Joining a society while studying an MSc

With over 250 student societies available on campus, our MSc ambassadors tell us about their favourite societies throughout their postgraduate year at WBS and why they decided to join them.

Despite the current restrictions that are in place around holding events on campus due to the impact of COVID-19, Warwick SU societies and sports clubs have moved online and still have lots of exciting activities to offer current students.

Alara Ozcam, MSc Marketing & Strategy

When I was looking at possible places to study for my MSc degree, one of the most important criteria to me was the societies that were available, as I knew that I wanted to make the most of my MSc experience and try something new. When making my final decision on where to study it certainly helped that there were over 300 societies and sports clubs to choose from at the University of Warwick!

After trying out horse riding and Jiu-Jitsu I decided to sign up to the following societies; Salsa, Thai Chi, the Retail and Luxury Goods, and the Consulting society. I was also an ambassador for the Marketing Insight Series (MiS). I think the variety of societies available on campus made my MSc experience even more life-changing and gave me a much-needed break from my studies.

I personally enjoyed the balance between self-development and participating in activities that I enjoyed, which I feel being part of a society really enables you to do. By joining a society you have the opportunity to enrich your knowledge, learn a new skill set or relax, away from your academic studies. For example, I learned about critical issues in marketing with MiS, and I learned how to minimise my stress levels with Thai Chi. As I dug deeper into consultancy, I made sure to ease my mind by learning salsa.

Of course, balancing your time between your studies and participating in societies can be challenging. I would recommend making a weekly schedule where you can dedicate your time between your studies and your societal activities which helps to ensure that you aren’t compromising one for the other. I found that being involved in societies motivated me even further in my academic studies and gave me the opportunity to relax with like-minded individuals whilst learning lots of new skills and knowledge.

Tanya Khan, MSc Business with Marketing

Whilst completing my MSc course at WBS, I found societies a great way to meet new people and pursue interests outside of work. I have always been interested in journalism, so I joined The Boar, the university’s student-run newspaper. As well as this, I volunteered for Warwick STAR, who help refugees in the local area learn English.

Even though both of these societies are very different, I was able to work on different skills that complemented my studies, whilst allowing me to understand what I would enjoy doing in my future career. As part of The Boar, I was able to attend writers meetings and write articles on topics I felt passionate about. This ranged from topics like the student wealth gap to my experience trying yoga for the first time. Volunteering for an hour a week with Warwick STAR helped me understand the difficulties refugees and asylum seekers go through when trying to acclimatise to their new home. It was incredibly moving to watch people learn English and enter the workforce.

It was great to create a work-life balance where I could have something to look forward to after completing coursework, readings and lecture preparation! It was a fantastic way to understand how to balance my time – especially when it felt like I had lots of deadlines. Societies have zero obligation, which means that you can attend events or take part whenever you feel you have the time, whether you join a society for the socials, to learn a skill or to give back to the community.

*Please note that this blog was written prior to COVID-19.

You can find out about all the student societies on offer by visiting the Warwick SU website.