PG recommendations: Sports Clubs and Societies

This is often due to a wide range of factors that can't be shifted, however, we know postgraduates do express they want to be more involved in extracurricular Imperial activities.

So, to help you find a club or society to fit with your schedule, we’ve gone out and asked current Imperial postgraduates what they’re involved in, what their activities involve, and how it’s going alongside their studies.

We’re bringing you a multi-part blog series to help you navigate finding a new club or society to join as a postgraduate student!

To kick things off, here’s what current postgraduate students had to say about some of the sports clubs at Imperial:

ICSM Dance

I really enjoyed how relaxed and welcoming the society was. As it is largely run by medics, there was a wide age range, which kept me from feeling too old for the society, which I think I would have felt at some other societies. The subsidies for classes are great, and this is so much cheaper than external dance classes, but still with good quality teaching. I met lots of great people — strongly recommend!

Yacht

I think Yachting works really well for me as a postgrad because most of the point is weekend trips that happen a few times per term. You just sign up and go from wherever you are, and you don't need to show up to anything on campus before the trip. The cost varies but is around £50 for a day of sailing including food and sleeping on the boat.

Aside from that, there's also a great social atmosphere in the club, and the age tends slightly older (lots of other postgrads and PhD students). There are optional theory sessions at 6pm on Thursdays and we go to pub after, and the club always does fun things the day of ACC, even if you don't go to ACC*.

*ACC is monthly party during term time, hosted by Imperial College Union and Imperial Sports Sector.

Surf

As a PG student, work can sometimes be stressful. This is why I want to recommend SurfSoc. It is a very friendly society that provides super affordable trips to great surf spots.

Most members are actually PG students as well, which means that it is very easy to connect and get along. Again, It's a great way to leave the day to day struggles and do something new and exciting day-to-day.

Imperial Racing

I could not recommend Imperial Racing enough. It is a fun competition-based team with entries to multiple competitions, and multiple projects going on at any given time. Whether you're an engineer, a business student, a materials scientist or something else, contributions are welcome from anyone and everyone.

As a postgraduate student, there is initial fear in joining a team where people may know each other from previous years or have well-defined roles, but being a postgraduate at Imperial Racing is great. This is because as new entrants in the team, you have the ability to float around different roles and provide suggestions using your experience from your past degrees or past society contributions.

Also, as postgraduate students, focusing on career outcomes is very important, and Imperial Racing is great since they not only have lots of career events but also a lot of members and advisors with industry experience who can advise you when needed.

Costs are pretty minimal with a £20 membership fee, which grants access to the Imperial Racing Pit Garage, where there are occasionally free snacks and refreshments. Imperial Racing is also a really rewarding society with a chance to contribute to the car alongside other members to hopefully win the competition.

Swimming and Waterpolo

I've been a part of Swimming and Water Polo (as a member of the competitive swimming team) for five years now, as an undergraduate and now as a PhD student.

I have always loved being a part of the team, and while there isn't a huge postgraduate contingent I have never felt out of place. It has always been a welcoming club and a great place to meet new people and get some exercise!

The membership for this year was £120, which gets access to up to four swimming and three water polo sessions per week.

Men’s Futsal

Futsal is such a welcoming and fun sport. All practices and many games are at Ethos, and practices are only once a week, which makes it a relatively low commitment add to your schedule.

I really recommend it if you have a little bit of experience with football but aren’t sure you want to spend hours each week going to and from practices. It’s higher intensity than 11-a-side, and requires a different kind of fitness, which is a great challenge.

All in, I spent about £90 for the whole year, as we only had 2 games where we travelled far from London; you can attend all practices with the club membership and a free ethos membership.

Finally, the club frequently goes to the union to watch the prem, but the schedule isn’t so packed as to be punishing, it’s very manageable and fun.

Archery

Joining Imperial College Archery Club has been a huge highlight of my postgrad studies at Imperial. I previously went to Durham and actively engaged with the archery team, and it was great to continue my passion for the sport during my master's and participate alongside other students at Imperial.

They run several club sessions a week - some on mornings, some on weekends - so as a commuter student, it was possible to attend! I also really enjoyed attending the social events and meeting lots of new friends.

As a competitive archer, I was also encouraged to sign up for competitions, and I really felt valued as a team member, even if my campus (Silwood Park) was very far away!

As an Imperial student, I have really enjoyed joining ICAC, and they have made my, albeit short, time at this university very enjoyable. I would really encourage masters and postgraduate students to consider joining as it has been so much fun!

I have made some strong friendships in just a few months. They have lots of archery equipment to loan out and run a beginners course so even if you have no experience you can join and learn.

It costs £60 to join the club, and I found this affordable as it goes towards ArcheryGB Membership for insurance purposes and hall hire.

ICSM Badminton

As a postgraduate student I decided to join the medics society for badminton instead of the normal one as I was guessing it had older students as medics are here for longer.

I think this is something a lot of postgrad students do, even if they’re not medics, to try and branch out more at the university, but still with students in a more similar age range to them.

ICSM Badminton is very open to this, and welcome all students even if they’re not doing Medicine. Because of this, I would recommend joining ICSM Badminton, or any medics clubs for that matter.

I have had a great time this year, they have fun recreational sessions, a competitive team, and sometimes socials outside of playing. It has been a welcoming society that I’ve met a lot of people through and I’m glad I joined. Compared to other sports clubs, the cost of membership isn’t too bad.

Mountaineering

The Mountaineering Club (ICMC) works well for me because the sessions are only in the evenings, rather than in the afternoon. This means I don't have to miss work/study.

Moreover, the community is just very nice, and so it is quite a welcoming atmosphere to join in on. I would say for other PG students, the climbing scene as a whole is just very social and fun, so it is a pretty great way to meet friends. Also, going on weekend trips with the club and/or friends is a fun escape from London life.

The costs are somewhat steep initially – £60-£100 for climbing shoes and £12 on average per entry to the climbing gym.

Stay tuned for more PG recommendations as part of this new blog series! We’ll be walking you through some of our other Management Groups like Arts and Entertainment, and Knowledge, next time.

*Please note: Some responses have been slightly edited for clarity and length.