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CONTENTS
Contributors Editorial Fresher Pressure Nightlife and Food Transport Societies Library SU, SSLC Disabilities, Mature students Accommodation Lingo Gallery/Campus tour
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Ahlam Al-Abbasi • Emma Axelsson • Victoria Botella • Megan Bower • Amy Brandis • Lorayn Brown • Katie Hall • Aakanksha Jaiswal • Joanna Jakubowska • April Roach • Josh Saffold-Geri • Fi Smart • Daniel Sorenson • Jenny Wheeler • Christine Wong
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CONTRIBUTORS
Ellie Hastings • Josie Throup
A lot of people are going to tell you how great Warwick, and the university experience in general, is, but we are probably the best people to listen to – Cobalt Magazine is as fresh as you are! We started up at the end of last year, from nothing but an idea and a bunch of awesome people. And trust us, what you’ll find in these pages is the pure, unadulterated truth, so dig in! In our full editions (find them online at issuu.com/cobaltmagazine) we feature everything from opinion pieces to comic strips, from poetry to recipes, from short stories to scripts – not only that, but we’re also a society, so we have loads of events going on both in Fresher’s Fortnight but also throughout the year. The beauty of Cobalt at the moment is that we’re still new, so there’s so much potential. And we need YOU to make Cobalt Magazine
and society as good as it possibly can be. Don’t be a stranger – find our page at facebook.com/cobaltmagazine and make at least one new friend before you get here, Cobalt Warwick (she has our logo in blue as her profile pic). These will keep you up to date with all the news and announcements from Cobalt, including calls for submissions, info about socials, merchandise, launch parties, promos, …seriously, you won’t regret it. We’re also free to join as a society at the Socs Fair in September and throughout the year – go to the societies page on the Warwick SU website for more details! See
you
in
September,
freshers!
COBALT society Exec
Safety
Equal Opps
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Treasurer
Secretary
President
FRESHER PRESSURE A note on
by Josie Thr
“Are you excited about
Freshers? God yeah, me too. I’ve bought the pass, have you bought the pass? No? Oh no, me neither, no I want to see what my housemates want to do, yeah. Done any reading? Oh no, me neither, I’ve only got a few books from the library, I haven’t read up on the optional modules yet. No seriously, I haven’t read that much….” I’m warning you now, freshers of the future: You will experience some variation of this person in the build up to Uni, and they will terrify you. It could be someone on your course Facebook page (the bane of my life in the lead-up to Freshers), it could be an email from UCAS, or it could even be a friend innocently remarking that they’ve been out and
bought new pillows. You will get the knot in your stomach, and you will feel unprepared. The Freshers’ Passes have sold out. You haven’t managed to buy all your course books yet. “I don’t even know if I need to buy pillows!” This you will shout, arms flapping in the air like the wings of a lost pigeon, eyes crazed by a restless loathing for the textile industry. To be fair, maybe that was just me. I found the waiting period before starting at Warwick really difficult. When I got here, I realized that it stands to reason that the people who are organised enough to join and comment on all the Facebook pages for their Uni will also tend to be organised enough to make you feel like a slacker in comparison. Also, because Warwick starts so late, most of
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my friends’ terms started before mine, so they were packing while I was panicking. When I posted on “Warwick English and Creative Writing Freshers 2013” to say “I’ve not read anything yet and I’M NOT ASHAMED” a few people commented to say they felt behind already too. One girl suggested joint reading sessions with tea and cake. This little comment meant a lot to me at the time, and I’d advise future freshers to learn from Gabby, who I now know and is as lovely as she sounded. Preparing for Uni isn’t a competition, the aim is not to post your grades and spew the longest words you can. It’s about getting to know each other slightly, and reassuring the worriers that there are friends waiting for them on campus.
roup I’m not saying that you shouldn’t prepare yourself. Read your course books before the start of term! It’s a great idea to take that pressure off yourself so that when you’re actually at Uni you can use your time to make friends. Definitely make a packing list, there’s a great one on The Student Room that you can personalise. Personally, I forgot a few things that would have been useful: a desk lamp, hair grips, my sense of perspective... What I’m saying is that everyone feels unprepared, and you need to take the process of preparation with a pinch of student-friendly value cooking salt. Those “Freshers 2014” Facebook pages and the conversations you have in the build-up to your first day of term cannot fully prepare you, because nothing can.
