ARE SOCIETIES A GOOD PLACE TO MAKE FRIENDS?
Societies are a great space to make friends and connect with other people but is not the only way! Societies are organised by students, for students. At Sussex, there are over 180 student societies to join. Check out the Sussex Student’s Union website or our recommended list below to see what’s around!
You can go to movie nights, meet and greets and, if you become more involved, you can become a member of the committee and organise your own events.
CONNECT WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE SIMILAR INTERESTS
One of the key reasons why Societies are great is because you can bond with other people over a particular interest/common culture etc.
What are your interests? From Anime, Arts/Crafts, Baking to BAME students - common interests help conversations flow easier and helps you feel more comfortable to meet new people.
EVENTS
Socials and events are regularly held by societies in many different forms. Common events include watching a movie, game nights or a night out. Attending regular events are great to help build meaningful connections with other students and meet lifelong friends! With regard to COVID, events will begin with respecting social distancing or convert to virtual.
WHAT IF I CAN'T ATTEND?
Going to society events can be scary and intimidating, especially in a new, unfamiliar environment. Also, you might have started working part time, whilst studying and you don’t get the time to go to events. That’s completely okay. Societies are not the only social spaces - they are just an informal way to meet people, organised by students. You can meet and make friends with people on your course as well as other services that can support you if you are having a hard time.
LECTURES, SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS
Your lectures and seminars are a good place to make friends as you will be with your coursemates for the next 3-4 years - seeing them consistently will help easing into getting to know them. Seminars are more intimate learning spaces so getting to know people can be less intimidating as you can use discussion sessions as a way to get to know them.
Additionally, some courses host their own events to help everyone get to know each other.
ADDITIONAL HELP
If settling in and meeting new people is becoming challenging, there is support available on campus to help you get through this! This includes…
The buddy scheme! This is a peer to peer support scheme coordinated by the Student’s Union that aims to help new students settle in to life at University and Brighton.
Tea and talk! These sessions are informal, but confidential peer-support spaces for Sussex students. They’re spaces where you can talk to someone, be listened to, and find out about other sources of support.
Nevertheless, here is a list of societies we personally love and recommend. Do feel free to explore them on social media or on the SU website and join the ones you are most interested in!