{"id":31972,"date":"2026-09-09T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?post_type=oasis-news&p=31972"},"modified":"2026-08-21T10:46:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T02:46:17","slug":"why-finding-your-community-at-uni-might-be-the-best-thing-you-do-this-semester","status":"publish","type":"oasis-news","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/oasis-news\/why-finding-your-community-at-uni-might-be-the-best-thing-you-do-this-semester\/","title":{"rendered":"Why finding your community at uni might be the best thing you do this semester"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Reading time: 3 minutes.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

University can be a lot of things at once. You\u2019re here to study, but you\u2019re also building friendships, figuring out what you enjoy, navigating new experiences and, hopefully, finding a place where you feel like you belong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That last part can take time. If you haven\u2019t found your people at uni yet, there are a lot of ways to do that. While joining a student club isn\u2019t a guaranteed shortcut to finding your best friends, it can be a pretty good place to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding people who get you<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s something comforting about being around people who share an interest, hobby, background or experience with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Curtin has more than 100 student clubs and societies covering everything from sports and academic interests to cultural, social and special-interest groups. That means you don\u2019t necessarily need to have everything in common with someone but having that one shared interest is enough to start a conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having people you can chat with, spend time with or simply say hello to around campus can help university feel a little less intimidating and you feel a lot more connected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating a sense of belonging<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feeling like you belong somewhere can make a big difference to how you experience university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research<\/a> involving Australian university students found that people and social connections were among the most important factors students associated with feeling that they belonged. Students also identified opportunities to interact with other students through clubs, societies and events as contributing to their sense of belonging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A club can give you a regular place to see familiar faces and take part in something together. You might go along to an event knowing nobody and, over time, start recognising people, having conversations and feeling more comfortable being there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having something to look forward to<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

University life can sometimes become a cycle of classes, assignments, work and deadlines. Having something outside your coursework can break that up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe it’s training with a sports club, going to a movie night, attending a cultural event, playing games with other students or getting together around a shared hobby. Curtin’s clubs and societies offer opportunities to explore your interests and get involved outside the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making time for things you enjoy isn’t time taken away from your wellbeing. It’s part of it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building your confidence and interpersonal skills<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don’t need to be the most outgoing person to get involved. Joining a club can be a low-pressure way to practise meeting new people, trying something unfamiliar and getting involved in activities. You might start by attending an event, then eventually volunteer to help out or take on a bigger role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along the way, you can develop skills such as communication, teamwork and organisation that will help you once you start looking for jobs in your field which is another benefit of getting involved in student clubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ready to find your community?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not every club will be the right fit, and finding your community can take a few tries. You might discover that you prefer a small interest-based group over a big social club, or that volunteering, sport, a faculty group or simply attending campus events is where you feel most comfortable. Start with something you already enjoy or something you’ve always wanted to try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You could:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n