2024 is here, and a new year is a great reason to try new things!
When I first moved away from home, I struggled to find my feet and places I belonged, but my university experience got so much better when I started getting involved with everything Bournemouth has to offer.
I became much happier when I started putting myself out there and getting involved with clubs and societies.
In my second year I joined Film Society, Nerve Radio, and The Bournemouth Tab– a local student journalism platform, and each improved my life in so many ways.
I joined the Film Society last year, and became President for the 2023/2024 academic year.
The BU Film society hosts weekly film screenings on campus, Our members vote for the movie based on a theme, go to the student bar afterwards, as well as have lots of socials like quizzes, bar nights and a trip to the Berlin Film Festival.
Having a regular social presence centred around something I’m passionate about was a great way to meet people and it gave me a lot of confidence, pushed me out of my boundaries, and added some more structure to my life.
Joining a society could do the same for you! Bournemouth University has plenty, from academic to social to special interest- there is something for everyone.
Nerve radio is our BU student radio station, which open applications for hour-long slots twice a year. It plays in our student union building and online, 8 am to 9 pm. You can host on your own or with a friend, learning to radio jockey, podcast, and navigate radio platforms.
Each Wednesday I get to host my show CD Swap Shop, where I ask my guest to give me three of their favourite songs beforehand. I make a playlist with similar songs and we share our memories and chat on the air.
This built my confidence as a public speaker and I met loads of awesome people through it- both getting to know my guests better and meeting other radio presenters.
Learning to use the technology in the radio studios, organise my show, and schedule my time was a great experience, not to mention a nice addition to any student’s CV.
Similarly, I took a random chance singing up online to write articles for The Tab and after a year I’m now the Editor-in-Chief.
The Tab is a national student news site online, written by students for students, with different branches for different universities. The Bournemouth branch was dormant when I joined and I am very proud that I had a hand in building it up again.
I learnt a lot about journalism, both through experience and the online training seminars the HQ offers, but the real gem was getting to nurture the writers on our team. I got to know Bournemouth better and having my name in print was a source of pride.
Writing articles for The Tab or other student journalism sites is also a great way to gain experience in journalism, there’s no quotas for writers so you can write when you choose to. Internet literacy and writing is a valuable skill for any job and it’s an easy way to add something useful to your CV.
Trying new extracurriculars helped me meet people, expand my horizons, learn new things, and improved my confidence and mental health immensely.
My time with Nerve Media
National Student Pride at BU
What to do in your spare time on campus
Getting involved with SUBU during my first year
