Being a part of the English Literature Society committee has been a big part of my university life at Cardiff, and so was one of the things I was worried I\u2019d miss out on whilst studying abroad this semester. However, halfway through the semester, I can say that (although unable to attend society events) I am still able to fulfil my role as Social Media Officer 5349 miles away and I\u2019m about to tell you how! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two most important things to being a committee member (even if you\u2019re not abroad) are communication and organisation. Obviously, being on the other side of the world and a completely different time zone doesn\u2019t make these things easy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Luckily for me, the rest of the English Literature committee\nthis year are my close friends, so I was always going to be communicating with\nthem on a daily basis anyway. My advice for communicating with your other\nteammates (even if they\u2019re not your best friends and are other students you\nhardly know) would be to meet up with them before you leave the UK, make sure\nyou lay out the responsibilities each team member is going to have \u2013 especially\nyou as you are the one who will be working from abroad, and decide how often\nyou are going to be communicating as a whole team, and how often you will only\nneed to be communicating with various committee members. For example, as the\nSocial Media Officer, I need to communicate with the President of my committee\nand the Social Secretary the most. At the end of the day, the President is the\nperson who is in charge of giving the okay to every decision the society makes,\nand the social secretary is usually the person with the most up-to-date\ninformation on all the socials that will be happening! So communication is key\nto make sure you know what you\u2019re doing and who you are collaborating on each\ntask with! Both years I have been on the committee we have had a group chat\ndedicated to just talking about society related items so that it\u2019s easy to find\nand all in one place where everyone can see it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The other part of being an active committee member whilst abroad is organisation! Personally, I\u2019m a fan of a good list \u2013 whether this is online (on a site like Trello) somewhere or a physical list that I can check off. I make sure that I write everything down that I need to do for the week ahead, for instance, I\u2019ll write down all the graphics I need to create for posts that week, which events I need to create Facebook events for etc. I also make sure to keep a spreadsheet of all the events that are happening for the society, I think this is especially important for a society member who isn\u2019t present in Cardiff as it does get hard to keep tabs on events you yourself will not be attending, even more so when you\u2019re in a completely different time-zone! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I hope you\u2019ve found reading how I\u2019m managing to stay an\nactive committee member helpful if you too are planning on doing study abroad\nwhilst retaining your committee position!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Being a part of the English Literature Society committee has been a big part of my university life at Cardiff, and so was one of the things I was worried […]","protected":false},"author":1704,"featured_media":4228,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[269],"tags":[456,398,286,272],"class_list":["post-4227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international-exchange","tag-committee","tag-how-to","tag-international-exchange","tag-usa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4QQbz-16b","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3470,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/why-study-abroad-vanessa-adkins-from-the-college-of-william-and-mary\/","url_meta":{"origin":4227,"position":0},"title":"“Why Study Abroad?” – Vanessa from W&M on studying at Cardiff","author":"Global Opportunities Globetrotters","date":"July 11, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Why Study Abroad? I decided to study abroad first and foremost because I wanted to travel.\u00a0 I\u2019m from a very rural area of Virginia, so I grew up always wanting to see more of the world. I also wanted to push myself outside of my comfort zone, but still have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Incoming Students at Cardiff"","block_context":{"text":"Incoming Students at Cardiff","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/category\/incoming-students-at-cardiff\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6177,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/meet-the-ambassador-kani\/","url_meta":{"origin":4227,"position":1},"title":"Meet the ambassador – Kani – ENCAP, Canada","author":"Global Opportunities Globetrotters","date":"October 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Name: Kani Abdullah School, Degree Programme: ENCAP, English Literature and Creative Writing, Year 3 Host destination: Kingston, Canada Tell us about your global opportunity\u2014where did you go, and what did you do? I studied a semester abroad in Canada at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. I really enjoyed studying courses\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "GO Student Ambassadors"","block_context":{"text":"GO Student Ambassadors","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/category\/go-student-ambassadors\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2025\/10\/Me_Kani-Abdullah-scaled.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2025\/10\/Me_Kani-Abdullah-scaled.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2025\/10\/Me_Kani-Abdullah-scaled.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2025\/10\/Me_Kani-Abdullah-scaled.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2025\/10\/Me_Kani-Abdullah-scaled.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2025\/10\/Me_Kani-Abdullah-scaled.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6013,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/a-literary-students-global-marketing-journey\/","url_meta":{"origin":4227,"position":2},"title":"A Literary Student’s Global Marketing Journey","author":"Global Opportunities Globetrotters","date":"June 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Name: Camille Stanley (BA 2019) Degree subject and school: English Language and Literature, School of English, Communication and Philosophy Destination: Canada Which Global Opportunity did you take part in and what did it involve? I studied marketing at a summer programme at UBC Canada. This involved 7 weeks spent in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "International Summer Programmes"","block_context":{"text":"International Summer Programmes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/category\/summer-programmes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2025\/06\/IMG_3501-scaled.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2025\/06\/IMG_3501-scaled.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2025\/06\/IMG_3501-scaled.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2025\/06\/IMG_3501-scaled.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2025\/06\/IMG_3501-scaled.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2025\/06\/IMG_3501-scaled.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6478,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/accessing-support-whilst-abroad-a-students-perspective\/","url_meta":{"origin":4227,"position":3},"title":"Accessing support whilst abroad: a student\u2019s perspective.","author":"Daniel Estell","date":"March 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Name: Daniel Estell School: English, Communication and Philosophy Global Opportunity: Semester Abroad If you are a student who has accessed additional support whilst at Cardiff, you may be wondering how this will translate to your time abroad. As a student with medical needs, one of my biggest concerns prior to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "European Placements"","block_context":{"text":"European Placements","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/category\/europe\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3632,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/things-to-consider-before-applying-to-study-abroad\/","url_meta":{"origin":4227,"position":4},"title":"Things to consider before applying to study abroad","author":"Tammy-Louise Wilkins","date":"August 5, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Travelling is to live, or so they say, and thanks to international and European schemes, university students across the world are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel to a variety of countries as part of their degree. Making the decision to study abroad is one that only you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "European Placements"","block_context":{"text":"European Placements","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/category\/europe\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2019\/08\/Untitled-design.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2019\/08\/Untitled-design.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2019\/08\/Untitled-design.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2019\/08\/Untitled-design.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4445,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/finding-accommodation-after-spending-a-semester-abroad\/","url_meta":{"origin":4227,"position":5},"title":"Finding accommodation after spending a semester abroad","author":"Tammy-Louise Wilkins","date":"January 4, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"When I first spoke about finding accommodation, I stated that I would not be paying for a property at my home institution due to the additional cost of accommodation and living in Norway. For this reason, I spent the first three months of my semester abroad searching for a short\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "European Placements"","block_context":{"text":"European Placements","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/category\/europe\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2020\/01\/Oslo-Blog-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2020\/01\/Oslo-Blog-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2020\/01\/Oslo-Blog-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"meta_box":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2019\/10\/How-to-be-an-active-committee-member-whilst-abroad.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1704"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4227"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4230,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4227\/revisions\/4230"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}