What Societies Should I Join? - A guide to societies
When you arrive in St Andrews, it will become obvious fairly quickly that the town itself isn't the most vibrant place in the world for things to do (unless you're into golf in which case you're sorted). Because of this unavoidable truth, you will find that your social life will revolve around the societies and clubs run by the students, for the students. The only problem is that there are literally hundreds of clubs and societies in St Andrews and a lot of people will have no clue where to start.
Most people will say just go to the freshers fayre and the sports fayre and see what you like. Now this is pretty good advice but these events are busy and crowded and it can be a bit of a nightmare to figure out what seems good since everyone is trying to convince you to join their societies. I'll give a few tips on how to tackle the freshers fayre at the end of this post but here's my list of societies and clubs to have a look at and maybe join.
1 - Your Subject Society
This is a big one. Almost every, if not every subject that is taught in the university will have it's own society. These societies are a great way to make friends on your course and to make friends in the upper years of your course. As an Astrophysics student, I joined both PhySoc and AstroSoc and some of the people I met there have become my closest friends. I also got to speak to some of the 3rd, 4th and 5th year Physics and Astro students who are all really friendly and willing to give advice to freshers about their subjects. Some of my friends even met their academic parents through their subject societies. Obviously I only have experience of PhySoc and AstroSoc but I gather many of the other subject societies have similar communities within them.
2 - Your Favourite Sport Club
Another one that may seem obvious is to join a sport club. In St Andrews there are over 50 sports clubs so chances are that there'll be one for your favourite sport. With everything from Football (or Soccer for our American friends) to Swimming and Korfball to Shinty, there's something for everyone. You should definitely head along to the Sports Fayre in Freshers Week and look for your sport.
3 - A Sport You've Never Tried
On the other hand, while I'd say it's a great idea to join the club of the sport you love, I'd also recommend trying somethin new. Maybe you've always wanted to take up a martial art, or learn to play tennis, or have no idea what Korfball is and want to try it out. Almost all the Sports Clubs will run Give-it-a-go sessions in freshers week or weeks 1 and 2 of teaching. These are sessions which
will be free (or very low cost) and basically let you go and meet the returning club members and see if it's something you think you'll enjoy. You'll not only meet freshers trying out the sports, but also returning students who want to try picking up a new sport. I'm intending to go along to the Cycling Give-It-A-Go session this year after not enjoying the Swimming Club as much as I expected last year (this is nothing against the swimming club, it's just a rather busy session and wasn't as chilled as I was used to with my club at home. Everyone there was really nice, I was just used to my own lane). I'd say that by far the most important thing with the Sports Fayre is to go in with an open mind and give something a shot even if you think you'll suck at it because it's all about having fun.
4 - Political Societies
With such a diverse student body in St Andrews with students from all over the world, naturally there is a very varied range of student political views and this is represented in the various political societies at the university. There are societies for major UK political parties such as the Scottish National Party (SNP), Conservative and Unionist Party, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats and Brexit Society, to Democrats Overseas for anyone who supports the US Democratic Party. There are also plenty societies which campaign for important political and social issues such as He For She and Her Choice. There's also the ModelUN Society which may be of interest to some students.
5 - Cultural Societies
For a lot of international students, moving to St Andrews may be the first time you've lived away from home, and now you're in a different country from your friends and family back home. Cultural societies can be a great way to deal with feeling homesick as it's a great way to meet other people from home who may be feeling the same way you are.
That's not to say cultural societies are only for people from that culture. They can be a great way to learn about another culture and with such a diverse student body as St Andrews, there are plenty to choose from. I'm not even going to try and list them all but it's unlikely there's not a society for your culture.
6 - Music Society
While this list isn't an advert for any societies in particular and I haven't spoken to any society included in this list, MusicSoc is hard to ignore. It's a massive society (in 2012 there were more than 700 students involved) and it's a hub for creativity and a good time. The society caters to a wide variety of musical genres and groups. There's the wonderful Symphony Orchestra which is auditioned and conducted professionally. St Andrews Strings comprises about 20 musicians and mostly perform unconducted. The Chamber Choir which specialises in choral music from the 18th century onwards. Ukelear Fusion are a ukelele ensemble mostly playing arrangements and covers. Then there's the Big Band of the University of St Andrews (Big BUStA) who play jazz and swing music from the classics of big band music (such as Glenn Miller) to Disney tunes. Finally there's the Concert Wind Band (which I play in). We're the largest unauditioned ensemble and play a variety of film music and more typical wind band pieces. Clearly music is a vibrant scene at the university and that's not even mentioning some of the other choirs and musical theatre societies. I would advise heading to the Music Fayre as well if you have any interest in performing.
7 - Astronomical Society (AstroSoc)
Another great society worth looking into is AstroSoc. I know I said earlier it's one of the subject societies I'm a member of being an Astro student but it's a subject society that is really open to students not studying Astro or its related subjects (like physics and maths). The society was nominated for "best academic society" at the National Society Awards in Manchester this year so it's worth taking a look at.
