The best things about being part of History Society
HSTSOC President Maisie and the rest of the committee share why joining the society was one of the best things they've done at uni
29 January 2024
By Maisie Clarke and the HSTSOC Committee
As President of the History Society, I am always eager to boast about how brilliant our society is, whether that be the community we have fostered through fun socials, the educational support we offer to all of our members, or our brilliant sports teams that anyone can join. It's not just me that holds this glowing review of HSTSOC, with our Education and Careers Officer stating that it ‘outranks most of the other societies’. We may hold some biases but we believe our society is one of the best. So, this article showcases many of the reasons why HSTSOC is so great and shares what it has meant for me and my committee.
Firstly, our Freshers’ Bar Crawl is arguably one of the best socials of the year, with everyone putting on their HSTSOC t-shirts (free when you buy a membership), and dancing the night away on West Street, finishing at ROAR. However, our non-sober socials don’t stop there, with us partaking in the infamous Dance Your Socs Off bar crawl and leading many more great Wednesday night crawls such as dressing up as animals for charity, Back To School theme to kickstart Semester 2, and big joint socials with our fellow humanities societies. We also love to wrap up each semester with a big celebration in the form of our Winter Formal and our Summer Ball - it's a great excuse to dress up fancy and have an amazing night with your coursemates.
Additionally, we pride ourselves on our inclusivity and diversity at HSTSOC so we always aim to ensure there is something for everyone, which is why we don’t limit our socials to just big nights out. We also have movie nights, walks in the Peaks, pub quizzes, and pottery painting. Also, our members can have fun outside of Sheffield with our trips abroad (this year to Prague), and outside of the city (this year to Bakewell). One of our social secretaries, Lois, shared that having social activities such as these have been brilliant throughout a daunting third year, and has really helped to keep her motivation levels high. If you have ideas of activities that you would like to see HSTSOC provide, just drop us a message via email or our socials and we’ll see what we can do!
Moreover, our sports teams offer a great way for members to escape the libraries, stay fit, and be part of a team. Although it may be biased to say that our teams are the best, it is definitely true that they are great communities, with everyone joining together to reach the top of the league. Our (first ever!) Women’s Football Captain, Josie, said that she loves being a part of the team because of the friendships created and how it gives women a chance to have a go at football, when not many societies offer this. We have Men’s and Women’s football teams, a Rugby team, and a Netball team so you can stick to your favourite or go for all of them!
Also, raising money for charity and helping Sheffield’s local community is really important to History Society, and we always aim to offer support where we can. For example, every year, we gather groups of volunteers to help out at the Sunday Centre, an initiative which provides food and a safe space for Sheffield’s most vulnerable on a day when most other organisations are closed. Furthermore, we help to run the Hidden Histories project where groups interview care home residents to gather oral histories and ensure their memories are not forgotten. Outside of these projects, History Society also aims to raise money through fun events for our members. For example, at the start of Semester 1 during Black History Month, we had a charity bake sale to raise money for BLAM, a charity committed to improving the learning experiences and wellbeing of black people in the UK. Also, proceeds from our recent charity pub quiz went to Save the Children, specifically for the Gaza appeal. A new approach for this year, we introduced a charity bar crawl and ROAR, where teams would dress up as animals and pay a few pounds extra for charity for their ROAR ticket which was very successful, so are hoping to implement it in the future.
Obviously, there is the other side of university life - doing the actual uni work. At History Society, we understand the struggle of writing that first university-level essay or attacking the looming 10,000-word dissertation so we offer educational support for all levels. For example, holding workshops for the first year History Workshop assessments, the Level 2 public history project, and the dissertation. Also, newly introduced this year, we held a ‘Pizza After Paths’ social where first year students were invited to join us in the SU after their Paths lecture to enjoy a slice of pizza on us. Our Fresher’s Representative Wilf shared that experiences like this have been ‘overwhelmingly positive, both socially and academically’, allowing to both learn from older students’ learning experiences as well as get to know peers in a more informal environment. Clearly, it was a great opportunity for students to chat outside of a seminar room or lecture hall and get to know the committee better.
Even more exciting this year was the introduction of our society podcast, PodPast! Focused on discussing those interesting topics that may not be covered in lectures and presenting the subject we all love in a more relaxed setting, PodPast has been a hit so far. We encourage listeners to submit their ideas and they can even be featured in an episode, talking about their favourite subject. With elections held over Easter, we will need two podcast hosts and a podcast producer so keep your eyes peeled if this is something you would like to be involved with next year.
Lastly, History Society maintains communication with the Department throughout the year to share our members’ opinions on their degree and seek to improve anything where possible. For example, the Industrial Action Fund was set up by the Department to make sure that all of the strike money was directed back into funding educational experiences for students. In more lighthearted ways, we partner with the Department to create more socials such as free monthly film screenings related to the historical theme of the month. Also, plans for a ‘The Chaser’ themed night, where you and your team can battle to beat your favourite lecturers in a quiz are in the works, so stay tuned!
Overall, we are really proud of what we do at History Society and our committee is excited to provide even more fun in Semester 2. There is still time to become a member this year and if you think you would like to be part of making HSTSOC as amazing as it is, keep your eyes peeled for upcoming committee elections at Easter.