I lost count of the number of people who told me “You’ll love it”, and the number of times I smiled and pretended to agree . They didn’t know, they couldn’t know. I could have ended up in a corridor with people I hated, my biggest fear. It didn’t help that Warwick take longer than other Unis to assign accommodation, because they try to match you up with like-minded people. While my friends were planning pre-drinks with their future flatmates I didn’t know who mine would be. My worries were unfounded, and I’ve found a great bunch of people to live with next year. But I digress. Another thing that worried me at the start of term was buying tickets. Warwick sells tickets online to events before the start
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of term. You may find yourself in the same position that I did, feeling pressured into buying tickets when I didn’t even know what my future friends would want to do. I panic-bought a few, many of which were for the second week when my friends wanted a rest. If you’re worried about this, I’d advise you to get your hands on a Freshers’ Pass, which will allow you to choose once you’re here. You may be inundated with advice before you go to Uni. Look at it with a critical eye. This includes my advice, which I advise you to dismiss if it doesn’t apply to you. (There’s a paradox there somewhere). Everyone feels the Fresher Pressure. But hopefully you, wise Warwick undergraduate of the future, will know how to deal with it.
NIGHTLIF
For many, Freshers Fortnight is a time for two things: playing awkward card games at the kitchen table to avoid talking, and going out where the music’s too loud to talk. Fi Smart combines the two in creating your very own ‘venue Top Trumps’ for all the top nights you’ll have at Warwick. General tips: 1. BYOL (Bring your own loo roll) 2. Drinking isn’t necessary, but energy drink might be just to keep you going! 3. Rootes/Cryfield host pre-drinks, Costcutters or the burger van on campus hosts the after party 4. When fresh, meet as many people as you can 5. If you’re drinking, bring ‘diet coke’ for the bus/taxi to the club 6. Know your dress codes. Stalk previous club photos to get an idea 7. Have all the fun you can NOW
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FOOD
THE NIGHT OF...
by Christine Wong
Ah, the burger van. Located right in front of the Rootes building (NOTE: this is not the same as Rootes residences – the actual Rootes building where the Learning Grid and Costa Coffee are), it is a god-send to any drunk or lazy people who crave some good old junk food. The van appears generally late at night, and my attention was drawn to it right after the weekly Wednesday campus club night, Pop!. It serves both kebabs and burgers, and it has a vegetarian option as well as a variety of sauces (I personally suggest the garlic mayo). You'll need cash for the burger van as well, but that's not such a big inconvenience when you’re itching for some drunken snacking!
THE LUNCHTIME AFTER... If you've ever had Subway, I implore you to visit the Bread Oven. Delicious sandwiches with a wide variety of fillings - everything from 'Aromatic Hoisin Duck' to 'Prawn Star' - for a maximum of £5 for a meal deal that includes the sandwich, a snack and a drink! The sandwiches are also extremely filling and the staff are lovely - they will cater to whatever dietary needs you have. For example, if you're vegetarian and you want them to change their gloves to clean ones, they'll happily do so. The three bad things about the Bread Oven are that firstly, it's only open on weekdays from 11-3 and you really should get there before 12 to avoid the lunch rush. Secondly, eating there all the time will not exactly keep your waistline trim! And thirdly, the Bread Oven doesn't accept debit cards, but it dos accept cash and your Eating@ Warwick card.
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TRANSPO
here are two ways of getting around at Warwick - bus and train. Bring a bike if you want to but useful for crossing campus. Here’s your guide to transport, including the most up to date fares
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ORT
by Ellie Hastings
it’ll only really be s and routes.
BUSES
(correct at time of publication)
STAGECOACH – gives change
• Single – £2.65 • Return - £3.50 • NU1 (nightbus) single after 12am is £3.65 U1 – Leamington Spa, not via Kenilworth - direct U2 – Leamington Spa, via Kenilworth X17 – Does not actually enter campus, but goes to Coventry, then Gibbet Hill Road (2 min walk from Gibbet Hill campus), then Kenilworth, then Leamington Spa, then Warwick Hospital then Warwick town centre.
NATIONAL EXPRESS – exact change required, no change given
• Single – £1.90 from Coventry to campus, £2.10 from Kenilworth/ Leamington to campus • Daysaver - £3.80, acts as a return but can be used all day on all National Express buses in the area
11 – Coventry, then Leamington, then campus, then Coventry …etc 12 – Coventry
TRAVEL DE COURCEY – gives change
• Student single – 80p, Warwick student card may be needed • Return - £3.10, so go for two student singles W1A (straight to station)/W1C (city centre first) 360A/C – University Hospital by the Coventry ring road
TRAINS Coventry station – goes towards London Euston from platforms 1 and 2, and Birmingham from platforms 3 and 4 Canley station – about half an hours brisk walk from campus, walk up to Westwood/Tesco and just go straight over both roundabouts, go past Homebase on the right, climb up that hill lined with houses, continue to the end – the station is right at the top. Goes towards London Euston from platform 1 and Birmingham from platform 2.
