flatmate as it was an opportunity to get to know him and others better. Additionally, many of the sports societies would offer free practice sessions to allow you to try and see whether it was right for you. The emphasis is on making you feel comfortable and ensuring you know you would want to be a part of the group. So go for one which you enjoy, as there is always someone else who has the same interest.

Leadership in societies

Every year, roughly between February and April, an AGM or Annual General Meeting is held to prepare for the next year and to elect next year’s student committee for the society. This changes year by year, as usually the positions held will need to be transferred on as other students may be graduating or taking a year abroad. But this leaves you with the chance to run as a candidate. There are many roles to run for such as president, secretary and treasurer. Being on the student committee is amazing for putting on your CV but mainly allows you to help guide the direction that the society is going. Could you see yourself running a society in the future?

My society experience

I love societies personally as it allows me to take a break from the academic side of university and spend time with other students. As an engineering student, I am part of my course-specific society called AeroSoc. There is a specific one for each engineering discipline like MechSoc for Mechanical Engineering, CivSoc for Civil Engineering and so on. For me, engineering societies offer the perfect balance between helping support my academic studies, whilst also allowing for me to have a fun time. I am also part of the CU, Christian Union, and this offers me the chance to spend time with students from uni cohorts and degrees.

Closing message

Societies are wonderful, and an amazing way to spend time with other students of similar interests. While there are so many which are exciting, I recommend fully committing yourself to one or two as you are still studying simultaneously. That isn’t to say that you shouldn’t try more, especially in first year, but as you progress throughout your degree you may have less time to spend trying different societies and I believe having a couple of core societies that you are a part with is good for balancing your social life and studies.