AstroSoc host stargazing nights on Thursday evenings at the University Observatory open to all students. There's always a guest speaker who'll talk a bit about a topic related to Astronomy and Astrophysics (don't worry, they're super accessible and not super maths-y) and there's limitless hot chocolate (£1 for non-members and free for members - the membership fee is £3 a year so you can easily make that back in hot chocolate). I know I'm an Astro student but even if you're not I'd suggest giving AstroSoc a shot.
8 - Celtic Society
For something Scottish, it's hard to beat Scottish Dancing. The Celtic society is the University's
Oldest Society at 223 years in 2019. The Celtic Society holds regular ceilidhs (with discounts for members) with live music and will hold a ceilidh in Freshers Week. During the semester, Celtic Soc holds weekly Scottish Country Dance classes (beginners are on a Sunday night) which is similar to Ceilidh dancing but a little more complex - trust me it's great fun (I am on the committee so slightly biased but it really is great!). In second semester, the society takes over the Castle for their Celidh in the Castle event that is always great fun and a rather unique chance to dance in the castle ruins.
So whether you're here for a semester, a year, or your whole degree, the Celtic Society is well worth a look for some fun dancing, great people and discounted ceilidhs (not to mention we go to Jannettas for ice cream after class quite a bit!).
9 - St Andrews Radio (STAR)
If you're looking to get into some student broadcasting then STAR is the place to go. It's run from the Union and lets students run their own radio shows which you can access on the STAR website (https://standrewsradio.com/). There's everything from music to talk shows. Applications open at the end of August so if it's something you'd be interested in make sure to go find them in Freshers Week for more information.
10 - Charities
St Andrews not only has cultural, performing, sporting and academic societies, it also has a lot of charitable ones as well. Some of the more high profile ones are St Candrews, that do collections of
food for food banks to support those in the community that are less fortunate. It's not uncommon for graduating students to hold St Candrews collections at their end of exam soakings but anyone can get involved as they'll always be looking for volunteers.
Now obviously the societies I've mentioned will not even scratch the surface in St Andrews and don't take this as a list of the only worthwhile societies to join. There are union subcommittees you can get involved in such as Saints LGBT+. Everyone has different interests and if there isn't a society for it when you arrive, you can make there be one when you leave. The most important thing I'd recommend is that you go to the Freshers Fayre, the Sports Fayre and the Music Fayre. Join the clubs and societies for things you like. Join something you've never tried before, or tried years ago and swore you'd never go back to. Who knows, it might end up being something you never give up (I swore I'd never go back to Scottish Country Dancing and now I'm on the Celtic Soc Committee).
At the different fayres, sign up for mailing lists of anything you think might be remotely interesting because you won't remember every society you speak to. If you get emails and decide not to go along, just email them and ask to unsubscribe, there'll be no hard feelings on their end. The biggest thing I can say is go into it with an open mind and I'm sure you'll find something you like!
Most people will say just go to the freshers fayre and the sports fayre and see what you like. Now this is pretty good advice but these events are busy and crowded and it can be a bit of a nightmare to figure out what seems good since everyone is trying to convince you to join their societies. I'll give a few tips on how to tackle the freshers fayre at the end of this post but here's my list of societies and clubs to have a look at and maybe join.
1 - Your Subject Society
This is a big one. Almost every, if not every subject that is taught in the university will have it's own society. These societies are a great way to make friends on your course and to make friends in the upper years of your course. As an Astrophysics student, I joined both PhySoc and AstroSoc and some of the people I met there have become my closest friends. I also got to speak to some of the 3rd, 4th and 5th year Physics and Astro students who are all really friendly and willing to give advice to freshers about their subjects. Some of my friends even met their academic parents through their subject societies. Obviously I only have experience of PhySoc and AstroSoc but I gather many of the other subject societies have similar communities within them.
2 - Your Favourite Sport ClubAnother one that may seem obvious is to join a sport club. In St Andrews there are over 50 sports clubs so chances are that there'll be one for your favourite sport. With everything from Football (or Soccer for our American friends) to Swimming and Korfball to Shinty, there's something for everyone. You should definitely head along to the Sports Fayre in Freshers Week and look for your sport.
3 - A Sport You've Never Tried
On the other hand, while I'd say it's a great idea to join the club of the sport you love, I'd also recommend trying somethin new. Maybe you've always wanted to take up a martial art, or learn to play tennis, or have no idea what Korfball is and want to try it out. Almost all the Sports Clubs will run Give-it-a-go sessions in freshers week or weeks 1 and 2 of teaching. These are sessions which
4 - Political Societies
With such a diverse student body in St Andrews with students from all over the world, naturally there is a very varied range of student political views and this is represented in the various political societies at the university. There are societies for major UK political parties such as the Scottish National Party (SNP), Conservative and Unionist Party, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats and Brexit Society, to Democrats Overseas for anyone who supports the US Democratic Party. There are also plenty societies which campaign for important political and social issues such as He For She and Her Choice. There's also the ModelUN Society which may be of interest to some students.
