Six things I should have known before coming to Warwick

2nd year student Chris Noonan reflects on what might have been helpful to know before arriving at Warwick. Take note, Freshers…

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It’s really hard not to spend money

All I did last year was eat. And, make no mistake about it, I made nothing myself. Why would I when I could just wander from a lecture straight into the Library Café? Or Bread Oven? Or the Duck? Or any of the forty-six Grumpy Mules on campus?

Also, by the sounds of things, our price of a pint is also pretty high compared to other universities, which doesn’t help. So if you’re a spineless jellyfish with no will power like me, it’s really difficult not to spend money at Warwick.

This doesn’t even help

On-campus-accommodation is like gold dust, so enjoy it

I lived in Westwood in my first year at Warwick, which was basically a free pass to bitch about the 5-10 minute walk to campus. Now that I live in Leamington, I wouldn’t mind slapping my shy, nervous, drunk self in the face for having the audacity to complain.

Living on campus, even in Westwood, is out of Leamington’s league when it comes to convenience. The 20-30 minute bus ride into campus every day may not sound bad on paper, but when you’re a lazy, hungover student who is poorly equipped when it comes to social skills, it can be a little annoying.

Looks dire, but better than that 9am bus journey

There is more to life than campus

This probably only applies to my boring self, but it really didn’t occur to me to go out beyond the SU much in my first year. Most of our drinking was done firmly placed on campus, which also has a pharmacy, a hairdressers, and a gym (thank god, right?).

But as it turns out, Leamington and Coventry are actually fun places to go. There are pubs and clubs and bars and Nandos. If I’d known this before coming to Warwick, I might not have been seduced by the convenience of the SU, and maybe I’d have discovered the wonders of Thursday-night Smack a year earlier.

The gym

You won’t use it. You’ll try really hard, maybe give yourself a goal as sort some of NY resolution, but you’ll likely give up as soon as your first hangover hits. Don’t buy the year-membership.

Who wants to be doing this anyway?

People are really, really normal:

Because Warwick is a good Uni, I was under the impression that everyone would be aggressively intelligent, and ready to mock me for not being familiar with Nietzsche… or whatever. But as it turns out, I was actually rarely mocked for Nietzsche related ignorance.

Most people are just as normal and nice as people at school, and they’re just as likely to leave assignments to the night before, and then spill noodle-water on the printed copy. Having said that, I should also probably have known that…

Late night sesh

Your A-level results:

mean nothing here. Stop bragging about your six A*’s.

Hopefully this will prove useful for all you sweet and innocent Freshers, who all still have so much to learn…