Playing: College life isn’t just about qualifications you know

Employers looking at a pile of CVs from recent graduates need something to distinguish one 2:1 degree from another. What they will look at is who got involved in college life and developed critical communication, organisational and team-building skills in the process. Career adviser after career adviser will tell you this. However joining a club or society solely to tick some boxes on your CV is a cynical exercise, because ultimately this part of college life should be about making new friends, learning new skills and, above all, having fun.

Clubs and societies offer a chance to grow and become a more rounded person, says Ríona Hughes, societies officer at NUI Galway and chairwoman of the Board of Irish College Societies. "College can be lonely and isolating and you can feel overwhelmed. You will meet people in your class, but clubs and societies give you a chance to find people who have the same interests as you. Then there are academic societies, often linked into departments, and they will often organise guest speakers or seminars and tutorials, which can be helpful."

Although the universities and larger institutes of technology generally have the biggest selection of clubs and societies, even smaller colleges have a reasonable choice.

Trampolining, soccer, rugby, tennis, caving and potholing, swimming and ultimate frisbee are among the many sports on offer. On the society side, debating, volunteering, student media, religion, politics and current affairs, drama, chess, gaming, comedy and music are just some of the things students can get involved in.

Whatever you’re into, there’s probably a club or society for it.

Last year in NUIG, almost 9,000 students joined clubs and societies, with 10 per cent getting involved in committees. Each student joined an average of four societies.

With so much choice, how can students find the club or society that’s right for them? Most colleges organise Freshers Weeks where clubs and societies entice new members with all sorts of incentives and outrageous promises. Do go along to these events and see what’s on offer. If you’re not quite sure what you’d like to get involved in, it’s no harm to join a number of different clubs and societies and figure out what appeals to you.

If you’re lucky, extracurricular activities will lead you to discover what it is you want to do after college: there’s many a journalist who cut their teeth in college papers, barristers who discovered a love of argument in the debating society or actors who fell in love with the stage in the college drama society. Many well-known national politicians, including Ruairí Quinn (Labour) and Charlie McConalogue (Fianna Fáil) were heavily involved in student politics.

Starting in college is arguably a lot more daunting than your first day in secondary school, but there is an increasing emphasis on ensuring that first years are properly integrated into the social side of college through specially organised orientation days.

“In a global context, we are hugely privileged to go to third level,” says Hughes. “Take this opportunity and get involved in society. What you learn and who you become will make your life easier, help you cope with difficulties, and learn what works and what doesn’t. You may not get a chance like this again, so be creative, push the boundaries, and come up with great ideas. Be fearless.”