Here it is: The official University of Warwick bucket list

Warwick is not simply a university. It is a whole experience with weird traditions, drama and interesting sources of entertainment. It’s an entire lifestyle. But have you been the biggest menace you could’ve been while at the uni? Here’s the official Warwick bucket list that you should tick off before you graduate.

1. Put the ‘war’ in Warwick at the U1 bus stop

If you’re a self-respecting Warwick uni student, at some point in your life you’ve fought through the mob of students trying to get the bus to, or out of campus. There’s a certain passion and pride you feel when you make it past the pearly gates of the U1 doors. And if you don’t make it through that day, it simply wasn’t destined. But it was part of the journey and you learnt things on the way.

2. Spiralled out in a Circle

Circling is a longstanding Warwick tradition where you don’t know the rules, the points don’t matter and the alcohol is purple. If you haven’t been to one, dressed up in a weird theme and trying your best to remember the order of the Roman numerals, then can you really say you went to Warwick? If you know, you know.

3. Visited any of the Holy Trinity

The Smack, The Kasbah and The Neon. You have your lowest lows and highest highs in these places and they have become cultural institutions for Warwick students. We’ve had celebrities like Stormzy and the Binley Mega Chippy guy visit these places of alcohol-fuelled pilgrimage. And at some point, you should have too (certified campus legend status if it was all three in one week).

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4. Romanticised your life at the FAB

The newest architectural addition to Warwick’s campus has been the Faculty of the Arts Building, lovingly called the FAB. Known for its sleek interior design and swarms of unwelcome STEM students, the FAB is the perfect place on campus to put your headphones on and pretend your life is a movie. Ask any tote bag, iced latte, humanities king who posts stories of the stairs at the entrance.

5. Scoffed at Rootes prices

Everyone at Warwick is familiar with the (in)famous Rootes Grocery store. If you’re not willing to walk all the way to Cannon Park Tesco, your only alternative is Rootes. For a grocery store named after the accommodation that isn’t known for being quiet and pricey, everyone’s confused when they first walk in. Seeing the numbers in your bank account go into the negatives when shopping there is not ideal, but it is a quintessential Warwick experience. You would’ve thought the cost of living crisis hit Rootes way before it hit the rest of the country.

6. Had a picnic in Leam

The Royal Spa town that we know and love happens to be a hotbed for picnic spots. Jephson Gardens, the Pump Room Gardens, Newbold Common or even your mate’s backyard, the opportunities are endless. And on the rare days when we finally get some sun, it’s almost tradition at this point to join the flock of students and sit in the sun. Even if it’s bright out just for 5 minutes, someone’s got their sunscreen on.

7. Find Rolf

Rolf the cat is, arguably, one of the biggest names on campus. Rolf adorns a high-vis jacket and can be found strolling around campus with his owners. Rolf is such an iconic name that he was even awarded the “Freedom of the Cam-puss” award by the Vice Chancellor. It’s almost a rite of passage for every Warwick student to give him a little pet or at least be graced by his presence.

8. Act your shoe size, not your age

No, I promise I did not come up with that title. It’s literally the tagline for Skool Dayz when you buy tickets for it. This POP variant has you wearing your old school uniform (or anything that passes) and dancing to bangers from the 90s and 00s. Definitely not everyone’s kettle of fish, but definitely worth trying once (especially after a solid circle). 

9. Take a beat at Warwick’s music scene

Warwick uni has a vibrant music scene, either run by students or sometimes by outside organisations. The music scene has everything for everyone. If you’re into house you can go to Access; Mayhem and Aurora for techno; Szn settings if you’re into the UK rap scene and even jazz at the Bedford Street bar on Wednesdays. It doesn’t matter what you listen to, there’s always something so you have NO excuses.

10. Go for a swim

Surely you’ve thought about it. There are so many bodies of water around campus. I am not saying you should jump into any of them. I would definitely, totally not suggest that you jump into any of the lakes like, for example, the one in Lakeside. I would definitely, really, really not recommend that you act on your intrusive thoughts and jump into any body of water. The University pool in the sports centre counts right?

As a Warwick student, it’s your duty to have done at least seven out of the ten items on this bucket list. I’ll allow a bonus point for the brave few who have visited all of the Holy Trinity in one week. For our finalists, you still have some time to wrap your list up. And for the rest of you, I expect to see you getting on with it before it’s too late. My score’s 9/10 + the bonus. What’s your score

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