Getting Involved

Into cheerleading? There is a club for that. Do you love cups of tea? There is a society for that. Do you want to get involved in real life debates and conferences? We have a group for that. Believe it or not the university have a group, society or team for anything you may want to get involved in. If out of the vast amount of societies the university has to offer you don’t like any then you can set up your own society. What a better way to spend your time doing something you are really passionate about and you love to do. It’s going to be beneficial for you to do something apart from your degree. Don’t get me wrong, attending lectures is the most important thing to do while you’re at university. However, using the facilities the university has to offer can help you in ways that you wouldn’t even think.

For instance, I personally joined the Newcastle Links society and before joining I wasn’t sure what sort of career I wanted to go into. Joining the society and learning first aid added to my skills but also it opened up the new world of prehospital care. I then found my ambition to become a paramedic!
You may join a club and find out you are a natural at a sport or a game and this could add to your studies making you more confident in your degree, or it could spark inspiration in a new career choice or lifestyle.

Here are some top tips for what to think about when choosing something extra-curricular:

• Make sure it fits around your time table. Lectures and seminars are the most important thing to attend while at university, after all you’ve worked your whole life to be here now.
• Read, Read, Read. Make sure you read about what the society or club has to offer and make sure the times they meet are times you can attend. Also some societies may sound like one thing but actually turn out to be something else.
• Try something new. This may be the only opportunity in life that you will get to try such a broad range of things. The societies are always a brilliant way to meet new people and even make new friends.

Go for it, you don’t know until you’ve tried. But also remember, it’s not a lifelong commitment!

Pot of Tea with Cup and saucer