Starting a university society is a great way to show employers that you are proactive, making it a great addition to your CV. Being the president also shows that you have the ability to be a team player and a leader—and allows you to build organisational skills.
Of course, starting your own society also allows you to create a club for something you are passionate about, so you can meet like-minded students. No matter your prerogative, check out our top tips for establishing a society below.
Be unique
There’s no point forming a society that already exists: make sure you do your research and check out what’s already available at your university. Most Student Union websites will have a list of existing societies.
Seeing what’s already on offer will allow you to determine whether your idea has already been executed, or identify a gap you could fill. It doesn’t matter how wacky or niche your idea is—Cambridge University has a Doctor Who Society!
Form your committee
You can’t do this task alone, so you need to form your committee. Make sure that they’re enthusiastic about getting involved, and that they are willing to dedicate time and effort to the cause. You will normally need a president, treasurer and secretary at minimum.
What’s your mission?
You should now lay out what you want to achieve with your society. What sort of events will you be hosting? What benefits can you offer to your members? Be realistic yet ambitious about your goals so that you appeal to potential members without disappointing them in the future.
Create a logo
Now that you know what your society is all about, it’s a good idea to create a logo that will help advertise your society. Create a sense of unity among your members by getting your logo printed onto personalised T-shirts from a company like Your Design, or sell personalised hoodies—these are often treasured as mementoes for years!
Get members on board
Most student unions require you to get around 20 members on board before approving your society, so you need to drum up some interest. Call up your friends, walk around with clipboards around campus, and set up social media accounts to get people interested in joining.
Submit your application
You should now be ready to apply to the Student Union. You will most likely need to fill in a heap of paperwork and submit your constitution. Now you just have to wait to be approved as an official society!
Once you get started, don’t place all your focus on running your own society. The NUS outlines plenty of reasons for getting involved with different kinds of societies, so make sure you show your support to fellow presidents and sign up!