Congratulations! You made it to the University of Cambridge! Now you’re hearing all sorts of lingo being chucked around - from Mainsbury’s, Farawaynsbury’s and Slocals, to NatSci, Compsci and Noam Chomsky, and now CICCU, CUACS, CUDS and CUCC - but what are all these acronyms, and what is a ‘society’? Fear not, and buckle in for your whistlestop tour of all things societies.
At Cambridge, ‘society’ is the term that we use to mean club. They’re one of the best parts of being at the University, as they’re a great way to meet people with similar interests; explore parts of Cambridge that you wouldn’t otherwise; and try out some new activities. Each college has their own societies - these often include sports and music societies - and then there are University wide societies. University wide societies are the ones that register with the SU, and we have over 500 registered with us, so there’s plenty to look at…but if you can’t find what you’re looking for, you can always start a new one!
We organise our societies into seven categories, of which I’ll give you a brief rundown.
Cultural & Faith - from broader groups like the International Students’ Association, Middle Eastern North African Society and Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union (aka CICCU) to more specific groups like the Ghanaian Society, the Midlands Society and the Chinese Christian Fellowship.
Sports & Activities - like the Basketball Club and the Revolver and Pistol Club
Hobbies & Interests - such as the Board Gaming and Diplomacy Society, Entomological Society, Bird Society and Taylor Swift Association Society
Creative & Media - like the Ceilidh Band, Film Association and Footlights Dramatic Club
Political & Causes - think Palestine Solidarity Society, Cambridge Union Society and the Labour Club
Skills & Professional Development - including the Ethical Finance Society, Environmental Consulting Society and Women in Business Society
Academic Life - for those who don’t get their fill during their studying hours - like the Paediatrics Society, the Archimedians (Mathematical Society) and Black Postgraduates Society
On a personal note, I would really encourage everyone to get involved with at least one society. You can’t spend all your time studying - not only is it unhealthy for you, but you’re far more likely to burn out - and societies are a great, structured and low commitment way to spend some time having fun with other people. I struggled to find my community when I first joined, as it was through a society that I met my friends and built my social life. Don’t be afraid to step out of your college, or indeed your comfort zone, to try something new!
Now that you’ve read my society propaganda, let’s move into the practical side - how do you get involved in societies? The answer is simple - Freshers’ Fair! The Freshers’ Fair - running on the 7th and 8th October 2025 - is an SU event in which over 200 societies have stalls to recruit new members. As you snake through our marquees, you’ll have the chance to meet committee members and ask questions about the societies, as well as signing up to the mailing lists of the ones that pique your interest.
My number one advice for the Freshers’ Fair is to keep an open mind - while there may be some societies that you’ve already earmarked, there will be others that you’ve never heard of or conceived would be possible (the Assassins’ Guild comes to mind), but you might find that they end up being your favourite. I would also recommend visiting our website to see the full list of societies and their contact information, as there may be some not at the Fair that you’d enjoy! Additionally, keep an eye on our SU instagram - we’ll be relaunching our ‘Sabbs try Socs’, in which your sabbatical officers will be trying various societies, and posting videos online - and our website for our upcoming ‘which society should I try?’ quiz.
My final piece of advice would be not to worry about signing up to too many societies - I genuinely don’t think there’s any such thing. You might find that you sign up to 20, but try out 6, and stick with 2 - and that’s perfectly OK!