5 - Cultural Societies
For a lot of international students, moving to St Andrews may be the first time you've lived away from home, and now you're in a different country from your friends and family back home. Cultural societies can be a great way to deal with feeling homesick as it's a great way to meet other people from home who may be feeling the same way you are.
That's not to say cultural societies are only for people from that culture. They can be a great way to learn about another culture and with such a diverse student body as St Andrews, there are plenty to choose from. I'm not even going to try and list them all but it's unlikely there's not a society for your culture.
6 - Music Society
While this list isn't an advert for any societies in particular and I haven't spoken to any society included in this list, MusicSoc is hard to ignore. It's a massive society (in 2012 there were more than 700 students involved) and it's a hub for creativity and a good time. The society caters to a wide variety of musical genres and groups. There's the wonderful Symphony Orchestra which is auditioned and conducted professionally. St Andrews Strings comprises about 20 musicians and mostly perform unconducted. The Chamber Choir which specialises in choral music from the 18th century onwards. Ukelear Fusion are a ukelele ensemble mostly playing arrangements and covers. Then there's the Big Band of the University of St Andrews (Big BUStA) who play jazz and swing music from the classics of big band music (such as Glenn Miller) to Disney tunes. Finally there's the Concert Wind Band (which I play in). We're the largest unauditioned ensemble and play a variety of film music and more typical wind band pieces. Clearly music is a vibrant scene at the university and that's not even mentioning some of the other choirs and musical theatre societies. I would advise heading to the Music Fayre as well if you have any interest in performing.
7 - Astronomical Society (AstroSoc)
Another great society worth looking into is AstroSoc. I know I said earlier it's one of the subject societies I'm a member of being an Astro student but it's a subject society that is really open to students not studying Astro or its related subjects (like physics and maths). The society was nominated for "best academic society" at the National Society Awards in Manchester this year so it's worth taking a look at.AstroSoc host stargazing nights on Thursday evenings at the University Observatory open to all students. There's always a guest speaker who'll talk a bit about a topic related to Astronomy and Astrophysics (don't worry, they're super accessible and not super maths-y) and there's limitless hot chocolate (£1 for non-members and free for members - the membership fee is £3 a year so you can easily make that back in hot chocolate). I know I'm an Astro student but even if you're not I'd suggest giving AstroSoc a shot.
8 - Celtic Society
For something Scottish, it's hard to beat Scottish Dancing. The Celtic society is the University's
Oldest Society at 223 years in 2019. The Celtic Society holds regular ceilidhs (with discounts for members) with live music and will hold a ceilidh in Freshers Week. During the semester, Celtic Soc holds weekly Scottish Country Dance classes (beginners are on a Sunday night) which is similar to Ceilidh dancing but a little more complex - trust me it's great fun (I am on the committee so slightly biased but it really is great!). In second semester, the society takes over the Castle for their Celidh in the Castle event that is always great fun and a rather unique chance to dance in the castle ruins.
So whether you're here for a semester, a year, or your whole degree, the Celtic Society is well worth a look for some fun dancing, great people and discounted ceilidhs (not to mention we go to Jannettas for ice cream after class quite a bit!).
9 - St Andrews Radio (STAR)If you're looking to get into some student broadcasting then STAR is the place to go. It's run from the Union and lets students run their own radio shows which you can access on the STAR website (https://standrewsradio.com/). There's everything from music to talk shows. Applications open at the end of August so if it's something you'd be interested in make sure to go find them in Freshers Week for more information.
10 - CharitiesSt Andrews not only has cultural, performing, sporting and academic societies, it also has a lot of charitable ones as well. Some of the more high profile ones are St Candrews, that do collections of
food for food banks to support those in the community that are less fortunate. It's not uncommon for graduating students to hold St Candrews collections at their end of exam soakings but anyone can get involved as they'll always be looking for volunteers.
Now obviously the societies I've mentioned will not even scratch the surface in St Andrews and don't take this as a list of the only worthwhile societies to join. There are union subcommittees you can get involved in such as Saints LGBT+. Everyone has different interests and if there isn't a society for it when you arrive, you can make there be one when you leave. The most important thing I'd recommend is that you go to the Freshers Fayre, the Sports Fayre and the Music Fayre. Join the clubs and societies for things you like. Join something you've never tried before, or tried years ago and swore you'd never go back to. Who knows, it might end up being something you never give up (I swore I'd never go back to Scottish Country Dancing and now I'm on the Celtic Soc Committee).
At the different fayres, sign up for mailing lists of anything you think might be remotely interesting because you won't remember every society you speak to. If you get emails and decide not to go along, just email them and ask to unsubscribe, there'll be no hard feelings on their end. The biggest thing I can say is go into it with an open mind and I'm sure you'll find something you like!
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