Welcome to Societies 25/26!

A big misconception I had when coming to Imperial was that my social life was ending and I would have no time to do the stuff I liked. As excited as I was to embark on this journey, I  began to refer to Imperial as “Nerd College”– a silly thing to say because 1) being a nerd is cool, 2) I was going there of my own will, and 3) international tuition fees… anyways back to my point. Fast forward a year and now I am the Societies editor for Imperial’s student–run newspaper – which is also a society! I couldn’t love what I am doing more! But how did my opinions change over the last year?  

As a very eager fresher, I joined over 20 group chats and went to the events and socials of many more. Turns out, there is plenty of time to take part in societies even at a very academically rigourous university such as ours. While I wouldn’t recommend following the exact path I did -sometimes prioritising my involvement in societies over my degree- I can confirm that the best thing you can do in your first year is to try: try social dancing and taster sessions hosted by the Dance Club! Learn First Aid, go to an event hosted by a cultural society (shameless promo: Turkish Society’s Sess night is a great one) Just say yes to as many things in your first year. Your first few months will not be easy, might as well go through it by meeting people and doing stuff you’ve never done before. 

I met some of my closest friends from joining societies. DramSoc is a group of highly talented and welcoming people which I met most of my friends. And the great thing about societies is that you meet people at very different stages of life: people who are just starting university –like you, my dear fresher reader –  people who are finishing up their undergrad degrees or those in their postgraduate studies! All of my interactions have been immensely useful and I would argue that joining at least one society will give you more transferable skills and insights than some lectures could ever give. 

Type of activities you can join

I advocated quite a bit about societies, but what kind of activities does Imperial offer? There are currently more than 380 activities, societies and projects offered by the Union – one the highest in the UK. These activities only keep expanding with 25 new ones this year. Luckily , the Union seperates society by category. These are Academic Related, Arts and Entertainment, Community, Cultural, Departmental, Hobbies, ICSM, Outdoor, Sports, and Other.

Where to find out more

I could drone on about my experiences with activities, but to read and find out more about each Club, Society and Project (CSP) you can visit the “A to Z” page on the Union website. But of course, the best way to learn about societies is to go to them and experience it in person. A lot of societies offer “Give it a Go” and taster sessions you can join in the first couple of weeks. This is a smart thing to do as some societies have a membership fee that you might not want to pay before seeing for yourself. The “A to Z” page, which I suggest you get accustomed with before Welcome Week, also offers information about the membership prices and some of the merchandise they offer as a CSP. 

...and even more!

If you find that none of these tickle your fancy, which I doubt, there are other opportunities you can consider. You can start your own society, for instance I was deeply inspired by the “Cheese Tasting Club” I found out about in Reed College when I was applying for universities. If you want to earn some money for that extra pint at the Union venues, you can work part time jobs within the Union like joining the bar staff, working at the Help Desk and many more that are advertised every now and then. Another option you have is becoming a part of the people who organise events and activities or advocate for their peers! The Autumn Elections are coming up with the nominations being open on 6^th October and running for positions is a good experience within itself, especially for your CV!