27 Jun 2023 | 5 mins
Overview
  • We talked to a few grads about what they wish they’d done differently about their first time at uni
  • Make sure you check out all the sports opportunities your uni has to offer!

Uni’s a funny thing - one day you’re putting your outfit together for your first day on campus, and then suddenly you’re there at graduation thinking ‘What the heck just happened?’. As the classic quote goes, life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. I know for myself that while uni was fun, I definitely didn’t take advantage of all the awesome opportunities uni provides - especially when it comes to sport.

I figured I probably wasn’t alone, so we got in touch with some students who joined a little later and had such a great time that they wished they’d started sooner.

Why they didn’t join when they started uni

Getting adjusted to uni life when you just start out can feel pretty daunting. All of a sudden you’re expected to attend all of your classes in the right way, keep up with readings, know where everything is, and make friends along the way?! It’s tough; not to mention time-consuming to meet all of those commitments. In fact, that was the most often-mentioned reason that our interviewees didn’t start sooner.

Being pressed for time and not feeling like you can add any more to your plate is totally valid, but another way of looking at doing a sport through a uni club is that it ticks off a few of your boxes all in the same session. Rather than needing to put aside time to travel to the gym, do your workout, as well as plan a whole separate thing to socialise more and make friends, you can do both at the same time!

As one respondent told us: “Join clubs to meet like-minded people. The more events you attend the more likely it is you will meet new friends.”

Another said: “Try at least one club sport. There’s a large variety of sports available at most Unis, you’re sure to find at least one that you will enjoy - even if you didn't play sports before! It's definitely a worthwhile experience that will balance out the rest of your uni life.”

Another reason they mentioned was not knowing how to get involved. When you’re walking around O-Week celebrations it’s easy to get distracted and miss out on some really cool clubs, but don’t worry - you can always contact the clubs through your uni’s website!

Why get involved with university sports?

Well, the most obvious reasons are that it’s fun! Pretty much all of the respondents told us they eventually joined sports clubs at uni to meet new people, and make friends - but it was also deeper than that. For a lot of people, myself included, after high school, I lost all of those routines and habits I’d built, and you end up just forgetting about how much fun it is to have a runaround once a week with your mates, and your love of the sport.

Plus, there are loads more options than you probably had when you were growing up. If there’s a sport out there, chances are your uni has a club that’s involved - and if they don’t, you can make one yourself! As one respondent put it:

“I would encourage any and all university students to get involved and get connected to your sporting community on campus! It can create so many opportunities for networking and contribute to building a culture for the sport.”
 

So if you’re just starting out in uni, or you’re on your way through your degree and looking to switch things up, why not give sport at your uni a try? Check out UniSport to see what’s on at your uni!