Student Team Tips: Extracurricular activities you can do during your time at university!
Studies tend to take a lot of time during our time at university, however, it is important to craft some time to take part in extracurricular activities. It is important to do so because you deserve to have a study-life balance and extracurricular activities can help you do so! Through a variety of activities, you can develop skills, gain new ones, meet new people, form life long friendships and many other things. Our student team provides ideas on the kind of extracurricular activities you can become involved in during your time at university. Enjoy!
Join a Society!
A student society is one of the best places to start when looking to immerse yourself in university life; it comes with the perks of meeting similar minded people and not so like minded people from whom you could develop new perspectives! Our student team share their experiences;
“Societies are a great way to get involved in university life and meet new people with common interests. I took part in the DIY & Crafts Society at the University of York and became treasurer on the committee in the following year, which gave me additional skills.” Olivia, Psychology.
“As an international student, I knew that I had to immerse myself into life in Manchester and life in the UK. To do this, I decided to join the International Society; as a member, I was able to take language classes like Spanish and visit different parts of the UK like Bath, Stonehenge and York. Through these activities, I was not only able to develop new language skills and immerse myself fully in the UK culture but I was also able to meet new people and curate unforgettable moments.” Upendo, International Development.
“ I got involved with two brand new student think tanks The Manchester Think Tank and The Peterloo Institute. All of their events are held online and open to undergraduate students from any subject area so if you’re interested in policy, this is a great opportunity to gain some experience.” Lili, Political Science.
“This might be more on the academic side but I enjoy watching popular lectures planned by societies like Astronomy Society (AstroSoc) which also hosts Zoom socials on Thursdays; Physics Society (PhysSoc); and Nuclear and Particle Physics Society. They usually do a very good job of inviting good scientists to give multiple talks on different physics problems.” Jakub, Physics.
“In my first year, I signed up for a bunch of activities and as an Indian dancer, I performed as part of the Indian Dance Society for events around Manchester. I was also part of the team that represented UoM and got to perform at a theatre in WestEnd for the dance competition hosted by Imperial College.” Nandana Santhosh, Finance and Economics.
“It was mentioned before, but there are many different events at the International Society, where membership is free, that you can participate in, ranging from book clubs to speed friending, to virtual tours and much more. If you are looking to learn a language, they also provide language classes.” Salma, Politics and International Relations.
Volunteer!
This is one of the most rewarding activities you can do during your time at university. The most appealing aspect is that there is a endless list of places you can volunteer at; that way, you are able to pick activities that best suit your interests or even try out new things! Our student team share their experiences;
“Volunteering is a great way to make a difference in matters you care about which also allows you to gain invaluable skills that make you well-rounded. Currently, I am volunteering teaching English to underprivileged Brazilian children.” Nahima, Politics and International Relations.
“In my second year, I volunteered to be a PASS Leader, and in third year, was promoted to the position of PASS coordinator. PASS stands for Peer Assisted Study Sessions which are held to facilitate and discuss degree content with younger year undergraduate students, in a much more relaxed format than a lecture environment. Participating in these roles counts towards step up and lead at Stellify and it has been a really wonderful opportunity to work in it, especially since it immensely helped me to develop my communication and organisation skills. At the same time, the volunteering website had several opportunities despite the pandemic, and I was able to volunteer myself as a translator for TWB (Translators without borders), so please do keep a lookout on the volunteering website.” Dukula De Alwis Jayasinghe, Chemistry.
“There are also paid volunteering opportunities available with The Tutor Trust which is a charity that offers high quality tuition to schools in Greater Manchester. They work closely with the University and they are currently looking for new tutors. You can sign up to their information session which take place on Wednesday 3rd March. This is a great way to help out in the wider community.” Lili, Political Science.
“Before the pandemic, I used to volunteer at the Manchester Museum, and it was a really enjoyable experience. It is a shame that it is closed due to COVID-19, but they often announce positions they are recruiting for in their news page, or virtual events they are hosting. Sometimes you will also find some volunteer opportunities from them in the volunteer hub. It’s always worth a look!” Salma, Politics and International Relations.
