Well, if you’re even remotely associated to SRCC, you must’ve known the wide range of Societies it offers. As soon as you join the campus, with the hopes and dreams of excelling in every field imaginable, you are greeted by the various “opportunities” which promise to expand your horizon and give you unfathomable exposure.
You are ecstatic! Well who wouldn’t be!
But with all the orientations and interviews and race to make it to as many societies as possible, there are certain apprehensions and questions that get lost along the way.
Are these societies actually what they claim to be? Do they give you so much exposure and hands on knowledge that you can actually apply it in your real-life problems? Do the PORs make a huge difference in your Placements? Is missing the lectures (as fun as they might be!) actually worth it?
By the time you can answer these questions, you are already too invested into the web and you put on the same charade for the next fresh batch of students; the same orientations, the same promises, the same PPTs! And the cycle goes on and on!
It is not meant as a propaganda against societies since Societies are one of the main factors which makes SRCC a unique place to be as compared to other colleges. But let us analyze the different questions which go unanswered and attempt to unveil the answers to these. The orientation is the first step towards getting into a Society. The Post Holders do an exceptional job in putting together a very engaging orientation with videos, PowerPoint Presentations and engaging activities making you aware about the various activities conducted by the society. It truly sounds promising! But let me confess that there may be certain empty promises made to you! Firstly, you will not be getting attendance benefits for the classes that you miss (With the exception to certain societies). Most of the description of the work which you would be getting sounds too good to be true. The Marketing Wing will primarily be sharing Facebook Posts, Sponsorship Wing will be making cold calls asking for funds and Organizing wing doesn’t do anything much except for going for the meetings (Again, with the exception to certain societies). There are certain societies which exist only for its name and for the benefit of its post holders with no actual work being done.
You may be advised by some of your seniors to get into as many societies as possible (‘Explore’ may be the word!). However, that may be quite an ill advice since, you will be so wrapped in attending the ‘productive’ meetings that you may miss out on many other things.
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By the end of the year, you will have minimal attendance and the pressure to take a post in one of the Societies because: - i) You have already invested so much time and would be expecting some returns ii) Placements? Everyone said that you won’t get shortlisted without PORs right?
By the end of the year, you realize that most of the society just puts up an event with minimal audience and the Organizing Wing people are forced to attend the event to make the hall look crowded.
When you sit for the Placements, you feel that you have done all that you could to make your CV look exemplary. Be it PORs, Internships and even Exchange Programmes.
But when you look at the bigger picture, you see that there are other 200 people who have PORs in various societies (Sometimes 2-3 of them) and it doesn’t set you apart or put you over the edge. Months of toiling and working may not seem worth it at that time. You may as well have invested your time in some other skill or proficiency instead of blindly following the herd.
This does not mean that all the societies have the same picture. There are certain societies which have been doing some exceptional work and adding value to everyone associated with it. But this is a general picture of few of them and I’m sure my fellow SRites may be able to associate with it.
One should be a part of the society as it teaches you certain things and helps you create strong bond. However, you should be mindful regarding which path you go to as it matters a lot when you look back!
Follow your passion but keep your eyes open!
-Anonymous
(Write your opinion about functioning of societies in our college in the comment box.)
(Views expressed in the reader's article section are personal and not necessarily that of team 'campus perspectives'.)
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