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Music Centre Warwick
SOCIETIES by Amy Brandis
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ou’ve walked into a bustling hall. Your eyes widen and your palms begin to sweat as you behold the throngs of people swarm around you. Innumerable stalls crowd your vision; posters call at you from pin boards that THEY ARE THE SOCIETY FOR YOU! Leaflets are shoved into your hands. Second years in
society t-shirts hold email lists towards you with everso-slightly-crazed-I-haven’thad-enough-sleep smiles. It’s time to think about joining societies. Don’t worry. You will find some great ones, I can promise you that. Warwick has over 240 societies. That’s a lot. That’s more than any other university in the country,
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actually. So it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, particularly when so many are so attractive. I for one wanted to join a mixture of societies, and by that I mean I wanted to tick my academic box by picking a society that would further my subject, a sporty one to keep me on my toes, and a fun one trying something completely
new. In the end, the societies I spent the most time with were not academic or sporty, but wholly extra-curricular wonderful madness. And I loved it. And that’s the key here. The societies that are right for you are the ones that you can truly enjoy and learn from. Amongst the circling parties and society socials, societies present a rare opportunity to acquire new skills in a supportive environment. Practically speaking, getting involved with societies is about organisation and prioritizing. Essentially, get your email down on all those lists shoved at you at the societies fairs. This means that for the first couple of weeks your inbox will be overrun with introductory emails from said societies. But that's great - they'll give you all the information about their taster sessions, which are well worth attending. Go and try as many as you can, and most importantly don't be a wimp! Go even if
your flat mates aren't. Try something new. Societies will always be welcoming to newcomers, the strength of their society depends on your contributions as a member. Once you've 'tasted' your societies, it's time to pay up. Some society memberships are free, and some charge the grand sum of £3 or £4 a year. You do that online on our SU website. And voila! You are now a member of a society! I'd recommend joining between 2 and 3. Get a bit of range in there in terms of the people you meet, and the things that you try. In terms of deliberation over which societies you should commit to the answer is simple: join the ones you naturally feel the most pull towards, the ones you really want to spend time in. Anything else, and after a while you'll lose interest with it. Now, it is not just what your society can do for you, but what you can do for your society! Societies thrive when there members are active and
involved. Get more for your membership by not only attending its events but helping create them. Don’t forget, it’s never too late to join a society. It was only really after the first 6 weeks of freshers' madness that I started to get involved more regularly. Even later in the year, late into term 2, I was joining a new society I'd initially overlooked. It's never too late, don't let thinking so limit you. Life will always be to a large extent what we ourselves make it - Samuel Smiles. I'm laying on the cheese here a little but, really, society involvement is awesome. Societies will enrich your university experience no end. The skills you gain are really the crucial edge when applying for jobs in the big bad world. Overall, I cannot recommend them enough. They'll widen your social sphere, make contacts for the future, and allow you to try new things in a way unlike any other point in your life.
Join COBALT society - it's FREE! We're so much more than a magazine - so get involved!
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LIBRARY A t some point during your time here at Warwick, you will
enter the magical realm that we call ‘The Library’. However, if you’re dreaming about musty corridors and wooden paneling then you’re in for a surprise. Warwick Library is a modern working space with all the facilities of a traditional library, so don’t be deceived by the apparent lack of bookshelves - its collection of journals and books on every topic imaginable is extensive. For those of you who enjoy group work, the first two floors of the library provide multiple working spaces. There are sofas, chairs, white boards and even rooms you can book if you need something more private. Computers and printers are also available on the first two floors- although I suggest that you don’t leave printing that essay for the last minute as there can be quite a queue at the printers. The atmosphere is informal and can get quite noisy, so if you are the type of person who needs absolute quiet, the silent study areas are for you. Think floor 2 extension and floors 3, 4 and 5. Floor 2 extension even has a no-laptop zone for those who need absolutely no distractions. Personally, I tend to find the silence unnerving, so a pair of headphones and music is a good idea. During Term 1 and 2 the library isn’t that crowded, so finding a space is quite easy. Come term 3, however, that all changes. Exam season is
by Aakanksha Jaiswal
when the masses descend. Finding a space becomes next to impossible; finding a space with a plug point seems like a distant dream. If you live on campus, it’s worthwhile working in your room during the day and then to come to the library around 6pm, because second and third years have often gone home by then. This might seem insignificant at the moment but you will know what I mean in a few months. Checking out books is done through an electronic system and is completely hassle-free. I suggest that you keep the receipts issued by the machines though, perhaps as a bookmark for that book, because sometimes books tend to go missing and you are liable. But if you misplace it and forget, the library sends you handy reminder emails about returning books. From experience, I suggest you keep an eye on your library account because if someone recalls a book, you might end up accidentally paying a fine. Heads up- if the fine on your account exceeds £10, you cannot issue any new books until the fee is paid.
