Ranking the Sheffield Hallam societies most likely to become a cult

Sheffield Hallam has over 80 societies to choose from – but which are most likely to become a cult? It’s a difficult question to answer, because unlike most unis, Sheffield Hallam doesn’t have a Taylor Swift Society. But it is an important question to ask – no one wants to end up accidentally joining a cult, when all they wanted to do was find a new hobby and make a few friends.

Given the sheer volume of societies Sheffield Hallam has on offer, and the array of truly niche interests that they serve – it’s inevitable that some may appear, certainly to outsiders, a touch cultish. While it’s not likely that any Hallam societies are cults, or that they will turn into cults – it’s best to be on the safe side. If the threat of cults is a big thing for you, read on: Here’s a ranking of the Sheffield Hallam societies most likely to become a cult.

Rounders Society

Starting with the least likely to become a cult is the Rounders Society. This is because to be a cult, you must have members – which rules out Rounders Soc from the get go.

Furthermore, any budding cult leaders out there would be foolish to target Rounders Society to try to get their following off the ground. If the rounders society were to become a cult, who or what would acolytes devote ourselves to, missed swings and bruised knees? 

Goth Society

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Specific style, check. Distinct music taste, check. Enough white foundation to paint a whole village, check. If you put 100 goths in a room, you’d look at them and think, yeah, this could be a cult. I suspect that every time 100 goths do gather, they spontaneously begin to organise into a cult, as a matter of course. However, every goth I have ever met has been very lovely and not at all scary, so they’re pretty low on this list for that reason. And because they never leave the house in enough numbers anyway.

Anime Society

If you’re an anime fan, you’re either a casual watcher or devote your entire personality to it. You wear mostly merch, subscribe to Crunchyroll with a mega-fan plan, and call the girl you crush on “senpai”. While the anime society is giving slight cult vibes, gathering to make Bakudeku Slime (am I doing this correctly?) it’s much too wholesome to be placed any higher. Cults are scary, and anime fans are the opposite of scary.

Gamer Girls Society

As a fellow gamer girl, I can confirm they are one “go back to the kitchen” comment away from becoming a cult. Assuming their interests cover a wide variety of games, this group can exile themselves away and rebuild their own commune, skilled in farming, combat, and design. They will gather once a week minimum to show their devotion to their king (Tom Nook). Everyone speaks Simlish in this cult, and no one will be called boosted or have to make a sandwich again.

Vegan and Vegetarian Society

The amount of judgement I received for either being veggie or not veggie enough felt like a cult to me. My friends who were vegans were always trying to convince me to “just try it”, and when I finally decided to stop being a vegetarian, people begged me to stay. Though I’ve never been a part of this society, I can imagine it’s pretty close to joining a cult. Also, please, can we stop pretending Quorn tastes just like the real thing.

Aviation Society

You might think aviation has no room for cult followings, but don’t be fooled; they exist. When working for a major airline, I saw many staff debates over which aircraft was better or which airport had the best runway. It was absurd. Then, some people are interested in or want to work in aviation. They dedicate their spare time to playing Flight Simulator and using Flightradar24. They’ll have prints on their wall or models of their favourite aircraft and refer to their favourite airports by their code, unlike their name like a normal person would.

Reading Society

Whether it’s Sarah J. Maas, Colleen Hoover, or Stephen King, everyone in the reading society worships someone and will read almost anything they publish. I am a member of the reading society, and pretty frequently, someone will ask something along the lines of: “Has anyone read (insert book name) here?” followed by an incoming stream of messages chorusing: “I love that book!”, “This book saved my life,” and “I wish I could give the author my first-born child.” They also hold events often and book handouts so everyone can read the same thing. Sounds like a cult if you ask me.

Film Society

There’s a reason people refer to movies as cult classics. Plus, what has been at the very top of everyone’s Letterboxd profile in recent years? Midsommar. I’m not sure exactly who the Film Society are or what they do, but isn’t that the staple of a great cult? Join this cult – I mean, society – if you want to sit around arguing whether Spielberg, Kubrick, or Tarantino is the best film director. 

Sims Society

The Sims community already has a cult-like following. Some create characters and have them live a perfect life. Then, there are those who love chaos. You’re lying if you say you’ve never made your Sim jump in the pool, only to remove the ladder and watch them swim in circles for hours before drowning. The earlier games were even more chaotic, not to mention the fact The Sims literally involves you controlling a person’s entire life, emotions, actions, what they wear, what they eat, where they live, their career, the list goes on. Honestly, the Sims Society is a cult waiting to happen. 

Featured image via A24