Joining societies is always a good idea. You can find out about some of my tips on which society might be right for you in this blog. Here, I want to expand on why you should join the committee of an LSESU Society specifically. The executive committee of societies is usually made up of President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Many societies will also have a Vice-President position. Apart from that, there are also subcommittee positions, which are part of the larger team. Read on for the five main reasons why I think it is worth engaging a bit more with societies by taking a leadership position.

1. Social life

This is probably the main reason why you would join a society in general. I personally have also found that by joining the committee specifically, you will benefit more from the social aspect of joining a student society, since you will be working closely with other students most of the year. By doing this, you might become friends with people you would not have thought of. Committees will often organise socials and teambuilding activities since, at the end of the day, this work is voluntary, and you are also meant to enjoy yourself.

2. Skills and experience gained

This is one of the most important points on the list. I used to be the Secretary of the LSE German Society. Organising the German Symposium in 2020, I gained so much experience which I have been able to build on and use in job applications. For one, it was the first time I properly communicated with professionals that we were inviting to our annual conference. For two, I learned a lot about effective teamwork, time planning, and organisation, as well as LSE’s operational structures. This enriched my experience tremendously.

3. Making connections and networking

If you are in a society that organises similar events to those mentioned above, you will have the possibility to liaise with professionals and perhaps even get a feel for a certain field of academia or professional industry. As mentioned above, the skills learned from this are great. And you never know when an opportunity might pose itself in these exchanges. Obviously, don’t have too high expectations about this, but there is certainly scope for making valuable connections.

4. Distraction

Balancing my studies with something else has been really important to me. One way of doing this is joining a society that interests you. It is not meant to add extra stress to your workload, but rather to distract you from just thinking about your studies. Whether this may be through the social aspect I mentioned above, or simply doing something different to reading and homework, there is a lot of opportunity for finding balance in your studies.

5. Exploring passions

You don’t need to join a society that corresponds exactly to your degree. Many friends have done something unrelated to their degree and found a new hobby, passion, or career to go into by being involved with societies. Also, meeting people from other degrees is an aspect that will broaden your horizons. Career or subject pivots are pretty common and gaining experience in a field you are interested in outside of your degree in a society is the perfect start.

Overall, I hope this encourages someone to go for a committee position in a society. You will most likely enjoy it, learn a lot, and gain new skills. Read more about the LSESU Societies.