Coming to university, I didn’t know much about clubs and societies- how they worked, what they did, or how important they can be to the student experience. It felt like many of my new friends on my degree knew exactly what ones they were hoping to join as well, which only made me more stressed! You may be in the same boat as I was- but do not fear. Having been involved in various things here at Queen's in the last few years, I want to share my experience of getting involved, and encourage you to give it a try too.

Getting involved

As a fresher I was overwhelmed with the choice of what to be involved with! It seemed there was every society you could ever dream of at fresher’s fair, plus a whole host of degree specific options for medics. Pretty soon, clubs and societies were messaging our year group’s page, recruiting year group representatives- and while I was intrigued, I didn’t really know what that meant, or what I wanted to be a part of.

Super welcoming

However, as the academic year progressed I attended a few events ran by various societies- a mix of new things I wanted to try, and organisations that I thought would help me meet similar people to myself. One in particular was super welcoming- I went bowling with other freshers and had a great time making new friends, talking to the older students there and just felt immediately comfortable in the atmosphere they made. When this society- CMF, or Christian Medical fellowship- put out their request for year reps, I decided to give it a go.

Each society’s recruitment may be different or at different times of the year, but all I had to do was complete a little form on why I wanted to be involved, and I soon heard back that I was chosen. The existing committee welcomed me with open arms, and quickly made me feel like part of the team- at the next event, I was thrown in the deep end setting up, helping serve food and joining them for a quick committee meeting at the end. Despite some of them being final years and super busy, everyone took time to be welcoming and get to know me.

What the role entail?

From there, the rep role mainly involved promoting events to my year group on group chats, helping to provide snacks for events, and getting involved in brainstorming ideas and representing what my year would most enjoy doing or learning about. Like most year rep positions, it was a gentle introduction to how the society ran, wasn’t too time consuming, and helped me to feel more involved in university life.

The year also involved a trip to Birmingham for the CMF national conference, a fantastic opportunity to meet with healthcare students from across UK unis and bond with some others in my year group. Going into second year, I decided to stay on, and took over the CMF social media. Last year I was vice-president, and this year co-president- so clearly there was something worth sticking around for!

^{A bunch of the students I’ve been lucky to meet through getting involved at Queen's}

Why bother?

In my experience the benefits of being involved with a committee early on outweigh any nerves or fears- CMF has helped me to get to know people from other years in my degree, who have proved to a source of much encouragement and advice over the years.

It’s provided excellent experience of working as a team and planning events, which are transferable to many areas in the working world. It’s given me more confidence to join other societies and committees - a more academic pick this time, with the new Internal Medicine Society. And most importantly, it’s a lot of fun!

Find your squad

I’ve also really appreciated having a space at university to meet with students who are similar to me, to worship together, discuss big issues that affect us as future doctors, and feel supported and uplifted when times are tough.

Your experience may look different depending on what you’re interested in- with such a wide variety of societies, it could be a place for you to meet people with interests similar to you but totally different to your course, or be a place to let yourself try something new. Regardless of the specifics, you’re likely to find a welcoming group, fun opportunities to get involved, and great experience for your future CV.

^{Practising my BBQ skills at the end of year trip this summer}

Top tips for those new to Clubs and Societies

As we start a new year, I have some top tips.

Take a Look

If you’ve got a spare afternoon, why not look through the SU website at their list of clubs and societies? Or browse Instagram and see what sort of events the societies you may be interested in run during the year? This is a good way to get a feel for what a club may be like.

Be Brave

When it comes to September- it may be scary, but be brave and speak to people at the freshers fair! Those behind the tables representing their society were probably in your shoes the year before, and will be happy to tell you what they’ve enjoyed about it. You also aren’t committing to anything just by being curious and finding out a little more.

Go for it!

When you think you’ve found something you’re keen to be involved with, give it a go. Societies at Queen's may offer everything from pub nights and day trips to revision sessions and volunteering opportunities, so go along and see if its something you like. And when you find a club or society that feels like home, why not stay a while and see where it could take you?

Find out more

Clubs and Societies

Christian Medical Fellowship

Kathryn Allen Medicine| Undergraduate Student | Lisburn, NI I’m a 21 year old student originally from Lisburn and starting my fourth year of Medicine at Queen's in September- I love my degree because its combines caring for people, learning fascinating things and working as a team. When I’m not busy surviving placement and exams, you can find me in one of Belfast’s great coffee shops with a friend, going to concerts to get my fix of live music, or curling up to read a book with a carefully curated Spotify playlist on in the background!