The Student Room Group
Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>
Uni students - Complete our survey >>
Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>
Uni students - Complete our survey >>
Students on campus at the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
Coventry

This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

Warwick? Pros and Cons

I could possibly be going there in 2010 to study English.

Can anyone tell me the pros and cons about going to Warwick in terms of actually being there, the course and how its taught, the financial side of things, the social side as well as job opportunities that arise from having a degree from Warwick?

I've got a lot of conflicting info from people about how "prestigious" it is. While this isn't the be all and end all I'd still like to get that clarified. How good is it really?

Cheers it's a lot of junk stuff to ask but just wanted to here it from real people rather than trawl the uni website which will obviously be a bit biased.

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
Avatar for Chrrye
Chrrye
17
Well your studying english so...

Warwick is pretty good.
Students on campus at the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
Coventry
It is no doubt a top university..but bear in mind that it is a campus based university...so that could be a con for you & also its location isnt that great i hear ...coventry/leamington spa:s-smilie:
Reply 3
Avatar for Chrrye
Chrrye
17
HumanNature1992
It is no doubt a top university..but bear in mind that it is a campus based university...so that could be a con for you & also its location isnt that great i hear ...coventry/leamington spa:s-smilie:

Your hearsay will undoubtably be valuable to the OP in deciding where to spend the next 3 years of his academic life.
Chrrye
Your hearsay will undoubtably be valuable to the OP in deciding where to spend the next 3 years of his academic life.


Well, they are things to consider:confused:
Reply 5
Avatar for chanm002
chanm002
It's a great uni! I am in my first year studying English and the course is amazing. We study some Chaucer, Shakey, WW2 stuff, theory etc etc, and all the tutors are so friendly and certainly know they're stuff.

You shouldnt worry about it being campus based - its more secure (we have our own police!), everything is where you want it (and a BRAND NEW Student's Union which is fantastic) and your friends are all close without having to spend money on a bus journey!

Anything else, just ask!
After the first year you won't be living on campus however and could be living quite a way from the campus - more precise info anyone?
Reply 7
Avatar for temt91
temt91
tiny hobbit
After the first year you won't be living on campus however and could be living quite a way from the campus - more precise info anyone?


Yeah that's the thing I'm worried about - Leamington is pretty far away from the Uni, and I was wondering how much of a problem this is. I heard it's like a 30 min bus journey, which might be a bit annoying.
Reply 8
Avatar for georgia
georgia
14
You don't have to live in Leamington. Plenty of people live in Coventry (it's even possible to get a house next to Canon Park...and that'd be a 15 minute walk tops most probably) and a few even live in Kenilworth although I wouldn't choose that myself cos it's not at all studenty.

Some people whinge about the commute and can't wait to get back to halls for third/fourth year, and others love the 'freedom' of being off-campus. Frankly, you're entirely likely to have a longer commute when you graduate and get a job so it really isn't a big deal to get the bus for half an hour each way a day. Read on it or something.
Reply 9
Avatar for megaduck
megaduck
7
English at Warwick is immense. It's quite outward-looking in that it situates English lit firmly in its European context (which to my mind is v. important - I don't see how you can appreciate what's going on with, say, the nineteenth-century novel in the UK without also looking to what was going on in France and Russia) and it's a 'serious' course in that you have to cover important stuff like Chaucer and Milton and Shakespeare. There are options of course but you can't graduate with a degree in English unless you've read these and other important writers. My brother did his English degree at a.n.other university and graduated with a first having never read Chaucer, Dickens, Eliot (G or TS), Milton, Shakespeare or Marvell. That's not an English degree, that's a collection of random books strung together any old how! The structure of the Warwick degree is very considered and you really do come out of it with genuine knowledge about your subject.

It's great :biggrin:
I'm sure the course and uni are great.... but the advice of somebody who went to school in Warwick and has grown up in and around Leamington Spa... would you really want most of your nights out to include 'Smack'??? (it's one of about 3 clubs in leam and it's the most popular, on a tuesday night which is student night it is FULL of warwick uni students) Loads of warwick uni students go out in leam (or i guess cov) but neither of them are particularly great. Other than warwick uni being too close to home for me (which is why i didnt apply) the prospect of leam being the majority of your nights out would put me off further. I mean dont get me wrong, smack can be fun once in a while when all your friends are there, but i just wouldnt want to spend my uni life going there!

