By Chloe Pomfret
During my time at Oxford, I’ve made it my mission to be involved with as many societies as I can. Coming from a small town, there wasn’t much to do so I was incredibly excited walking around my first freshers' fair, seeing all of the different societies. I expected to be held back by membership fees and lack of experience, but every society had some form of financial support if needed and open to anyone with a friendly face!
By far the most interesting one was the Bread Society. We held parties with unlimited bread. A very simple concept but the idea was hilarious and very popular amongst other students. Ironic considering I’m gluten intolerant.
I’ve also attended societies with discussions and debates, like your average political societies. With heated discussions over socialism and your favourite politicians, they always tend to be dramatic. Others like the Feminist Society, which was such a lovely atmosphere to be amongst incredibly passionate people discussing women*s rights. As a Northerner, I also had to join the Northern Society and find my people. We love a good north-south debate, a pub crawl, and I bought a sheet of laptop stickers from the society so you instantly can tell where I’m from the minute I pull my laptop out in tutorials (up the North!). There are lots of regional, cultural, and national societies here to find your people and have that sense of belonging whenever you’re feeling homesick.
I’ve also attended some fun beginner’s sports sessions. The ALTS Ice Hockey Society host late night, no-contact ice hockey sessions for skating pros or absolute beginners, giving you the chance to learn as you go. I’ve also tried the Ice Skating Society’s lessons, which only cost £5. I can stand on my two feet, but don’t ask me to skate backwards just yet…. Recently, I also joined the beginner’s Cheerleading team, and I absolutely love it. I’d never done cheer before, but they put me as a base, which means I throw people up in the air and have to catch them. The others in the group have been such a fun vibe and supportive so I decided to go back and get involved properly!
There’s a bunch of fun societies, such as the Taylor Swift Society for the Swifties at Oxford, a whole group of finance and consulting societies for the finance bros of the world, every sport you can think of, journalism, and some truly exciting ones like Fashion Society.
Trust me, whatever you’re interested in, you’ll find it at Oxford.
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