Psychology and Education Society President, Tszyau Chiu, shares their experience of running a departmental society, and why all students should get involved.
Joining a departmental society
I would be lying if I claimed that I felt a sense of shared identity or connection with most of my peers in my class, let alone my course or department in the first two years of school. Most students that were part of the 2020 or even 2021 intake can likely relate to this sentiment, as we had the substantial barrier of online learning due to the pandemic preventing us from interacting with our peers in ways that were truly organic.
Initially, I had not joined the departmental society at BSc Psychology with Education for the first two years of my studies as the general sentiment amongst my peers was that departmental societies were too academic, out of touch with student interests and had leadership that did not represent the demographics of the course. Although these sentiments may still be present today, I hope that I am working towards creating a better image of departmental societies in the eyes of students so that one day everyone will want to reap the benefits of joining one.
Now, as a third-year student who is part of a still largely disconnected cohort due to the consequences of online learning, I felt the need to address the rift between our department and its society by taking an active role in it. After serving as the course representative in my second year of university, where I listened to student feedback and had the opportunity to organise seasonal social events for my cohort, I felt that it was valuable for me to bring my experience into the Psychology and Education society, who were struggling in piquing the interest of the cohort.
As the President of PES, I hope to create events that prioritise creating opportunities for students to bond with not only others in our course, but also in the greater IOE and UCL community.
The value of joining a committee
I am a firm believer that joining a departmental society committee is a very valuable experience for students. Of course, there are the usual reasons that you may have already heard about participating in clubs, such as creating bonds or networks. But being a part of a committee also allows you to develop the all-too-important skill of working with a wide range of people.
Working in a committee will not always involve unanimous agreement. Unlike leadership positions that you may have undertaken in school with the direct support of your teachers, as a committee member of a departmental society you will need to rely on your team in order to create outcomes for your society members. Working through disagreements and having your ideas challenged will be a regular part of your experience, which is invaluable preparation for thinking on your feet in future challenges you may face in your career.
More important than what you can gain personally is how your participation can benefit the department itself. Have the courage to branch out and try new things - collaborating with other societies and organisations and embracing change has led to our most successful event so far! Our recent event, a mental health workshop with Rethink Mental Illness encouraged students to think about how they can make small and gradual lifestyle changes to enrich their personal lives. The event allowed a new demographic of students to visit our society and engage with other members.
As a committee member, you can inject a departmental society with new life and ideas
The benefits of having a departmental society
Because departmental societies are linked with our teaching staff directly, we often have the opportunity to host events that involve every student within our course. During this year’s induction, we collaborated with our staff to host a pizza party for all students immediately following the academic session. While third year students had experienced multiple similar induction sessions, this was the first instance where students who would usually just sit in the same lecture hall could get to know each other.
Departmental society events also allow for informal bonding opportunities between students and staff. Where in the past we would only be able to meet teaching staff during office hours or classes, departmental events can help us build rapport with the staff that will write our references someday soon!
Want to find out more about departmental societies and how you can get involved? Visit this page.