Written by Ravindu
30 Nov 2025
Just a couple of months into my first year as a bachelor’s student, I decided to take a risk that felt a little crazy at the time. I walked into the Annual General Meeting of Vitae, a subsection under the Student Union of Skövde, stood up, introduced myself and ran for the position of treasurer. As a bioscience student, the Vitae section is my home, the one with the lime green ovve, and that night I honestly did not expect much. But I got elected, and everything that followed became one of the most important parts of my university experience so far.
Now, as I reach the final month of my mandate, I can see how deeply this decision shaped my university life. I became more confident, more outspoken, more organised and more willing to take initiative. And on top of all that, the social side of union life became one of the biggest surprises of the year.
What are the Responsibilities Really Like?
The responsibilities sound intimidating, but they are very doable once you settle in. You start by understanding the financial situation of your section and working with a budget created by the previous treasurer. Halfway into your mandate, you create the new budget for the next financial year. It involves feedback rounds, discussions and finally presenting it in front of the big union board, KS, and getting it approved.
You work closely with the treasurer of the entire union and the accountant, and learn more about spreadsheets and financial thinking than you ever expected as a student. You also handle reimbursements, track purchases, and keep an eye on the inventory of your section, which includes things like patches and overalls. And yes, you will develop a daily email-checking habit you never thought you’d have.
Even though it was a lot of work, it was also one of the most rewarding experiences of my first year.
1. You Grow as a Person Without Even Realising It
When I ran for treasurer, I was shy, unsure of my abilities and definitely not used to speaking up in meetings. A year later, I catch myself doing things I never imagined, like presenting a financial budget to a room full of university representatives or confidently giving my opinion during discussions.
Union life pushes you to take space, show initiative and trust your own ideas. You learn how to be on time, how to structure your week, how to work with deadlines and how to keep track of responsibilities. At some point during my mandate, the Reminders app basically became part of my personality.
These changes sneak up on you in the best way possible.
2. You Become Part of the Real Student Culture
My program is around ninety five percent international students, which meant I didn’t get to meet many Swedish students from other fields. Through the union, everything changed. Suddenly I found myself working side by side with engineering students, economics students, game developers, and people from programs I didn’t even know existed.
It was the best insight into the Swedish student experience I could have gained. You learn the culture, the traditions, the humour, the teamwork style and all the little unspoken things that make student life in Sweden special.
Without the union, I would have missed all of this!
3. You Make a Real Impact on New Students
One of the most meaningful parts of union work is being involved in the introduction periods in summer and winter. I still remember my own introduction week and how important those events were for finding friends and understanding the vibe here. Being able to give that feeling back to new students felt incredibly rewarding.
Sometimes you are grilling sausages. Other times you are setting up cups for beer pong. Or maybe you are answering nervous questions from nervous students.
These moments are small, but they help others feel at home. And you realize you are making student life a little bit better for someone else!
4. You Build a Strong, Close Friend Group
Weekly meetings, planning sessions, events, decorations, cleanups and spontaneous snack breaks create a bond very quickly. You go through long days together, you troubleshoot last-minute problems together and you celebrate the wins together. It becomes more than a board. It becomes a team and often a tight friend group.
My favourite memories from the year are not from the big events, but from all the little moments with the people I worked with. The laughs during late-night planning, the inside jokes, the shared stress, the small victories. These friendships feel different.
5. You Gain Skills You Would Never Learn in Class
Whether you join as treasurer, chairman, event officer or something else, you learn practical skills that almost no course teaches you. For me, it was spreadsheets, budgeting, financial reasoning, communicating professionally, and keeping track of inventory and reimbursements.
But it goes beyond that! You learn how to speak in front of groups, how to collaborate with people with completely different working styles, how to solve problems on the spot and how to stay organized when life gets chaotic.
These skills are real and transferable. And they help you grow in ways you don’t fully understand until later!
So What Are You Waiting For?
If you are even slightly curious about how your university works behind the scenes, or if you want to meet new people, or if you want to challenge yourself, consider joining the student union. You do not need to feel confident at the beginning. I definitely wasn’t. But taking that chance has been one of the best decisions of my student life so far.
Talking about student unions, you can read about Maël’s experience about being a student representative here!
