Extracurricular activities are a major part of Cambridge life. There are two types of societies: College and university.
College
Sports: College level in sports is comparable to intramurals, though maybe at a higher level, depending
on the sport. Typically, if you want to play, you can. In rowing, for instance, a College might
field three to five boats to accommodate everybody who wants to row, and the some of these
boats will be very competitive and practice a lot, while others will be full of beginners and
practice rarely. (No MIT physical education points are awarded for participation in College
sports.)
Music: The College orchestras will generally take anybody who shows up, but College choirs
are an exception, usually requiring auditions. During Freshers' Week, each College will hold a
fair where members of the various clubs and societies will have sign-up sheets, so you can get
your name on mailing lists. Also, they will organize "squashes" (a chance to meet and socialize
with members of clubs) and that is a good way to get involved and meet people. Just look out
for posters announcing squashes for activities you want to do.
For most clubs and societies, you
may need to pay a membership fee, but these usually aren't very large (i.e. less than £15).
Generally speaking, College societies are at a low enough level and light enough by way of time
commitment that students can belong to multiple such societies and not be overloaded.
University
University societies are for serious amateurs. In the beginning of the year, there will usually be
tryouts for the University sports teams and auditions for the orchestras. Some sports like basketball and lacrosse are not very popular in the UK and therefore the university level of play may be significantly lower than university-level play in the US. Whatever the level of play, the time commitment for a University sport at Cambridge is less than that of a varsity sport at MIT; University teams will not practice every day of the week. University rowing is exceptional because it is at a level far above MIT standards.
Cambridge Blue: If you play in the annual game against Oxford for a given sport and win, you'll get what is called a "Blue" or "Half-Blue", an honor like a varsity letter. You can be awarded 4 MIT PE points for a Blue and 2 points for a Half-Blue, but you should notify the MIT Physical Education Office before participating in your sport at Cambridge.
Music: If you are a serious musician and join the university symphonies or chamber orchestra, your name will be on an email list. If you are in the chamber orchestra or seated highly in the first
symphony, people will probably email you asking you to perform in student-led orchestras.
Rehearsals are typically four nights in the week of the concert, so time commitment is low and
the quality, since you're playing with the best musicians, is excellent.
At the beginning of the year, there is a "Freshers' Fair" where you can
see what kind of societies there are, get on University mailing lists, ask for information, learn
about University sports team tryouts are, etc. For more information about sports and societies,
you can visit: http://www.sports.cam.ac.uk/ (also has College level information) http://www.cam.ac.uk/societies/
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Generally at Cambridge, societies are more active than clubs are at MIT; they're a fantastic way
to pursue something you're interested in but haven't have time for at MIT - or try something new
altogether.