Third year going on fresher: joining a society as a final year student

By Katie Pritchard, Third Year History

Third year for many of us is that last, manic, hectic and nostalgic year of University. The time when you have hopefully made your friends for life, joined the gym, figured out where Senate living room is and where is the best places on campus for free cakes.

Third year deadlines come around quick, your hangovers get worse and the job applications and the following rejections come in thick and fast. Amidst all these things, third year is not often a time to join a new society. The anxiety of going to your first taster session is a distant first year memory when your small talk was underdeveloped, and you spent an hour trying to talk to strangers as you kicked a ball around or tried a new yoga move.

For many students, joining a society or a sports team is nerve racking especially turning up to training alone. Therefore it is not something many third years want to repeat. However, I decided that third year was the exact moment in which I wanted to start rugby.

Speaking from experience here, joining a sports team in third year is definitely one of the best things I have done at Bristol. It seems that every year I have had to endure the anxious first taster session, doing volleyball in first year and cycling in second year. I am not saying these weren’t great societies, they just weren’t for me. I met my housemate at volleyball and after becoming best friends we decided that we didn’t actually want to carry on batting a ball half-heartedly over the net.

After two years of dipping into sports teams, I found myself at a Women’s Rugby taster session in freshers week, aged about 3 years older than most of the freshers, hungover from the night before.

I would say that it is worth it and it has definitely enhanced my third year

After that, I seemed to find myself going every week, playing my first match, meeting new people and going to the sports night in Gravity. From someone who couldn’t throw a rugby ball (an arguably still can’t), I have tackled girls twice my size, sustained some pathetic bruises and had a lot of fun; and I guess that is the key bit.

I have realised during my time at Bristol that you may love an activity, but if the people involved don’t excite you and make you laugh, you’ll find that you aren’t motivated to attend.

Rugby luckily has all the components of a great club which means I now give up precious relaxing time to trek down to Coombe Dingle until 10pm on a freezing Monday. I would say it is worth it though and it has most definitely enhanced my third year experience.

Featured Image: Smifsports Photography

Comment below if you have had a similar experience in your final university year!