Life on campus: societies, sports clubs and staying active

In this student blog, Keltoum talks about the benefits of joining a society on campus and how to stay active during your studies.

Before coming to the University of Warwick, one of my most daunting thoughts was meeting so many new people. It is a normal feeling to have before starting university but there is no need to worry. With all the societies and ways to stay active on campus, socialising and making friends will become second nature as everyone is super welcoming and sociable!

Societies form an important part of the social interactions at Warwick. There is so much on offer, which can be a bit overwhelming, but this just provides us with endless opportunities to discover and try new things whilst meeting like-minded people.

The university organises a societies fair during week 0 of term 1, when students first arrive on campus. This fair is held in the sports hall and extends over a 2-day period, one day focusing on the sports societies and the other day focusing on the academic and cultural societies. WBS also runs a society fair where all the business-related societies get together within the Business School and offer you information on what they do and how you can get involved.

When looking at all of the societies on offer, I decided to join Enactus Warwick as it provides hands on work experience through working on social enterprises. I enjoyed the experience so much during my first year that I decided to run for an executive position within the society and I was fortunate enough to succeed and become the Vice President of the Enactus Society! Being an executive in a society provided me with great experiences which have allowed me to further develop as an individual. I organise meetings and events, ensure all projects are meeting their targets, and that members are motivated.

Every society has an executive team. There are yearly elections and as a member you will have the opportunity to apply for an executive position, such as President or Treasurer. This is a great way to form very close relationships with people who have the same interests as you. Plus, it’s great for your CV!

However, you do not need to be on an executive team, you can also just be a member. For example, I am also a member of other cultural and academic societies such as Warwick Consulting Society, HultzPrize and Warwick Entrepreneurs, joining their events and talks to gather insight into the world of graduate employment or to just socialise with the other members.

Meeting new people is a great way to stay mentally engaged. However, the body is just as important. Fortunately there are many sports societies offering all sorts of classes, from beginners to experienced-level, which allow you to represent the university and compete against other teams or just take part for fun.

Luckily, it does not stop there! If you are more interested in spending some time in the gym, sauna or swimming pool, the university has an amazing sports facility with a new one opening in April 2019. The new Sport and Wellness Hub will have over 100 fitness classes, a modern 230 station gym, an indoor climbing centre, and a 25m 12-lane swimming pool. You can find out more about the new Sport and Wellness Hub below. 

However, if you are worried about making this kind of commitment, and just want to casually get active when you feel like it, there is the outdoors fitness activity zone which you can access for free! The facilities are amazing, including half a basketball court, trampolines, swings and energy bikes. This represents a bit of an ‘adult’ playground on campus.

We all secretly have worries when starting university, but worrying about meeting new people or having something to do should not even be on your list of “things to worry about before starting at Warwick.” Trust me, you will feel at home in no time at all.

If would like to find out more about our courses, why not download our 2020 Undergraduate Brochure?