As someone whose biggest misconception of university life was how academics-focused it would be, I’ve found myself proven wrong time and time again in my two years as a student. More often than not, the term is spent happily procrastinating on essays and finishing up fun projects for the societies I’m involved in-activities (if you can even call my lack of desire to finish assignments that) which have defeated this preconceived notion of mine and brought me to a conclusion: that the heart of university life at UCL, in particular, is its student societies.
With over 300 clubs to choose from and a massive range of events from said clubs happening each day, I would not blame you for shying away. Some students, however, have done the opposite and embraced this community fully.
The diverse focus of these societies means that everyone can find their niche, whether it’s something arts-related like dance or music, a career-focused venture like consulting, or, believe it or not, an obscure interest in anthropomorphic animal characters!
Now, with the Students’ Union Leadership Race in full swing, I’ve decided to investigate what it takes to lead-and in this case-pioneer a new society. Armed with passion and resolve... or maybe just a simple idea or two, the student leaders featured in this article are the respective presidents and heads of new communities that have recently been founded or revived from an inactive state.
With papers to sign, events to plan, and people to manage, I spoke to them about what it’s been like to create a community from scratch, how they’ve managed their extracurriculars with academics and what their aims and hopes for the future of their societies are.
An Qi, a second-year English student currently serving as the President of the Financial Literacy Matters Society , which only began its activities in September 2024, was kind enough to let me interview her. Every bit as polished and classy as her title suggested, she sat down with me at the Print Room Café to tell me about her journey. She prefaced our conversation: "Money may not buy happiness, but it can certainly buy security and freedom of choice!"
What was the inspiration behind your society?
An Qi : At the end of my first year, in 2024, I noticed the Leadership Race was happening, which alerted me to the existence of more societies and the roles available in them. I wanted to join a society that was concerned with financial literacy and had a look for something related to it on the official Students’ Union website. Lo and behold, a Financial Literacy Matters Society had already been established, but strangely enough, it’d been abandoned for quite some time. So, I nominated myself for the role of President, was elected, and started my journey. In a way, I hadn’t set up a society but rather revived it. It felt like destiny! After all, when it comes to money matters, the earlier you start, the better, and this society was my first step.
How has your society been establishing its presence?
An Qi : Initially, it was quite tough. As the society had been ’dead’ for a while, no one knew of it, and thus, there weren’t any contenders for other roles in the committee. I was working alone to get the word out that a student society teaching you to manage your money-which, by the way, is a skill everyone thinks they’re already very familiar with or won’t need until much later in the future, which is blatantly untrue-existed. Most of the work I did over the summer was for the Welcome Fair in September, which was a success! I’ve gone to events and connected with people from all’over, with the most notable being a student from the University of the Arts London, who went on to set up her own Financial Literacy Matters Society! We’ve just finished an event in collaboration with them (UAL’s Financial Literacy Matters Society), so keep an eye out for pictures and videos of that on our Instagram @ uclfinancialliteracymatters.
What are your core aims?
An Qi: Through this society, I want to advocate for financial awareness among young people. Managing your money and finances is for everyone. I hate the misconception that only people in fields like finance or economics should be financially literate when it’s such a crucial skill everyone should have! I always use this metaphor, but it’s like running a marathon: you’re not going to leave it until the day before. It takes months and possibly even years of training before you’re able to build these muscles. Also, time matters, especially with investments and high-yield savings accounts that rely on compound interest! It’s best to start early.
An Qi will continue to be hard at work for the remaining two terms, developing her society for when the new academic year rolls around and she passes on her role. Meanwhile, I interviewed Jake, Sheriff of the Country and Folk Music Society and second-year Scandinavian Studies and Philosophy student. His fellow Scandinavian Studies classmate Katie is the Dance Director of the society, and together, they told me about their experience thus far.
How hard was it to set up a society?
Jake : It was way easier than I thought it’d be and the entire process was quite straightforward. I simply filled out some forms: that was it! The hardest part was finding people to form our committee because, well, country and folk music isn’t for everyone. Every student society is legally required to have certain roles, such as a president-or a sheriff, in my case-alongside a treasurer and a welfare officer. Without these positions, there’d be no society.
