Clubs and societies are important for a well-rounded education

School: it’s not for everyone. Some can struggle because of the intensity of study or because they find it boring.

For many, however, school sucks because they don’t fit in, or don’t have many friends, or have experienced bullying.

The good news is that pretty much anyone who had a tough time with the social side of school - including this journalist - will tell you the same thing: it gets better.

And for many, college is where it gets better. It’s here that your friends aren’t based on who is sitting beside you or who has risen to the top of the popularity hierarchy.

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It’s here, in college, that your friends are more likely to be based on people that you actually like, and who like you back in turn. It’s here, in college, that you choose friends based on common interests and mutual understanding - and the best way of doing that is getting involved in (sports) clubs, societies, the students’ union or the college press. And, regardless of your popularity status, getting involved in college life will deeply enrich your experience.

So when you’re at open days, it’s important to look beyond academics and get a sense of what it would be really like to study there.

Michelle Whyte is societies officer at UCC. Her role is permanent and involves assisting and supporting the full-time students’ union societies officer, who is elected every year by the student population.

“A lot of the time, students will only have had access to drama or debating in school, but the range of societies at third-level is much bigger,” she says.

“At open day, there are general club and society information stands, and students can talk to the people there and advise them on what they might be interested in. And a lot of student activities are very active on social media, so even if they’re not at open day, they might be present on Instagram.”

Whyte says that clubs and societies are an important part of a well-rounded education.

“There are so many reasons to get involved. Students will learn things in clubs and societies that they won’t learn in the classroom, developing their communication skills and how to deal with different personalities.

“When you’re in secondary school, you’re usually looked after by parents and have your lunch made every day, but college life is a time of independence and this can be daunting, so clubs and societies are a way of making friends with like-minded interests, which can be harder to do in big lecture theatres.”

Whyte says that being involved in clubs and societies, having a purpose and making and developing friendships leads to a happier experience. There’s also good evidence, in turn, that students who are happier in college will enjoy better mental health and are less likely to drop out.

Another big plus of clubs and societies is that involvement in college life really helps one graduate CV stand out over another.

While it’s more than a little obnoxious to treat meaningful engagement with other students as merely a stepping stone on your CV, employers are increasingly seeing more and more 2.1 and first class honours degrees - so those students who spent time developing skills like organisation, teamwork, research and communication through involvement in college life do have an edge.

Over the past few years, many club and society events had to move online. While this opened up new possibilities for those who previously couldn’t get as involved - whether because of parenting or caring commitments, disability or other factors such as the need to commute long distances to and from college - most students missed meeting and engaging in-person.

Riona Hughes, societies officer at the University of Galway, says that the return to campus full-time has seen students enthusiastically re-embrace college life.

“Last year, societies organised 3,300 in-person and virtual events,” Hughes says. “We now have over 130 societies, the most ever, [including] 20 new societies. The top three new societies with highest signups this year are Granny Society, with over 600 members, followed by Republic of Ireland Supporters Club and Witches Call Society, which shows the diversity of interests from knitting and needlework to appreciating soccer to an interest in crystals, spirituality and witchcraft. We now have almost 14,000 student members of societies, with 6,235 joining societies since our first Societies Day in September.”

In late October, the University of Galway held Halloween events and also continued with the Student Pantry event, held in association with Food Cloud, helping provide students with much-needed free food.

“The Societies Office offers a seven-day-per-week service to help support students who are on campus at weekends, with activities in the The Hub at Áras na Mac Léinn, as we appreciate how lonely it can be arriving at the university and the importance of finding your circle of friends who will support you during your university journey,” Hughes says.

Clubs and societies at open days

Atlantic Technological University:

There are 222 clubs and societies across ATU’s eight campuses in Donegal, Galway, Mayo and Sligo, with GAA, soccer and basketball among the most popular, says Aidan Haughey, ATU communications manager.

“The Atlantic coast-based university has lots of water sports clubs and societies, with diving, swimming and surfing among them,” adds Haughey. “With surfing being a part of the culture in the west, the university has hosted the surfing InterVarsity on many occasions over the years.

“The rugged terrain of the west offers excellent opportunities for students to experience the great outdoors with mountaineering and biking among the clubs and societies on offer. For the more strategic minded student ATU has a range of clubs from sword-fighting to chess.

“If sports aren’t your thing, you can avail of ATU’s vast array of societies - bushcraft, tabletop board games, cheerleading and puppetry are among the options, along with ATU’s long standing Tea Society which allows people with multiple or no interest in hobbies to meet and mingle.

“LGBTQ+ societies are available across the university region with multiple events and awareness campaigns planned throughout the year.

“International Societies are available across the ATU and provide students with a platform to meet and interact with students from all over the world.

“In the arts section ATU offers many music and theatre/performing arts societies. With the closure of most clubs and societies during lockdown a new online cross campus writing society was established which publishes a collection of prose, poetry and short stories each year called ‘scrimshaw’.”

UCD: Tours will be held by student ambassadors throughout the open day, giving prospective students a chance to talk about college life. The day will also give prospective students access to society auditors, club captains and staff administrators who are at the forefront of student activity on the campus.

UL: Dario Di Ruzza, undergraduate recruitment and admissions officer at UL, is a psychology graduate from the same university.

“During my time as a student, I was heavily involved in voluntary work in the university and in clubs and societies,” he says.

“Open days are a fantastic opportunity for prospective undergrads to get a taste of the UL experience. When they visit our students’ union they will see that there are over 96 clubs and societies to choose from.

“There will be advice available to them regarding the campus, all amenities and facilities, transport, all available supports, events and activities as well as the general settling-in questions. Everything from how much a gym membership is and what the important dates on the academic calendar are will be available to them as well as some extremely handy hints and tips for the best spots for food, nightlife, gigs, shows and sporting events.”