Let’s begin with age-old questions that new students annoy every upper-year friend with: “What is a club?” “How do they work?” “How do I join?”. In short, clubs at UBC help every single student find their like-minded peers and facilitate long-lasting connections that exist beyond their university careers. In simple terms, they help you find study buddies and friends to drink with. But clubs at the University of British Columbia are vast and diverse, proving quite difficult to navigate for new students who are looking to meet new friends and explore different aspects of life. Here is a quick guide about all that is clubs on campus and how you can find your rightful group.
Now that we know the differences between AMS and Faculty associations, let’s start dissecting the different types of AMS clubs. There are over 350 clubs on campus registered with the AMS, WOW! This number continues to grow as students take initiative to create a group where students can collect and share passions together and possibly change the world… or they could just be skateboarding in the Thunderbird Parkade together at night.
The days to really commit to joining clubs is during Clubs Days, a series of days where AMS clubs booth all throughout the AMS Nest, from the Lower Level to Life Building, trying to pitch their idea against their rivals. During these days, you can join up to however many clubs you want to (or can afford) and receive all the great benefits of being a “Platinum Member” in the bubble tea club. Sometimes these clubs are giving away freebies, so even if you are not looking to join any clubs immediately, walk through the booths and look for free pens or lanyards.
If you feel like you have more to offer, that your potential is off the charts, that you want to become the next ruler of a club, then please keep reading. Along with being a member of a club, where you pay your membership fee, receive benefits, and attend events, you could also become an executive member of almost any club. While each club is operated differently, it is safe to assume that almost every club needs new students to help operate the organization as previous leaders graduate or move onto other endeavours. This is the perfect chance to REALLY meet new people, gain experience, and contribute even more to the campus community. Many AMS clubs openly invite students to join their executive team through either recruitment, which would be done online or in-person during clubs week. However, not everyone can be club presidents but there are many roles in each club that may fit your skills and passions, such as club treasurer, various VP’s, marketing, human resources, events, etc.
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