Experience & advice from a former RLSC President

About me!

Hi, I’m Polly! I study Modern Languages and Business, and am about to go into my third year after a study abroad year in Shanghai! I was President of Montague Burton Social Committee 2024/25, and will be an Events Assistant for Residence Life in September.

How did you end up getting involved with the Social Committee?

In the first few weeks of university, I saw posters around the accommodation sharing the opportunity of joining the Social Committee for our halls, and received email about what this involves. At first, I was a little hesitant about joining the Social Committee as I was worried about signing up to do too much at university, and I wasn’t sure if I would be any good at it. My new flatmate encouraged me to sign up as she thought it would be something I would enjoy, and she was right! I went along to the training day unsure of what to expect but came away feeling inspired, excited, and pushed a bit out of my comfort zone.

I was able to make friends with the others in my committee, as well as those from committees of other accommodations. Being part of my Social Committee also allowed me to be an active member of the halls community and get to know other students in my accommodation. 

What was the role like day-to-day?

Our Social Committee worked together to organise events such as Movie nights, Craft nights, Valentine's breakfast, Litter Picks, and Pancake night - always lots of free food! Our Social Committee used a group chat to communicate, and would meet up in the common room to plan events and allocate tasks, such as ordering food or equipment, designing social media posts, sending off emails, putting posters up around the accommodation. The central Residence Life team gave us so much support in this process and were always more than willing to help us.

Being part of the Social Committee was such a big part of my first year and such a worthwhile experience! I learnt teamwork, leadership, event planning skills, and grew in confidence. I feel really proud of what we achieved.

What was your favourite part of being involved with the RLSC?

My favourite events were our litter picks, as it was very rewarding to make a visible difference to our local area. We all came so far from the first training day. I remember writing 'Montague Burton Best Social Committee!' on my notepad, not thinking seriously we would achieve this, but was delighted when we won Best Social Committee at the Halls Awards.

Did you face any challenges during your time in the RLSC?

Our committee started small in first semester, and I found the amount of work that goes into organising an event was more than I realised. I turned to my flatmates and friends to help with preparation and running events, and in second semester they joined our committee officially!

It was hard to predict how popular an event would be and how many people would turn up. Our Pancake night was extremely popular and one of our committee members rushed to the shops to buy more food before we ran out! At some events we had leftover food, so we tried to order food that we could store in our common room cupboard to use at the next event, such as popcorn and hot chocolate, rather than too much fresh food.

What advice would you give to future RLSC committees?

My advice for new students is get stuck in! I can't recommend joining your Social Committee enough! It will have a big impact on your personal and professional growth, allow you to make friends, and have a really fun time!  The programme is an incredible opportunity which offers students a large budget to organise any social event you are interested in, as well as providing support and so many perks throughout the year!

Create a vision for what you want your halls life to look like - any ideas for events, trips, improvements to the common room, and with the support of Residence Life, your accommodation site team, and your fellow committee members, you can bring this to life! Being part of your Social Committee will make your time in halls memorable and enjoyable. I want to tell new students that this programme is flexible and is only as big of a commitment as you want it to be.

You can organise events as frequently as you like and can work around your own schedules. You will also be given so much support and can work together with other students. I wish the new Social Committee members all the best and can't wait to see what you do!

Some extra tips for event planning...

• Submitting Event Proposals  + Risk assessments: Residence Life will talk you through this,  follow their guidance (it is easier than it sounds) and ask for help if needed.
• Organising event details: Work with committee member to sort out what needs to be prepared for the event - e.g. Pizza order, items such as napkins, plates, bingo sets, prizes.
• Promoting your event: Use the Instagram page, group chats, ask Residence Life to help you send out an email, put posters up - the site team would always help us print these.
• During the event: Set up in advance and enjoy! Get to know your fellow residents and remember to take photos for social media.
• Event Evaluation: Remember to write an event evaluation (this only takes a couple of minutes) to see what you did well and how you can make your next event even better!