Debating, drama, sport, music, dance, caving and archery. These are just some of an endless list of activities students can get involved in when they go to college. Often it is much cheaper for student societies to avail of these activities than it is for people out in the working world. Clubs and societies offer a whole new network of people to make friends with and can enrich your college experience. Usually, each college will hold an open day in the first few weeks of term for first years to go along and find out what clubs and societies they can join. Even if you don’t want to get involved, you might as well go see what’s on offer.
Jerome Dunne
Dublin City University (DCU)
“During my fresher year I made the mistake of not joining any clubs or societies and therefore, had to deal with the envy of my friends going out and doing fun activities. At the beginning of second year, I made it my mission to join as many clubs as I possibly could. So, for two out of the three days of Clubs and Societies Week, I made my way to the sports hall, where endless clubs and societies showcased what they had to offer.
Jerome Dunne on a caving adventure in the Burren, Co Clare.
“After being promised a ‘sneak peek into the depths of the earth’, I paid the €4 membership fee and joined the DCU Caving Club.
“Training then commenced and every Wednesday for two hours we would learn how to properly climb ladders, ropes and use special single rope technique (SRT) equipment. All equipment needed was provided.
“After a few training sessions we embarked on our first trip out to the Burren in Co Clare. Travel, accommodation, meals and equipment were all bundled into the small price of €35 making it affordable for all students.
“The experiences I had and people I met upon joining caving club is something I’ll always treasure and made my time in college that bit more unique.”
Luke McDermott
Queen’s University, Belfast
“There are other alternatives to clubs/societies for example, agricultural colleges offer students the opportunity to work on the college farm in the evenings, weekends and holidays.
“Duties may involve milking, calving cows, moving/lambing sheep and many more which many agricultural students find beneficial for their course.
“In my own opinion, I found that working with sheep and dairy cows on the college farm has proven very beneficial in my college studies as they were two sectors I had little prior knowledge in.”
Ellen Durkin
University College Dublin
The agriculture society, Ag Soc, was my first port of call. Second on the list was the Equestrian Club, as I’d grown up with horses. 
Joining clubs and societies is a great way to meet like-minded people and ultimately make new friends. For me, joining Ag Soc helped me to get to know some of my fellow ag students on the different nights out and at on-campus events which the society held. The Equestrian Club was also a great way for me to make new friends. I took part in polocrosse lessons for six weeks of the semester. The lessons took place in Carrickmines Equestrian Centre and a bus was organised every Tuesday evening to bring us to and from our lessons. At the end of the semester, we played in the Polocrosse Intervarsities against DCU, Trinity and DIT. This was a great team-bonding exercise for us all, and the day was a great chance to get to know some of my teammates who had been in different lessons to me.
Read more
Survival tips for first year college students
Balancing part time work with study
Debating, drama, sport, music, dance, caving and archery. These are just some of an endless list of activities students can get involved in when they go to college. Often it is much cheaper for student societies to avail of these activities than it is for people out in the working world. Clubs and societies offer a whole new network of people to make friends with and can enrich your college experience. Usually, each college will hold an open day in the first few weeks of term for first years to go along and find out what clubs and societies they can join. Even if you don’t want to get involved, you might as well go see what’s on offer.
Jerome Dunne
Dublin City University (DCU)
“During my fresher year I made the mistake of not joining any clubs or societies and therefore, had to deal with the envy of my friends going out and doing fun activities. At the beginning of second year, I made it my mission to join as many clubs as I possibly could. So, for two out of the three days of Clubs and Societies Week, I made my way to the sports hall, where endless clubs and societies showcased what they had to offer.
Jerome Dunne on a caving adventure in the Burren, Co Clare.
“After being promised a ‘sneak peek into the depths of the earth’, I paid the €4 membership fee and joined the DCU Caving Club.
“Training then commenced and every Wednesday for two hours we would learn how to properly climb ladders, ropes and use special single rope technique (SRT) equipment. All equipment needed was provided.
“After a few training sessions we embarked on our first trip out to the Burren in Co Clare. Travel, accommodation, meals and equipment were all bundled into the small price of €35 making it affordable for all students.
“The experiences I had and people I met upon joining caving club is something I’ll always treasure and made my time in college that bit more unique.”
Luke McDermott
Queen’s University, Belfast
“There are other alternatives to clubs/societies for example, agricultural colleges offer students the opportunity to work on the college farm in the evenings, weekends and holidays.
“Duties may involve milking, calving cows, moving/lambing sheep and many more which many agricultural students find beneficial for their course.
“In my own opinion, I found that working with sheep and dairy cows on the college farm has proven very beneficial in my college studies as they were two sectors I had little prior knowledge in.”
Ellen Durkin
University College Dublin
The agriculture society, Ag Soc, was my first port of call. Second on the list was the Equestrian Club, as I’d grown up with horses.
Joining clubs and societies is a great way to meet like-minded people and ultimately make new friends. For me, joining Ag Soc helped me to get to know some of my fellow ag students on the different nights out and at on-campus events which the society held. The Equestrian Club was also a great way for me to make new friends. I took part in polocrosse lessons for six weeks of the semester. The lessons took place in Carrickmines Equestrian Centre and a bus was organised every Tuesday evening to bring us to and from our lessons. At the end of the semester, we played in the Polocrosse Intervarsities against DCU, Trinity and DIT. This was a great team-bonding exercise for us all, and the day was a great chance to get to know some of my teammates who had been in different lessons to me.
Read more
Survival tips for first year college students
Balancing part time work with study
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