Recently we interviewed Holly, the president of our fabulous UWS Book Club, to find out what it's like being part of a society and how it can impact your university life.

Can you give a brief overview of what your society is and the idea behind it?

"The Book Club originally started to try bring people together that weren't necessarily in the same subject, just kind of across the uni to make friends in different areas, especially for people who are quite introverted and don't feel too comfortable talking to new people."

What has the society done this year?

"So this year we've been doing a couple different meetups that have been very casual and low commitment. I think that was a good way to get some 1st years in, especially at the start. We've mainly done things that focus on reading the books, talking about the books, and then also some crafty things where everyone could work away with their hands. This helped with not feeling awkward around new people and gave everyone an activity to focus on. We also started a book quiz with prizes. That kept people coming every week!"

What do you think's been the main success of the society this year?

"I think definitely lots of introverted students becoming more confident. They were genuinely at the start not talking to each other. I found that I was trying to egg them on in conversation. But towards the end you can see that they have gotten really comfortable with each other and they can come and not feel the need to shy away from the group. It's been a great way to make friends."

What's been the biggest challenges for the society and yourself?

"I had a lot of bigger ideas that I couldn't do by myself. During the summer, I'm definitely thinking of recruiting two more people to run the society with me. That would be amazing."

"The girls have helped me set up and clean after meetups. It's not like they just run away and I'm doing everything myself. They definitely help me. They also help me with ideas every time we do a new book. We have a suggestion box for things they want to do for different activities. So for sure it's not been impossible, but getting more people to help run the society is the biggest challenge."

What impact has your involvement in this society had on your university life?

"I thought I was pretty confident before I started the society and then I realised that I wasn't. I realised that talking in front of people was so hard, especially the freshers' fair. This has helped me develop and talk to people. It's been a really good thing to boost your confidence. It's also helped with job interviews. I've found that running the Book Club helps me answer every single question that employers can ask me. People are always interested to hear about it. It's definitely a conversation starter."

How do you think the society could be better supported?

"Everyone at the Students' Union has always been really supportive. When I've requested funding it's been very reasonable. We just have to give some pictures and info on how we've used it. Maybe some more volunteers to help set up bigger activities."

What do you think is the most important benefit you've gained from being part of your society?

"I think that would definitely just go hand in hand with confidence and friends as well, to be honest. The reason why I started the Book Club was because I was entering my third year and I hadn't made any friends at uni. I was thinking like man it's kind of hard because a lot of the mentality at uni is let's go out and let's get smashed and things like that. I'm not really like that as a person, I'm like a grandma. I like to be in my bed, I like to read my books, I like to play cosy games and things like that. When I realised there wasn't a book club and I thought, what a perfect opportunity. Book Club Girlies are going to be exactly like me (guys are welcome to join too)."

"It's meeting like-minded people. It's hard at uni to find your people. We don't all immediately fit in. So that's been the best part. The social aspect."

Do you have any final thoughts on what the society has done this year?

"The 24 hour readathon was great. We raised nearly £200, so I'd like to do something like that again. People really enjoyed it."

"Hopefully more students want to join. The more you get involved in the society, the more you want to keep coming back!"

A huge thank you to Holly for giving us an amazing insight into the goings on within the UWS Book Club!

If you fancy joining the UWS Book Club, you can sign up here: https://www.uwsunion.org.uk/organisation/13915/

You can also check out all of our wonderful societies here: https://www.uwsunion.org.uk/societies/societies/