There’s an abundance of societies on offer at Cambridge, both College-based and University-wide. From hunting down other players with the live-action Assassins’ Guild to joining a jam session with Cambridge Jazz Soc, there’s a society to match every interest. All of them are run by committees – between these, your JCR/MCR and your College’s May Ball committee, you’ll have a wealth of opportunities to take on a committee role.
If you're already a member of societies or on a committee, use this page and the Skills Glossary to think about which skills you're developing, or evaluate your skills with the Skills Discovery Tool.
Societies
Being an active member of a society through attending events and participating in their activities develops your sociability and time management skills, while also being a lot of fun! If you’re keen to take on more responsibility, sign up for a committee role to build your collaboration, organisation and leadership skills. Different roles will draw on different skills – as Treasurer, you would practice financial literacy and data management, while a Social Media Officer would develop graphic design and digital marketing skills.
College societies
Find College based societies through attending a Societies Fair run by your JCR, looking out for emails advertising them or checking your College and JCR/MCR websites. There will usually be less competition for committee roles than with larger University societies, so this could be a great opportunity if you’re a fresher. You could also team up with friends to start your own society, demonstrating your ability to take initiative. Your College or JCR will likely offer funding to support society activities.
University societies
Visit the SU Freshers' Fair in Michaelmas and the Refreshers' Fair in Lent to explore what’s on offer and chat to society members. You can find a full list of University societies through the SU societies directory – filter by category to find what matches your interest. Applications for committee roles will open at different points of the year – most will involve filling in a short application form to express your interest, and roles will be chosen by the departing committee. Some of the biggest societies, such as the Cambridge Union, the Law Society and CUADC, hold elections for committee positions. Depending on the scale of the society, a leading committee role, such as President, could be a big responsibility. These can also be great opportunities to shape the society and demonstrate your leadership and management skills – this can be valued by potential employers.
JCR/MCR Committees
All undergraduates are members of their College’s JCR, and all postgraduates are members of their College’s MCR. Students can be elected to positions on the JCR and MCR committees, which represent student views to College and organise student activities including social events and funds for College societies/sports. Many JCR/MCR officers sit on College governing committees, so have a say in College governing decisions such as accommodation rates and catering provision. JCR/MCR officers also support students to engage with the College, whether that’s helping resolve an accessibility issue or advising which members of staff to speak to.
Taking on this responsibility will develop your advocacy skills through representing both individual students and the views of the student body to College. As you work to achieve your campaign pledges, you’ll prove your skills in accountability, persistence and planning. You’ll build your collaboration and teamworking skills, working alongside other committee members and College staff to improve students’ experiences. As with societies, different committee roles will draw on different skills, so think about which position would suit you and your skills development.
How to run for a position on your JCR/MCR Committee
There will be an annual election for the new committee, and there may be by-elections for individual roles throughout the year. Top roles, such as President, are usually held by those with experience on the JCR or other committees, but anyone is allowed to stand. Some ‘liberation’ roles, such as Disabilities Officer and Ethnic Minorities Officer, may require you to self-identify as part of the group you will be representing. You can often run for roles in a pair, sharing the responsibility with a friend.
After choosing which role to run for, you’ll need to produce a campaign poster. This is a great chance to work on your Canva skills! Your poster will normally contain a picture of yourself, some information about yourself and if you have any experience, and your campaign pledges. These could include standard responsibilities of the role (such as organising regular College bops for Ents Officer) or new goals – what about introducing Meat Free Mondays as Sustainability Officer, or free sanitary products in College bathrooms as Gender Equalities Officer?
Before voting opens, there will be a hustings event. This is where you can give a short speech about why you’re running and the outgoing officers, and other students, will ask you questions about the role. This might include questions such as what you achieve in the role, and how you might overcome challenges. This event is nothing to be scared of! Hustings have relaxed environments, so they’re a great chance to practice your public speaking skills.
May Ball Committee
Most Colleges have a May Ball or June Event at least once every two years. Taking on a committee role will introduce you to large-scale event planning, where you’ll make decisions on how to spend budgets of thousands (or hundreds of thousands) of pounds. You’ll build your organisation and events management skills, and develop your teamwork and collaboration as you work with other committee members. There are a range of roles on offer – you could be developing your negotiation skills as you make contracts with vendors as Drinks Officer, build your decisiveness and problem solving as Production Manager, or unleash your creativity and originality as Head of Creative.
Keep an eye out for emails about applications opening, often towards the start of the year.