Stasha Mohla reflects on her time as Treasurer of English Society, and shares her thoughts on the benefits of joining a departmental society at UCL.
Getting involved after lockdown
My first year at UCL was defined by many things, most significantly – the pandemic. Thanks to the lockdown, lectures were all online, severely limiting my contact with other students within the department and like most things, the English society at the time wasn’t exactly active. So, I too began exploring other interests and my involvement with the society that year was minimal.
It was only in my second year when things opened up more, that the English society changed drastically. After stumbling across the first picnic in Gordon Square Park, I began attending almost all the events organised.
It was the first time at university I had encountered a group of people so like-minded. We bonded over books and the promise of museum visits.
I particularly enjoyed the workshops and film screenings and grew closer to the committee members who were all second-year students in my course as well. Even though the society was beginning to pick up, I thought there was room for improvement and, in particular, more inclusivity. A common misconception about departmental societies, particularly one like English, is that it only caters to a specific group of students. I wanted to play a part in broadening the scope of the society and towards the end of the first term, when an opportunity arose to join the committee as treasurer, I jumped on it. I can safely say that it was one of the best decisions I’ve made.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to join every single society in your first year. I took my time and attended different events at my own pace – the societies were all there and finding the ones for me was a gradual process.
Inter-society collaboration
Over time, we have organised events in collaboration with many different societies, such as Film and Television Society. While we naturally attracted English students, we also had students from other departments who were interested in film and media join the screenplay-writing workshop.
A visit to the Globe Theatre with the Shakespeare Society was also a popular event among a wide range of students. There were a number of film nights during which we watched movies based on classic books which attracted students from various departments.
We also organised a book sale in collaboration with In Aid for UNICEF society, which was one of the highlights of my year. These events allowed me to interact with different people from all across UCL, who had similar interests no matter what degree they had decided to pursue.
Taking on a leadership role
It is well-known that joining a committee has many benefits like improving organisational skills, giving you some experience working with a team, pushing you to develop logistical and administrative skills, and of course, it looks fantastic on your CV. But, there’s so much more to it.
Being on the committee helped me meet so many new people. Like every good team, we faced our fair share of problems. You can’t put a group of English students together and not expect some clashes in vision – it took us nearly a day to simply decide what we wanted our Instagram feed to look like. But it was just a matter of working through the differences and coming together to overcome adversity.
I met some of my closest friends at university through the society and on the committee.
We also did not always get to do the events we wanted. For instance, a much-anticipated cat cafe visit kept getting delayed due to issues with the venue. We had to accept that not everything is in our control and that we must do the best we can with what we have. Most importantly, I got to play a part in shaping the society so our events could be more accessible to students outside the course. Though there is still a long way to go, I am glad I got to begin laying a foundation for the society to grow. Even though I’m heading into my final year now, I will continue to remain a member and attend as many events as I can.
Why join a departmental society?
I truly urge everyone to participate in your respective departmental society, in any capacity you can. It gives you the chance to explore something you’ve chosen to study beyond the scope of the syllabus. Even if it’s not your department but you want to explore it anyway, do it. There’s always more to learn and people to meet. And, if you get the opportunity, run for committee. It’s simultaneously fun and fulfilling and you’ll really get a say in which direction the society, and by extension the department, is progressing.
So if you want some advice from this wise old final-year student, it would be this – make the most of the opportunities university gives you through these societies. Attend as many events as you can and definitely stand for a committee position when the time comes around. It’ll have its ups and downs but in the end, it will be worth it.
Want to join a departmental society? Find out more here.