Heavy is the head that wears the crown. The old adage feels apt for leaders of student societies, who double as full-time students. These coveted top spots add sparkle to a CV but demand significant resources of time and attention. For all the other students racing against their reading lists, the preponderant question is: how do they do it?

Jiwon Heo is the outgoing president of the Cambridge University Law Society (CULS) and a third year law student. For her, the workload is heavier in the holidays; outside of term-time, she might be spending three hours a day “setting up the infrastructure” in preparation for term. This includes drafting contracts with sponsors, overseeing handovers, and liaising with society members (often across time zones). During term-time, gears shift to “general administrative stuff”, answering questions and stepping in when help is needed.

Similar to Jiwon, Elise Ainsworth – a third year architecture student and the president of the Northern Society – concentrates much of her society work in the holiday. This includes finance, event planning, and graphics, and although she spends a few hours on graphics and admin in a given week, “it’s not too bad as long as I’ve planned as best as I can in advance”.

“Sometimes spinning plates fall – divided attention can be detrimental to results”

By contrast, PhD student and president of African Society, Junior Lusu Kika, says the workload is “definitely … more than what I expected”. But society work “doesn’t require too much use of my brain, unless you want to get creative about an event”. It is predominantly administrative work, which he fits in between other tasks or in the evening.

Sometimes spinning plates fall however – divided attention can be detrimental to results. Do student leaders ever feel forced to compromise on the quality of their academic or society work? “I’d say yes, but on a temporary basis,” says Jiwon. “There are ebbs and flows in both. And I think you just need to fit them in like a puzzle, make sure that nothing is neglected too much”.

For Elise, the stakes are higher throughout the year: architecture is a continually assessed course with no exams and presentations twice-weekly. The even spread of academic work means her role “might affect my work in a given week more than if I were to have exams coming up in a few months”. But forward-thinking mitigates the impact: “It’s not bad; I know when the events are going to be well in advance so I can plan my work accordingly”.

When academic and other activities do clash, latitude is at the discretion of supervisors. Jiwon thinks her supervisors probably don’t understand her extra responsibilities, but “they don’t need to … I don’t think I’ve ever felt that supervisors should be too conscious of what I’m doing”. That said, she considers herself lucky that her supervisors are likely to provide her with an extra day to write an essay. This is not something she believes should be taken for granted.

Time management is only one of the unique pressures on student leaders. For Jiwon, the greater challenge is people management. Her role as President of CULS is “quite an official role in some senses,” yet the society runs on the gifted time and efforts of volunteers: “the people that you’re managing, they’re not on a payroll”. She’s aware that time-strapped students can’t be expected to respond to messages immediately, while candidly admitting that “it’s quite easy to build frustration and resentment.” To combat this, Jiwon reminds herself that “everyone’s in this together,” and her guiding principle is “be firm but be forgiving”.

“Investing so heavily in extracurriculars is a highly personal decision”

Meanwhile, an unseen responsibility of Elise’s role is to step in when NorthernSoc committee members are unavailable, through no fault of their own. “In that case, it naturally falls onto the President to get everything done in time, which I had expected… but maybe not to this extent!” Kika says the same: the leader is required to monitor performance and “chip in” as required: unfulfilled responsibilities “kind of just fall … back on you if you are the leader of the society”. He goes on to affirm: “The pressure involves people, both myself and other people who have expectations of me. In the end it’s just expectations”.

Investing so heavily in extracurriculars is a highly personal decision. Yet all three society leaders find their roles highly rewarding. For Kika, the experience is “very, very fulfilling,” and also a counterpoint to academic pursuits: “Sometimes it provides the easy wins when you are struggling academically”. He has gained experience in organising events and achieving goals, and feels better equipped for future leadership roles. To those considering taking on a senior role in a student society, he advises: “Be ready for it, know what you are getting yourself into, and have your own objectives about the role”.

Elise also thinks the role is worth it: “without a doubt”. Her passion is outward-looking: “Especially in a society with an outreach focus, and one like NorthernSoc that’s centred around helping new students settle in, it has been so worth it.” She was motivated to take up leadership roles – becoming vice president in her second year and President in her third year – because she “got a lot from NorthernSoc” as a fresher.

To Jiwon, leading CULS was a worthwhile “extra thing from which I gain experiences that supplement my life at Cambridge”. These benefits include building relationships with people from other years, subjects, and societies. She has also liaised with a Supreme Court justice, worked with commercial sponsors, participated in a cross-society poker night, and gained event management know-how. But she still gives tempered advice: “If you’re the type of person who needs some rest between things […] I think it makes sense to opt not to take on a leadership position like this”. At CULS, there are opportunities to get involved beyond the main committee. Jiwon attests: “There’s something for everyone,” including pro bono subcommittees, freshers’ rep opportunities and meeting subcommittees.

Although leadership experience is a professional boon, it can clearly be time-consuming. Hopefuls would be well-advised to think carefully before rushing to the top of the tree. But for those who do have the capacity, the experience is evidently enriching. Meanwhile for those who don’t have the spare time or energy, the tiered structure of Cambridge societies provides opportunities for engagement at every level.