162 clubs welcome new students at XJTLU Fresher’s Fair

On 4 September, the annual XJTLU Fresher’s Fair brought 162 student clubs to XJTLU’s South Campus, giving new students the chance to explore clubs and activities.

Organised by the Student Club Support Centre, the fair featured societies across six categories: academic, arts, sports, community service, recreational, and functional organisations. Students visited booths, took part in activities and performances, and learned more about the communities they could join.

For many newcomers, the fair offered their first glimpse into XJTLU’s student society culture.

Kristina Karlsen, a visiting student from Norway, signed up for the Archery Club and the A-Design Workshop. “Archery is something I wanted to do for a long time, but we don’t have a lot of it in Norway, so it could be exciting,” she said. “I also do design in my free time, so it’s kind of based on my interests.”

Sarah Pedersen, also from Norway, joined the Golf Club. She said: “I play golf in my home country, and it’s very cool to find something at the University so I can continue playing and stay up in form.”

On campus and society culture, Pedersen said the variety of clubs makes it easy to find like-minded peers.

“It’s very cool that there’s so many different clubs to fill so many different interests, and the communication has been good,” she said. “There’s a lot of people here, but it seems that if you ask, they will try and help you. I think it’s really good.”

Xuanwei Gu, a Year One student, had just finished filling out his application form at the Keyboard Troupe stall. There is an interview round still to come before he can join the group officially.

“XJTLU’s club culture is incredibly rich – sports, arts, academics... there’s a bit of everything,” he said. He was also struck by how welcoming the older students were: “They were all really friendly and went out of their way to invite us along. The whole experience was great.”

Gu studied piano before university. What he’s looking forward to isn’t just improving his technique, but also more opportunities to perform. “The society regularly invites professional tutors in to give guidance, and that’s what really drew me in,” he said. “Besides building up my skills, I’m also hoping to have a stage to show what I can do.”

A few stalls down, the Kiss & Cry Ice Sports Association was drawing its own crowd of curious new students.

Mingzhuo Zhou, a Year Two BEng Artificial Intelligence student, serves as Vice President of the association. She says the most immediate change since joining the club has been becoming braver.

“I was scared at first too, but once you push through that, you realise figure skating is actually really beginner-friendly,” she said.

She’s noticed that many new students feel the same hesitation she once did – worried they don’t have the right kit or aren’t skilled enough to join clubs that seem to have a high barrier to entry.

“But it’s only once you actually get involved that you feel the fun and meaning in it,” she said.

For this year’s recruitment drive, the club will organise a free taster session on the ice. “We want to give people a space to try it out, make mistakes, and see whether they really enjoy the sport,” she said.

Zhou herself fell in love with skating during last year’s free taster session, which ultimately led her to join the club. She hopes this year’s event will help more students set aside their hesitations and take that first step for themselves.

Professor Youmin Xi, Executive President at XJTLU, and Dr Xiaoyue Li, Vice President at XJTLU, also attended the event and engaged warmly with students.

Professor Youmin Xi (centre)

Dr Xiaoyue Li (centre)

Alongside the booths, the event stage hosted a series of flash performances, including Peking opera, acoustic music, dance, ensemble performances, and rap.

By Qiuchen Hu and Xinmin Han

Edited by Patricia Pieterse

Photos by XJTLU Student Club Support Centre