Why I Joined a Society (and Why You Should Too) 

Hi, my name is Faye, and I’m a second year masters student in Creative Writing, and this is why I joined a society. I’ve been at York St John for around five years now, doing both my undergraduate degree and my master’s degree at the university. I’ve always loved the tight-knit community, and this community is shown best in the many different societies at the university. 

The society I’ve been part of the longest is the Musical Production Society. I was drawn to it because of my own background in musical theatre, and a long love of theatre, but I stayed because of the wonderful community. It was so scary going to the first session, and I still find myself nervous before the first session of each semester, even though I’m one of the longest-standing members of the society! This is an issue I know many people face- societies can often be really big, and have a lot of members. It’s hard to know if you’re going to fit in on the first day, but I’ve always found everyone to be welcoming. Societies are a wonderful place to gather with people who have the same interests as you, and based on my own experiences, it’s where you’ll make the best lifelong friends. It’s easy to get involved with societies, with every society having options for casual or more intense involvement. Musical Production Society, which all of its members refer to as MPS, does a lot of fun socials alongside weekly rehearsals for a showcase in the first semester, and a full musical in the second semester. It can be a big commitment, and a lot of societies do require big commitments, so make sure not to spread yourself too thin.  

My best advice for any new students is to not hold yourself back- if you think there’s even a chance that you might enjoy something, try it out! Try out as many societies as you can at taster sessions, because you might just find a second home you never expected. Societies are the best place to relax and decompress from the stress of university life, and I can’t recommend them enough. January is the best time to get involved with societies, as they’ll be holding taster sessions, and soon enough you’ll be able to find out more about them at the Refresher’s fair, which is York St John’s second fresher’s fair of the academic year! It’s great for people who are brand new to societies, or even people who are already part of a society, looking for other activities to fill their time away from classes. 

Find out more about what societies are available at York St John SU

Faye Kerr