Summer semester is approaching and that means one thing; university election week. Here’s some tips to manage your campaign and your studies.
University election week likely varies from uni to uni but generally it’s a time when candidates run for a position they wish to represent the student body in a specific society.
It’s not an easy feat to balance but to work out how it’s done we’ve interviewed a candidate from Cardiff University, running for positions for the upcoming year, for their their take on election week.
We asked what’s needed to put yourself out there as a student, how to achieve this, and why they want to take on this endeavour?
This is all so future or current students who are inspired by their campaigns – running for roles such as President or Vice President – and help give you push to take that leap and just go for it.
Running Presidency and VP Campaigns at Uni:
Bradley Smith is running for Vice President of Sports and for the President of the Athletics Union at Cardiff University.
After speaking with him, his passion for why he decided to take on this challenge was evident. He said these positions he’s running for are the ones ‘where you can make the most change to sport’.
He believes changes can be implemented to ensure every sports member ‘has the best university experience’.
Putting yourself out there:
Many students reading this may find the prospect of running a campaign in the university environment quite daunting, even if they wish to get one of these roles.
You’re not alone in this feeling, yet the passion to become a committee member, Vice President or President will outweigh this initial daunting feeling. Passion for the role will soon squash those anxieties and you’ll be on a roll.
Bradley stated how to assist in keeping anxiety levels low by remembering those you are chatting with, or promoting yourself to, are students just like your. This means they ‘have had the same experiences as yourself’ which makes them very easy to relate to and understand.
Uni work and Campaign balance:
Additional anxieties of students may include getting the balance right between the role and your university life.
Remembering to balance your time and dedicate some of your days to your studies as well as promoting your candidacy is of vital importance.
In roles such as VP or President, you will have to balance meetings and work amongst other things, so this is good practice for that.
Speaking with Bradley he seconded this by stating ‘setting out time in the evenings’ specifically for campaigning, additionally having a ‘great support system of friends’ can help share some stresses of election week, as a problem shared is a problem halved.
Tips on how to make your Campaign at University:
Promoting yourself at university and saying why you are better suited for a specific role than another person, can be an unusual task – but that’s what a campaign is all about.
If you are running for a role at university, you need to have certain competitiveness within you that will drive you to succeed.
If you are in Cardiff University make sure you vote during the election week as voting closes this Friday, March 18.