Running on Adrenaline, Holding onto Moments.
UCL does not have a music department. But the overwhelming energy and presence of all the music and art realted societies on campus ( Live Music Soc, Musical Theatre Soc, Music Soc) makes it hard to believe so. With so many exciting and intriguing musical events happening on campus each term, it’s easy to overcommit—something I’ve found myself doing repeatedly over the past few academic terms. But whenever I get frustrated by my packed schedule, there are countless moments that make it all worth it—the rush of applause, the collective excitement and tension in the 30 seconds before a performance, the passionate hugs on closing nights, and the art of live music, where every note is irreversible, keeping the entire team on edge yet completely immersed. There’s also that silent, shared triumph when we recover from a mistake together. The adrenaline rush of it all —I don’t do drugs, but I imagine this is the closest I’ll ever get to being high.
Perhaps the fact that a music department does not exist in UCL is creating an even stronger and closer bond within the music community. What I love the most about the music community here is how naturally everyone comes together. Freshers, PhDs, Masters, people aging from 18 to their 30s, people in different stages of their lives, people studying medicine to history to arts to language. We all mingle, we are so different yet comfortable with the differences with the unambiguous fact that we all love music. And nothing else seems to matter.
My mother incessantly reminds me that she never sent me off to a university abroad just for me to skip lectures for rehearslas and get sleep deprived after show nights. I get her point—I really do. But having a community outside of academics, moments where I don’t have to think about internships, master’s applications, or visas, is a true treasure. It helps my mental health, and that, in turn, helps my academic performance—or at least, that’s what I’d tell her.
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