How partying at uni can help your future career

How partying at uni can help your future career

Put down the books and pick up your dancing shoes

I know what you’re thinking. “How can this possibly be true?” you ask, scratching your head in confusion just as you did last night when watching reruns of University Challenge in a bid to make yourself cleverererer. “Is it really as simple as heading down to Fabric on a Friday night and getting completely off my face?”

Well, no, of course it’s not. That sort of thing would look terrible on a CV. But the social side of uni holds a lot more worth than we give it credit for. Specifically, the art of meeting people for the first time is a hard one to master – and will improve a lot after the first few intoxicated encounters during Freshers Week.

 

One of the most noticeable changes about my friends and myself after going through the highs and lows of uni is coming out the other end a more confident person. Sure, some people arrive knowing how to talk the talk and maybe even walk the walk, but for the majority of us, uni is a social learning curve we all look forward to embracing. The combination of feeling obliged to speak up in seminars – dependent on your degree, of course – along with being thrown into a new place with a whole load of new people forces you to make your voice heard.

Going out in your uni area will only help to enforce this. You might take a step outside of your comfort zone by going to a party full of people you barely know, or attend a society social which your friends bailed on last minute so you’re not sure who to talk to. As the night gets into full swing (whether alcohol’s involved or not), you’ll find yourself relaxing more each time you’re in that situation. Mingling eventually becomes a breeze as you transform into a social butterfly winging its way around the room (speaking from experience, the DMCs will commence around midnight – and that’s a bond with someone forever right there).

 

The point is, social events can contribute hugely to lessening your social anxiety and teaching you that meeting new people in a new environment really can be as fun and easy as you want it to be: cue confident social climber ready to tackle the workplace.

This aside, social events can also be an unexpectedly great way to network. I discovered a surprising amount of friends had parents or older siblings working in industries I wanted to gain experience in; through them, I was able to. The same went for people I met through societies or in a friend-of-a-sister-of-a-friend situation. You’ll be surprised at how many “So what field are you interested in?” conversations on a weeknight at the pub swiftly transform into “I have a friend who does that! I can give you their email address...”

 

Louise Chapman, a recent graduate who now works as a teacher, has certainly found that social contacts at uni came in handy when pursing her career. “Over the course of my undergrad degree I met countless teachers, trainee teachers, teaching assistants and even once an OFSTED inspector at house parties and social drinking events.

“I [also] met a few people who were able to offer me contacts for work experience, now a prerequisite for most teacher training courses. Most of these contacts were made through socialising with my university Dance Society, since many of the dance teachers working with us were also working in secondary schools.”

Staying holed up in your room poring over textbooks and JSTOR may have some bearing on the difference between a 2:1 and a first (but let’s face it, firsts are pretty overrated unless you’re confident you want to stay in academia for life), yet when most employers require a solid upper second class degree from a well-rounded candidate who has more to offer than an encyclopaedic knowledge of their subject, chances are they will opt for someone with social interests who is good company.

Helen Simmons, a Cambridge University graduate who now works as a film producer, agrees that this three-dimensional character quality is key: “If people know you as fun and hardworking they're far more likely to approach you and consider reaching out.”

 

 

Although your commitment to and understanding of your desired job is essential, it’s your confidence,  independence and successful interaction that employers really want to see. Whilst getting completely drunk the night before exams may not be the best idea, showing your face at parties and events at uni can open you up to so many opportunities. So consider that the next time you turn down a night out for the sake of burying your face in your book just to mop up the tears.