Then again it is considered to be an awesome uni and as people have said abouve the course soulds really good. so i guess it depends whats more important to you. and with it being a campus uni i guess you have lots of studenty things to do anyway which dont include smack. i just thought i would provide my 2p as i know the area very well.
Reply 11
Avatar for sadder
sadder
I've heard the course is very good, I don't know much about the area though.
In my opinion:

PROS
- campus environment is safer, easier (less far to walk!) and convenient
- accomodation is really nice
- Warwick is consistently in the top ten in the league tables. I read somewhere that its never been out of the top ten.
- brand new union
- massive range of sports clubs and societies

CONS
- accomodation is really expensive
- the "bubble" can get isolating
- often feels like a business, rather than a university

With regard to Coventry/Leamington - they really aren't as bad as everyone makes out. You can also go out in Birmingham, which is only really half an hour away and the Union has something on pretty much everynight. Leamington is a 30 minute bus ride away, but i lived there last year and had no problems whatsoever. Coventry is even closer, and there's nothing stopping you living in Kenilworth or Canley.
Reply 13
Avatar for fg08
fg08
8
I also applied to Warwick last year and took it as my insurance choice. I didnt end up there cause I met my firm choice though. I really liked the campus when I visited, quite up to date and a nice atmosphere. One fact the was definitely putting me off was that you most likely have to move to Leamington Spa or Coventry in your second and third year which dont really appeal to me. In terms of reputation Warwick is definitely a good choice.
Reply 14
Avatar for NW86
NW86
12
In terms of rep/prestige warwick is a great uni to go to.


Right, now what I know about (having live in the area for around 13 years) in terms of social life etc. Warwick is a massive dry spot. The university itself is closer to Coventry and Leamington Spa rather than Warwick. Coventry is an absolute DIVE, its a horrible city, with poor clubbing/nights out. It is however, cheap, and some of the nights are student friendly... I'm thinking the colly, don't expect anything special though. A lot of students for Warwick uni tend to move to leamington spa, Leam is a nice enough town of you are about 35 years old, anything else it gets boring very quickly. There are only 3 nightclubs, Smack which has tuesday student nights, but is relativley small and very samey, Rio's wich is a club for middle aged men and women, seriously... it's like 45+ in there most weekends. And a club at the bottom of town, which for the life of me I can't remember what it's called. It's your very average nightclub though, think Lava Ignite kinda place, RnB cheese etc.

All in all Warwick is a great uni for studying and a nice campus, the are it's in is ******* dire. Fun for a year, but anymore than that and it will start to tire.
NW86
And a club at the bottom of town, which for the life of me I can't remember what it's called.
QUOTE]

Evolve....

whereabouts you from then.... i went to kings in warwick and live nearer banbury.

i totally agree with you on pretty much everything you said.... like smack can be fun every now and again if you know loads of people there and leam is a nice place to live but not got a huge amount going on...
Explorer Dora
In my opinion:

PROS
- campus environment is safer, easier (less far to walk!) and convenient
- accomodation is really nice
- Warwick is consistently in the top ten in the league tables. I read somewhere that its never been out of the top ten.
- brand new union
- massive range of sports clubs and societies

CONS
- accomodation is really expensive
- the "bubble" can get isolating
- often feels like a business, rather than a university

With regard to Coventry/Leamington - they really aren't as bad as everyone makes out. You can also go out in Birmingham, which is only really half an hour away and the Union has something on pretty much everynight. Leamington is a 30 minute bus ride away, but i lived there last year and had no problems whatsoever. Coventry is even closer, and there's nothing stopping you living in Kenilworth or Canley.

Relative to other unis, it's actually fairly cheap. But I'd have to agree with you on the other things.
Pros: Totally Tom, Calcium878, Gibsion
Cons: Dr Unk, S1lent_Cha0s, Hathlan
Village_Prince_Of_Warwick
Relative to other unis, it's actually fairly cheap. But I'd have to agree with you on the other things.


relative to other unis its average. they actually records these stats then price it at the mean
megaduck
English at Warwick is immense. It's quite outward-looking in that it situates English lit firmly in its European context (which to my mind is v. important - I don't see how you can appreciate what's going on with, say, the nineteenth-century novel in the UK without also looking to what was going on in France and Russia) and it's a 'serious' course in that you have to cover important stuff like Chaucer and Milton and Shakespeare. There are options of course but you can't graduate with a degree in English unless you've read these and other important writers. My brother did his English degree at a.n.other university and graduated with a first having never read Chaucer, Dickens, Eliot (G or TS), Milton, Shakespeare or Marvell. That's not an English degree, that's a collection of random books strung together any old how! The structure of the Warwick degree is very considered and you really do come out of it with genuine knowledge about your subject.

It's great :biggrin:

Oooh... this is a v. helpful thread! :biggrin: Trying to choose between Warwick and Leeds for English. Would you say that the workload is fairly managable for an English student? Do you get much of a chance to have a social-life? Also, if you don't mind me asking, where did your brother do his English degree? :smile:

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you