Katie : I didn’t really do any setting up; that was all Jake. Rather, I got involved with him and the Country and Folk Music Society because we do the same course. That’s Scandinavian Studies , by the way, which is just about the most niche degree you can be taking here. I also love dancing, so I was swept right into it!
What was the inspiration behind your society?
Jake : I’ve always loved country music. I sing and play the banjo and I wanted to bring this love of mine to UCL. I’m also heavily involved with a lot of other musical societies, including the Musical Theatre Society and other similar communities. If these forms of expression can have a platform, so should country and folk music!
Katie : I was born in America, where my dad did research into country music for his work in Nashville. It’s known as the ’Country Music Capital of the World’, which should explain a lot. I visited the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum as a child and all that shebang. Also, living in Newcastle has allowed me to explore indigenous music and dance, and these experiences have shaped my love for country music.
What have you managed to achieve so far?
Jake : We’ve hosted quite a few concerts so far. There was our term one showcase, which was a culmination of all the talents in our little community, and we’ll be having our term two showcase on 24 March. Please come along and check out the details on our ! Everyone’s presence counts. That aside, there’s been a weekly folk ensemble and country jam on Mondays and Thursdays, respectively. Katie teaches dance workshops every other Wednesday.
Kate : In short, we’ve created a space where folk and country music enthusiasts can come along and enjoy themselves! All of our events are priced either really low or completely free to remove all possible barriers stopping people from attending and sharing their love for music. We want to make things as accessible as possible.
Jake : This is, again, following the fact that all the existing arts and music societies are massive-and quite intimidating. We’re a smaller, more intimate community that welcomes people of all’experience levels!
The Country and Folk Music Society wasn’t the only community dedicated to creating an accessible space for enthusiasts to enjoy themselves. Barney, President of the Transport for London (TfL) Society , had initially intended to develop an intimate group with fellow transport connoisseurs. He’d even told me he had no idea the society would reach ten or so students, let alone grow to its current size.
Much like An Qi and the Financial Literacy Matters Society, Barney, who had always been a fan of the transport system, was surprised to find that a TfL Society already existed but had been left dormant for several years. Upon nominating himself for a role, he went about reviving it.
Hailing from a relatively remote area with little to no links to the rest of England, London’s transport system has always fascinated Barney. He finds it a miracle that people live with such convenient transport links surrounding them, which is unlike anything he has ever known in his hometown. Now, in his final year, Barney has dedicated his dissertation to the Tube and its complex underground network.
At the TfL Society, members gather for all sorts of fun activities-be it boarding a bus and tracking its route or calculating speed on trains, every member can enjoy time spent nourishing their love for London and its transport system. Occasionally, Barney mentions the entire society takes part in outings to old, dilapidated stations to marvel at unused trains.
Barney credits the rest of his committee for such a successful year. As of now, the society consists of more than a hundred members and has only continued to grow since its revival. Thanks to such great interest in the TfL Society’s activities, the committee has also begun arranging speaker events with working professionals across the transport sectors, with some members finding employment through these events.
Voting for the leadership race starts closes this Friday, 21 March, and if, like me, you’ve learned anything at all from the experiences of the student leaders in this article, it’s to get out there and take the first step in finding like-minded people to connect with... but it’s not just society members who are waiting for you to cast your vote. The whole of the Students’ Union and the Sabbatical Officers representing you also eagerly await your choice this week. By voting, you select the candidates who best suit your needs and actively participate in the democratic process to enhance the quality of life for current and prospective students at UCL.
For An Qi, Jake, Katie and Barney, the society chaos of the two most important academic terms at UCL may have passed, but for those of you who want your interests reflected and your societies to prosper, there’s still much more to do !
Click the link here to find out more about UCL’s Leadership Race 2025 .
About the author: UCL Student Storyteller Hermione Chan says:
"I’m currently a second-year English student. Having been raised in a small, unknown region in China called Macau, I’m extremely aware of the importance of representation and how that impacts our development as young consumers of media and the news. Highlighting obscure stories and bringing lesser-known issues to light in the most objective, comprehensive manner has always been a goal of mine, and this scheme is a perfect way to further my expertise in this area!Although a big portion of my involvement with journalism is through video form, I’m excited to develop my writing and pitching skills, which are core components of being a journalist. This scheme will definitely push me to explore the many hidden nooks and crannies of university life and allow me to make the most of my time here in London."
- University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT (0) 20 7679 2000
