Everyone can agree that this academic year has been very different to any other. With students scattered all over the world due to the current restrictions and the transition to virtual learning, it may seem difficult to stay connected in the way we once used to.
Being part of a society, however, does definitely help maintain the ‘university atmosphere’, albeit virtually. All societies have been working very hard to create fun and engaging events to maintain our communities. Being part of the Modern Languages Society (MLS), for example, has definitely improved my experience of this year. MLS is a society aimed at creating an international community for language enthusiasts, offering a variety of languages, including Spanish, Russian, German, French, and Mandarin. The society holds a range of events, including the staple ‘coffee breaks’, which promote language and cultural exchanges. Some of the virtual event highlights of Michaelmas Term included a ‘Chinese Culinary Culture’ event, a ‘Dia de Muertos’ activity session and the ‘End of Term Social’.
The President of MLS describes the society in the following way: “To me it’s always made sense for the LSE to have a society like the MLS. After all, with such an international intake of students, there’s no better place for cultural and language exchanges. The next step then was to simply find the people who were willing to commit their time to create this community, which was never too difficult since the idea of a relaxing social at the end of a long day is very appealing.” This experience of MLS definitely resonates with me and many of the members.
Overall, being part of MLS has not only helped me improve my language skills, seeing that one of the aims of the society is to encourage non-natives to better their levels of understanding of foreign languages, but it has also definitely made me feel part of a friendly community. Having been a member of the society during ‘non-COVID-19 times’ as well, I truly feel that MLS has kept true to its objectives of creating a warm, social and international environment. MLS is planning many very engaging and fun events for Lent Term which may be of interest to many students. Remember, it’s never too late to join!
