UCD’s Societies are as many and varied as the students themselves. Eithne Dodd has compiled a handy guide to decipher who’s who in the Freshers’ Tent.
Joining college societies is a brilliant opportunity to meet people with similar interests to you. However with over 70 societies to choose from, it can be difficult to know which ones are right for you. Aside, from the big societies (you’ll know them by the masses of free stuff they give you when you sign up) there are plenty of others that may tickle your fancy. Below is a list of broad categories for societies that should make the decision process a bit easier.
Charity Societies
There are five societies in UCD dedicated to helping others, all of them tackling different social issues, so you’re bound to find one that helps the issues you care about. Volunteers Overseas offers students the opportunity to travel the world and volunteer during their summer holidays. St Vincent de Paul runs soup kitchens and homework clubs, World Aid is dedicated to raising money for worthy causes around the globe and Amnesty International campaigns to end social and political injustices, wherever they occur. Not only will you help make a positive difference, they all have great social events as well.
Media Societies
If the media interests you, or you are thinking about a career in that area, then UCD has the societies for you! TV Society and Belfield fm, offer members the chance to create, write, record, host and edit their own shows. FilmSoc also provide their members with opportunities to show off their creative talents by helping to make short films and offer free film screenings every week of the semester. If you prefer written media, there are two newspapers on campus; The University Observer and the College Tribune. The newspapers have the added incentive of being free to join.
STEM Societies
There are more societies from a science, technology, engineering and maths background than any other category. If the STEM subjects are what you’re into, then there is plenty to choose from. The societies range from the Veterinary Society to MedSoc to the Pharmatox society as well as five different engineering societies, there is Chemical Society, AgScience Society and Physiotherapy Society.
Religious Societies
UCD has four societies dedicated to promoting faith on campus: Livingstones Society, Newman Society, Islamic Society and Christian Union Society. All of the societies encourage religious tolerance and are open to people of any faith or none at all.
Political Societies
The four main political parties all have youth versions in the form of student societies. Young Fine Gael, Labour Youth, Kevin Barry Cumann (Ógra Fianna Fáil) and Young Sinn Féin are all very active on campus. As well as those though, there are more political societies that haven’t yet got official recognition, chief among them are the Young Greens and the Socialist Workers Party.
Arts Societies
For those of us who enjoy the liberal arts UCD offers us plenty of choice. If you’re interested in history, literature, architecture, archaeology or classical studies; we have a society for you. Join An Cumann Gaelach if you’re interested in expanding your cúpla focail; if you’re interested in learning more about illustration, photography or graphic design, then DrawSoc is for you or, if you passionately believe that Kirk is better than Picard, join the SciFi Society.
Debating Societies
There are two debating societies in UCD; The L&H and LawSoc. Not only will both societies give you a big goody bag when you join them, they also get some of the best guest speakers on campus every year and offer new and seasoned debaters plenty of opportunities to show off their talents.
Performance Societies
If you love being the centre of attention and showing off your skills, there are plenty of societies that will offer you opportunities to perform. From stand-up with the Comedy Society, spoken word poetry with LitSoc or multiple forms of dancing with Dance Society. There is also the ever popular DramSoc for any budding actors and directors as well as four different societies for lovers of music; Traditional Music Society; Music Society; Musical Society and Jazz Society. Musical Society won Society of the Year 2015.
Culture and Language Societies
Many societies offer students a chance to broaden their knowledge of the traditions and customs of other cultures. Some societies cater for specific interests such as the International Students Society or Chinese Students and Scholars Association. However there are plenty of language and culture based societies that everyone can enjoy such as Malaysian Society and Japanese Society. Many of these societies also offer their members the opportunity to come to their respective countries to expand their knowledge of the country and language such as French Society and Spanish Society.
Business Societies
Business orientated societies offer students the chance to develop their skills and career prospects in the areas of business and finance as well as offering some craic. The Investors and Entrepreneurs Society host stock trading games as well as poker nights, The Economics Society had some of the best known guest speakers last year including Minister Brian Hayes and TK Whitaker. Actuarial and Financial Society offers their members career talks and guidance and C&E host some of the best-known annual events on campus including the iron stomach in Freshers week.
Best of the Rest
Some societies are too unique to be put in a category. Chief among them would be the LGBTQ+ Society, a very active society on a campus, who welcome any student of any sexual orientation and provide activities ranging from campaigns to coffee morning to drag shows. The Mature Students Society is open to any student enrolled in UCD who is over the age of 23 and provide a support network for students who have a few more years behind them when going to college. There is also a Harry Potter Society for anyone who dreams of playing quiddich and for all other games; there’s GameSoc and for anyone who likes the circus, join The Juggling Society. There is also the Horse-Racing Society that not only watches racing but plans visits to stud farms and industry talks.
All of these societies will have stands in the Freshers tent during Freshers week and cost €2 each to join. This year’s Freshers’ Week takes place from September 14th to 18th.
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