Current Warwick first-year, ask me anything. :)

Yeah, I will be studying Geography at Sheffield.

Sorry to butt in, but could you have transferred to a different degree at Warwick, did they give you that as an option?

Hello,


So I know this time last year I had a lot of questions and stuff about Warwick and what to expect and I thought I would try to help by using my first year experience to answer any and all questions as best as I can.

I study Film and Literature.

Ask away.

what would you say the general gcse profile is like from the people you met? i want to study politics but i have fairly poor gcses, AABBBCCCC. i'm worried i'll be wasting an option. do you think this is acceptable?

I just finished a year studying Politics with International Studies at Warwick and would be happy to answer any questions. Also, I stayed in Westwood.

Hi, I have some accommodation questions! I'm considering putting Westwood as my 1st choice - would you recommend it? What are its cons - does its distance away from the campus cut you off from the rest of the uni socially? I guess I'm looking for somewhere sociable, so not sure if the lack of a common room would be a problem?
I'm also planning on putting Cryfield and Whitefields in my top3 choices too so if you know anything significantly good/bad about those, please tell me!
Thanks!

I loved Westwood. I would 100% recommend it, I think it's underrated. People often made fun of me for living in Westwood due to its distance though it never bothered me. It definitely doesn't cut you off from uni socially as Warwick is not like some universities where there are student villages. The accommodation is scattered everywhere. Westwood does have common rooms, but just one per the whole block on the ground floor. This whole 'which is the most sociable block?' debate is a tricky one as it just really depends on the people that get put in the block that year. In my block, there were a few quieter people but no extreme party animals. People only really tended to go out 1-2 times a week but socialised in kitchen/bedrooms/common room.

The only con is the 20-30 minute (depending on speed) walk and it wasn't that bad as the pros outweighed it. Also there is a shuttle bus which you can take to campus which runs 3 times per hour. Pros include massive rooms, proximity to Tesco's and Canley train station.

I don't know much about Cryfield, I never went there but the general consensus among people I knew that lived there was that it was great, but they wish it was a 39 week let, so they didn't have to move all their stuff out. I have heard people say that Whitefields is horrible. Last year you couldn't even apply for it, it was where people got put when all the other accommodation had been allocated.

Those are not poor results, I would think they are acceptable. I just finished a year studying politics and I've met people on the course with similar GCSEs to you. I can't say exactly though. I missed my A-levels offer for Warwick. I got A*BB when I needed AAA so I really can't imagine them being petty about GCSE results because they're all above a C.

Great, thanks so much for your reply! hmm interesting to hear that about Whitefields - do you know anything about Rootes? Does it have a similar reputation of not being so good as an accommodation block eg. by being smaller/noisier/less well equipped than other accommodation like Westwood?

Wow omg I feel so much more confident now. May I ask what your AS grades were?

Rootes has a reputation for being a bit noisy and a really sociable accommodation. I think room general facilities are pretty average, similar to Westwood, expect smaller rooms. People I know who have stayed in Rootes have loved it and been pretty happy living there.

Which one would you recommend for a postgrad; Lakeside or Heronbank ?


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ok cool - thanks for your help!

I lived in Rootes for terms 1 and 2. It is really noisy and full of party animals which may or may not work for you. It it also the busiest accommodation: we shared a kitchen with 15/16 at maximum time and four toilets/four showers between us all. Was not a big deal at all really, was messy sometimes as you might expect. The rooms are TINY compared to Westwood (can't believe they were even the same price) and you are right in the middle of everything, right next to the SU and Costcutter and Costa and all that (again great for convenience, terrible for noise) but because I studied film it was a big walk to Milburn every morning! Hope I helped.

thank you! yeah this is all interesting stuff so despite the noise, would you recommend rootes? I think you can indicate on your accommodation form if you want quieter people (i'm not too bothered but i need sleep) so will probably do that! rootes sounds very sociable, which must be a good thing for 1st year.. are there any accommodation blocks you would try to stay clear of? i'm really tempted by cryfield 'cause it's so cheap!

Cryfield isn't 'bad', but there's a reason it's so cheap. The rooms are small and the corridors tiny, and it's also pretty quiet.

Rootes is a good choice - there's both old and new blocks of Rootes. I didn't stay there but was there a lot and most people there loved it, despite the several fire alarms occurring at all hours and louder atmosphere. You're right though - the social side is great for 1st years.

I don't think there's any worth staying away from. But beware of Bluebell (although if you prefer cheap it's not a worry for you!) which, although high quality, can be very anti-social.

Hi all.

So I'm thinking of all the things I need to take to uni and of course, I have probably forgotten a lot.

This is just a basic list of all the 'needs'. I'm doing PPE btw.

Study equipment

Pens, highlighters etc.
Couple of notepads
5 A4 files
Memory stick
Stapler etc
Laptop or computer?

Cooking equipment

Help me out friends! What is the bare minimum I should take??

Clothes
What are things I'll need in first term but won't think of.

Miscellaneous
Washing and toiletries,
Iron/Ironing board?
Blankets, duvets?
Washing powder?
What to carry shopping in or just have it delivered?
Also, this sounds strange but do you have to buy things like salt/sugar? Should I bring some basic food with me for the first couple of days because there's nothing?


Thanks! )

This should help you out:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/What_To_Take_To_University