Erasmus student questions (stats/econ)

Hi there,

I am a student from Germany and will spend my next winter semester (should equal the autumn and spring term in England?) at Warwick with the Erasmus programme.
I got my letter of acceptance only a few days ago and there is still plenty time but a few questions came up of which I would be grateful to be answered by students of Warwick or other Erasmus students!

Accomodation:
1. In the most topics here it seems like many students live in dorms/halls belonging to the university. In Germany that is quite common too, but most of the students live on rent on their own. I must admit that I am really not a fan of halls but also a little bit in a conflict: I know that many people use their Erasmus term/year mainly for partying but I chose Warwick especially for its academic reputation in statistics and economics. My point is:
Where can I live without missing typical student life but being near the university? Birmingham seems to be too far away, Warwick itself too small. The users here dont seem to leave a good word on Coventry, what about Leamington? Isnt Leamington very small too?
How much does a bus ticket from for example Leamington cost monthly? And how long does a ride take?
2. How much do I have to pay for lets say a 12-18sqm room (sharing an appartment with for example 1-4 other persons)? On a German website I read the rents would begin at 55pound/week but after a little research it seems to be more like at least 65, usually 70-80 and not rarely 85-110 (all expenses incldued)? I'm only wondering because in Germany in small city you could easily rent a 20sqm room for under 250€ (equaling maybe 50pound/week?), including all costs.
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/accommodation/studentaccommodation/all/campus/rent/campus_rents_11-12.pdf
Maybe I dont understand how to read that but what kind of student does pay 140pound/week (single!)? Thats more than a usual student in Germany would spend for rent plus food plus partying and so on in a expensive town like Hamburg?
The £145/week room is a new (premium) student residence that opened this year - agreeably it's expensive but Warwick accommodation try to get a scale of accommodation prices. Places like Cryfield, Hurst, Whitefields are on the cheap end of the scale, and I actually think that they are worth the money. Typically you can expect to pay between £65-75 per week living off campus, but then you have to pay for internet, gas, electricity and sometimes water, so I think that it will be difficult to beat the cheap halls on price. Expect to add about £10/week on for the gas/elec/internet.

As you are a part year student, I believe you are given priority for on campus accommodation. However, if you are interested in living off campus, there are some places in Canley and Cannon Park that are in walking distance and won't require a bus pass. That said, most full year Erasmus students live in Earlsdon (as they don't get on campus accommodation). http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=202228812547608333261.0004b3e4bb239443e72b2&msa=0 That link might be a bit useful.

Your other option is Leamington, which is a bus ride away. The student population in Leam is quite bit, bus pass might cost £180 or so for 2 terms, and can take between 25-40 minutes to get to/from campus, depending on the time of day.

Study-related:
1. When should I be in Warwick? Officially it says September but probably there is some introductory stuff before?
2. The Erasmus students from our university seem had problems doing the exams as they did not stay for the whole academic year (but from September to March/April as far as I know). As I only stay for 5-6 months respectively until my semester in Germany begins (mid of April) - do you know when the exams in the stats/econ department are written?
3. Am I free in my decision what courses I can take? I am coming from a statistics department but would mainly like to take courses in (quantitative) economics.
There is an erasmus briefing in the week before the start of term (term starts 1st October 2012). You might be interested in the Orientation programme which is essentially a week long induction programme in the week before term starts.
Sadly I don't know when exams will be, what course in particular are you doing? I should then be able to tell you more about optional modules
Sport:
Is there a good+cheap fitness centre available? Is anyone here playing unihockey/floorball?

Membership to Warwick Sport currently costs £49, and you have to pay another £50 for access to the fitness centre. The Floorball sports club is here

I know that many questions are probably easy to answer by simply looking it up at the university's website - I did that of course But I think that first hand information are usually more useful and I want to thank you in advance for any help