Why joining a club or society is one of the best things you can do at university

My role is to represent students within both the Students’ Union itself and the University. I’m always trying to make sure I provide a voice for all members of LJMU, whether that’s in a LiverpoolSU meeting about our calendar of events and priorities or in a meeting about changes to the campus.

Since becoming a VP in 2017 I have been getting to know our amazing sports teams and societies and learning what’s important to them. I’ve worked with our events team to subsidise events for members, as I want to make sure they’re rewarded for their hard work throughout the year.

The best part of my job is definitely the people! I love working with such a wide range of people, from students in a small society, members of sports teams to University staff – it’s really interesting. 

To know that each time I have an interaction the focus is on the student experience is great

I’ve loved watching the development of our sports teams, honestly they are so motivated, talented and dedicated. I love being invited to watch games or attend society events because it’s almost always something I’ve never done before!

Joining a club or society has such a positive impact on students, and I’ve seen and experienced this first-hand. Students can gain knowledge in their area of interest. For example the Drama Society are currently putting on a full musical with our support, which is an incredible task and will give them so much experience if they were to go on to work in the arts.

I’ve also seen how it can create friendships; all our societies and clubs are there so you can have fun and take some time outside your usual university experience. Even our academic societies have socials, where you can just wind down and watch a film with some pizza. It’s lovely to see students taking some much-needed time off.

I was a part of the Comedy Society for three years. In my third year I actually became President and hosted monthly stand-up nights which have continued to run this year! I absolutely loved it, it was such a highlight of my time at university and members also used to tell me it was one of their favourite university memories watching the shows.

We have a couple of new societies this year, including the Dr Who, Debating, FIFA and Medieval societies plus we have had a massive influx of academic societies such as Business, Events, Finance, Food & Nutrition Societies… the list goes on!

LiverpoolSU hold a Refreshers’ Fair in January as it’s the perfect time to try something new. I hope everyone considers joining a club or society as I cannot stress the benefits enough!

Refreshers’ Fair is another chance to see what the SU has to offer. You can meet different teams, clubs and societies and find out what you can expect from joining. There will also be loads of freebies from the best brands in the city.

The Fair will bring all of the best bits of Freshers’ Fair to Camp and Furnace on Wednesday 24 January, 12pm- 4pm. Expect brand new clubs and societies, a range of accommodation providers, and a fantastic atmosphere with free pizza, popcorn, a fro-yo bar and DJs.

Do you want to be on the Student Officer team next year? 

Get paid £18.5k to work with and for LJMU students for a year. Nominations are open to all LJMU students 29 Jan-9 Feb . Find out more at bit.do/su-student-officer.