Hello again! Today I wanted to talk about something that has been taking up a considerable amount of my time at the moment, and that is me running in the YUSU Elections.
The Students’ Union is a big student body who are there to represent and make sure students’ voices are heard. They also make sure students have the most enjoyable time possible at university!
The elections come around once a year, giving the students an opportunity to help make this difference. Students can run for part-time positions while they study, or full-time paid positions after graduation. As I am running in the current elections it seemed fitting to share my experience – and the importance of getting involved with the extra-curricular activities on offer!
At college, back when I was writing my personal statement I was constantly told:
“It’s not just about how well you perform and have performed academically that universities look at, it’s how you will be able to contribute to the University community.”
Obviously, that’s all well and good: I started uni with high hopes of joining a number of societies and getting involved in EVERYTHING! However, the jump from A Level to uni made this hard, and moving away from home made this even more difficult. After a crisis in second term of first year, I realised I was too busy settling in and coping with academic work to fit in the number of societies I’d signed up to at Freshers’ Fair.
I learned to manage my time better and got involved with the Law Society, Swift Soc (yes, that is the Taylor Swift Appreciation Society !!!) and also volunteering! A great thing is that the University credits those that have made a positive contribution to university life through the York Award, which is recognised by employers too!
As I got used to balancing my academic and social activities, I applied for Treasurer on the YUSU Volunteering Committee. I was lucky to gain this role and have since been involved with planning events and managing budgets. Because of my role on the committee, I chose to run with another member of the committee for Volunteering Officer!
Running in the elections involves doing radio interviews with University Radio York, filming ’60 Second Manifestos’ with York Student TV, and campaigning across campus! It’s all a real character-builder and super fun to get involved with. Obviously, if we are successful and get the role (fingers crossed, but we do have competition!) we will be involved in planning lots of volunteering opportunities.
There are other roles which students are running for, from representing LGBTQ students as LGBTQ Officer, to Sports President, making sport bigger and better in York. Although it’s fun as well as important to get the student voice out there, it’s also a great role to add to your CV.
As well as uni-wide Students’ Union elections, there are also positions on society committees, volunteering networks and sports clubs that you can get involved in, as well as meet people with the same interests as you! The societies range from the Quidditch Society to the Law Society, and as there are over 190 on offer there is something to suit everyone.
Hope that gave you an insight into some of the things you can get involved with at Uni, and actually how fun it can be too!
Jasmine <3
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