“I’ve volunteered at St Peter’s House as a Wholeness volunteer, helping to set up for their free yoga sessions (as part of the Sporticipate programme), as well as helping with admin and promotional activities. I now help them to deliver Wellness packs to students in financial difficulty who are self-isolating and also take part in the Intergen Buddy Scheme. Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the local community and not only do you get to meet new people but there are so many varied and interesting projects you can get involved with. Previously, I helped to design and deliver a series of sessions based around the theme of trains and travel to a year 4 class, including a trip on the trains! I’ve also been a Volunteer Mentor for York Mind.” Olivia, Psychology.
Part-time jobs!
Part-time jobs not only allow you to gain work experience which makes a world of difference in your CV but it also helps you make some money at the same time! Our student team share their experiences;
“I am currently working at the Library as a Student Team member as well, in which I found the role via the Careers Service. The Careers Service posts several part time jobs and internships in their portal, undergraduate students can take part in so it would be very helpful if you keep a lookout in that too! Working at the library helped me to meet new people, understand how content is developed and managed, and also helped me in improvising my time management and organisation skills.” Dukula De Alwis Jayasinghe, Chemistry.
“I work for the Library! This job gives me the opportunity to grow in a totally different light as physics does. While my degree provides me with the hard-skills, in my job I enhance my soft-skills like presentation skills, writing, checking others work and mainly thing I love the most — planning! It really lets my creativity run wild.” Jakub, Physics.
“It has been hard to start my first year during a pandemic, especially since all extracurricular activities are closed off at the University. However, I have been able to start a job working at the University Library which has allowed me to gain experience while studying. I was able to access this job through ads put out by the MAP emails. A lot of paid opportunities are also available on the Careers Service.” Nuura, Architecture.
“In my first year, I did a job for the Manchester Calling Campaign. We were tasked with calling offer holders and providing them with answers to the questions that they may have for current students. I was motivated to participate because I received a similar call before I came to Manchester to start my degree and that call was very helpful in preparing me for the journey ahead. I was delighted to do the same for prospective students. What made the role exciting was the fact that I was charged with calling prospective students from my background (Nigeria/West Africa. This made it easy for me and the recipients to build a rapport and communicate freely. I often had requests from those I called to share my personal details so they can ask me more questions or ask for help before and after they arrive in Manchester. I politely told them that sharing personal details is against the rules but assured them to email their questions to a designated address and this would be responded to.” Fatimah, Law.
“I had a part-time job working in a guest house throughout my degree, which gave me new skills and meant I could put ‘attention to detail’ on my CV! In my first year, I had an additional part-time job as a contracts proof-reader for an events and conferencing company, which allowed me to use my attention to detail in a different way. As a PhD student, I’ve been able to gain teaching experience as a Teaching Assistant on the undergraduate Psychology course here.” Olivia, Psychology.
Start your own thing!
In the midst of the pandemic, it might be hard to engage in extracurricular activities, however, many societies, teams etc have moved online. Regardless, if you find that nothing at the University suits your needs, feel free to create your own! Our student team share their experiences;
“Lockdowns have caused a great deal of boredom and one of the ways I combatted this boredom was through finding ways to take initiative with friends. My friends and I created a small book club between us, defined our aims and decided to meet on a monthly basis. This is something I thoroughly recommend doing — both joining a book club and, perhaps, starting a small society of your own to host online. Starting your own book club is very simple: pick a theme, gather some people, read a book and discuss. There are even multiple resources online which can provide you with discussion questions, for example reading group questions for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. If you are a bit unsure about starting your own, you can always join one and there are plenty of opportunities to do so online.” Sara, Biotechnology.
“Finally, I am very much a fashion fanatic yet I had also began to realise the effect and damage of the fast fashion industry. This motivated me in being involved in The Closet- a student led initiative to promote sustainable fashion through selling vintage clothing and raising funds for Manchester Mind. This is worth being involved in if you are genuinely interested. So one important tip is each time you get involved in something make sure you have a real, genuine and authentic interest and this will really shine through rather than getting involved just for the sake of it. Approach extracurricular activities as being natural to yourself and avoid robotic tick boxes of skills- these will all flow naturally when you are engaged in things you enjoy.” Nahima, Politics and International Relations.
“More like an amateur hobby, I started to get into art and music more — especially during these difficult times. I found love in tinkering with sound producing software, photoshop and video editing software (which is useful for my job as well!).” Jakub, Physics.
