Although daunting, one of the best things you can do to acclimate to university life is to get involved with on campus clubs and societies. Clubs and societies are an opportunity to meet people with similar interests, advance and practice your own skills, and to get to know UL better. My name is Soucie, I’m a second year BSc Bioscience student from the United States and one of the two chairpeople of UL Drama Society. My co-chair person and closest friend, Gwenna, met through an event hosted by UL Crafts Society in our first semester at UL. We both shared a love of the arts and were able to have conversations while learning how to cross-stitch. During this, we realized we were in the same academic course and both adored theatre. She recruited me to the UL Musical Theatre Society, where I learned the ropes of the lights in the Jonathan Swift Theatre and eventually helped light ULMTS’ “Triple Threat 2024” performance. From there, I joined UL Drama Society and really put down roots.
Through UL Student Life, clubs and societies have what are known as ‘general members’ and ‘committee members’. General members can attend all events hosted by the clubs/societies that they are a part of, while committee members often both organize and attend the events. As a general member, you gain community, activities, and experience in the areas of your club/society. For example, at UL Drama Society, we host a myriad of different events and workshops throughout the semester such as weekly Writer’s Group, Monday Masterclasses, and Wednesday Workshops. Writer’s groups are an opportunity for amateur or experienced writers to learn, share, and engage with each other and to advance their skillsets. Masterclasses offer hands-on experience with backstage/technical theatre, and workshops are fun, engaging, and exciting opportunities to advance performance skills. Every single UL club and society has a multitude of chances to get involved and get engaged. A great way to see if the club/society is a good fit for you is to attend the “C&S Sign Up Fair” at the beginning of each semester and to check out the social media pages of the group.
If you’re interested in advancing your professional skills and improving your CV, joining the committee of a club/society may be for you! Each club/society has a different number of and variety of positions, and regardless of if you’re here for a single semester, a year, or your whole degree, there may be a position for you! On committee, you have a chance to make changes, improve organisational skills, and to gain volunteer hours through the President’s Volunteer Award. There are two different types of opportunities to join committees: an AGM (annual general meeting) or an EGM (emergency general meeting). Clubs/Societies will post about these before they happen and often will include the role of responsibilities in advance. If you ever have any additional questions pertaining to a club/society, reach out! Each group has a committee there to help you, and they are all immensely kind people.
Regardless of the club/society, investing time into community and personal interests benefits mental/physical wellbeing, while encouraging acclimation to a new chapter of life. UL has 36 clubs and 41 societies filled with passionate and welcoming individuals, who are excited to have you join.
To apply for a club simply go to UL Wolves Clubs & Societies, go to the Club or Society’s relevant page and click apply now, there is usually a small entry fee of €5.
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