The main aim behind going to University is to find the job of your dreams, and to make enough money to lead a comfortable life. Yet when students try to join the “real world” they face a different story, as they are expected to have experience oozing c.vs. It is enough to flip through the classifieds and see the “experience needed” or “experience is an asset” on the situation vacant adverts.

Regardless of this request for experience, the degrees offered by the University of Malta are very theoretical and therefore students need to find another way to enrich their C.Vs. In fact Student organizations can help with this, as they allow students to train skills useful for the labouring world.

Yet knowing all this, the number of students who go to university solely to get a degree remains annoyingly high.  This is also visible during organizational week, which is generally a flop, especially when compared to the bustling Fresher’s week; as students walk briskly through Quadrangle to avoid being stopped by the eager student representatives. Of course there are others who pause slightly in front of the stands just in time to get their hands on a free pen, a sticker, a bookmark or a key chain.

This apathy has led to a number of student organizations to perish with time. A case in point was the film club, which was very popular particularly in the seventies. This club was organized by film passionate students, who met to watch and criticize films.  Mr. Savior Catania, a lecture at the CCT affirmed “ you see, it’s very ironic, that when we had 700 students at university, way back in the 70’s this group was up and running, and now that we have about 10 000 students, we don’t have enough students to start the group again.” Of course this lack of interest is surely not the result of a diminished love for films.

When asked about the participation of students in student organizations in Kent, Cyntia Beeson, an exchange  student from the University of Kent claimed that students do not really mix in organizations, “ students stay in their respective groups; and since students in these organizations already know each other, other students don’t bother to join, as they feel left out.” Niels Skafte Peterson, an Erasmus Student from the University of Copenhagen argued that at his University it’s a different story. The number of students permanently involved in student organizations is generally low, however numerous students are involved in occasional events, organized at bars and café’s around campus.

Yet all in all, being part of a student organization is surely not an easy task, especially as students have to juggle assignments, studying and of course their private life; not to mention a part time job, which is becoming a necessity. But let’s face it, when you’re all old and grumpy and you are trying to remember the best moments you spent at University, you will definitely not remember any of the boring lectures. Still you might remember the pranks you played on your friends and lectures, and why not the amazing experiences gained through time spent working in student organizations.

BY Carly Caruana