By Carlyle Collins

2nd year BU student, BSc (Hons) Forensic Science

After receiving my Fresher’s Guide, I quickly started highlighting the clubs and societies I would love to join when I arrived at Uni. To my surprise, I easily had highlighted about twenty clubs- there were too many to choose from! There wouldn’t be enough time to do all of this! However, I knew there definitely was one club I had to be a part of!

I wanted to be a member of the Bournemouth University’s Cricket Club (BUCC). I have always been an avid cricket fan, and I loved playing the sport .Therefore why shouldn’t I? After participating in three challenging trial sessions I was selected as part of the training squad. After getting into the team I realised the effort of making it past the trials was definitely worth it!

I have gained much from being a member of this club: access to qualified and dedicated coaches, great training facilities and an environment to get away from the academic challenges! Moreover, BUCC has allowed me to meet people I would not otherwise have met. Since people from a wide range of courses share a similar interest in cricket, this club is a great way to network. I have been given advice regarding housing arrangements, dissertations and placements from my team mates who would have been in university before me. I was even given the offer of a part time job for the summer!

There are a range of clubs and societies and each would require different levels of commitment from their members, for example, I am required to participate in training sessions at least three times a week. Some societies require more or less time. Hence, it is advisable to determine whether you are looking for something social or a bit more committed!