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Also, for the keen beans amongst you, the library is NOT 24 hours during Term 1 and 2. So spare yourself the disappointment at 3 am and head to University House instead. Although not necessary, it is worth going for a tour of the library when you first arrive just to get an idea of what is available – look out for ‘GetStarted’ tours at the beginning of term 1. If you need convincing, they give you free stuff. No matter how miserable you might be as you cram for that exam or type faster than the speed of light to get that assignment done, the library provides a great atmosphere in which to study. And lastly, the library have had therapy dogs come in during exam season (because they’re just cool like that), so if you’re tired of revision, maybe take a break with Archie:
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Image reproduced with permission of the University of Warwick Library. Photographer: George Archer.
SUPPORT
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Student’s Union fact file Staff Student Liason Committee (SSLC) Disabilities Mature students
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P
eople keep talking about the SU and I think they’re sneezing. Are they? This isn’t the first time that student democracy has been wrongly associated with mucus, and it won’t be the last. The Students’ Union (SU) is an organization headed by elected former students. If you study at Warwick, you’re automatically a member. The SU (bless me) gets its money from outlets on campus like Curiositea, the Dirty Duck and the Copper Rooms. They then use this money for all kinds of student-friendly fare. They fund all the sports clubs and societies here at Warwick, and support campaigns that Warwick students care about, examples in the past include being against the increase in tuition fees and university investment in fossil fuels. They also help us find jobs and volunteering opportunities, be academically represented (see Lorayn’s piece on page 22) and fund the Student Advice Centre. I noticed some enormous selfies on the inside wall of the SU building. Who are these people? These people are the ‘Sabbatical Officers’, and they’re former students who got elected to run the SU. In week 8 of Term 2 you might notice painted cardboard springing up all over the place, pleading that you vote for this or that candidate. The potential officers are generally a friendly bunch, and one may even wander into your lecture theatre or kitchen to chat about their vision for Union provision. Once elected, each one of them has a different role to do with overseeing the Union’s activities, such as managing Sports or Welfare and campaigns. Their offices are in the SUHQ and they have blogs on the SU website that detail what they’re up to. If you need help with something specific to their role you can pop in to see them or just send an email. So there are seven Officers who work for the SU. That’s not very many… Questioner, you are astute. There are in fact more than seven elected officers. There are a number of part-timers who are students completing their degrees. These are all positions that you’d be able to run for in your first year. You could get elected as a Faculty Representative. There are reps for Arts, Medicine, Science and Social Sciences. This bunch chat to their educators
on Student Staff Liaison Committees (SSLCs) and graduate boards. Their job is to fix any problems that students within their faculties have had with the way their course is run. If you’re into equality, you might want to be a‘Liberation Officer’. This lot represent different marginalised groups on campus, and you have to self-identify as a member of said group to run. We have officers to represent women, LGBT students, disabled students and students from ethnic minorities. These officers campaign on issues; a big one last year was the ‘No More Page 3’ campaign headed by the Women’s Officer. They also run themed awareness events – for example, this year’s celebration of Black History Month is set to be eye-opening, with lots of great speakers. All our current liberation officers are part of the recently created ‘Liberation Coalition’, which contains various campaigning groups on campus like AntiSexism Society (WASS), Anti-Racism Society, (WARSOC), Enable, Warwick Pride and Mind Aware. The coalition plans to meet once a term and all interested students are invited to attend. Finally, members of Student Council are also elected on a part-time basis. There are elected representatives in council from 1st year to postgraduate. Their job is to make sure that the sabbatical officers are doing their jobs and make and amend official Union policy – basically a summation of what our SU officially believes. Did you say Student Council? I believe I did, and I’ll say it again. Student Council meets twice a term in the SUHQ, and you can get involved quite easily as a first year. If you turn up to meetings and show your interest in those all-important SU issues you’ll have a good chance of getting elected as one of the five first-year councillors. Aside from holding the Sabbatical Officers to account and editing Union Policy, the democracy enthusiasts on the student council also amend how the Union operates on a day-today level; things like opening times, the food and drink they sell and student support. They’re also responsible for dealing with funding bids. Funding bids? They sound like FUN
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Oh believe me, they’re a hoot and a half. Groups
by Josie Throup of students can apply for different pots of cash such as the Campaigns Fund and the Project Fund, and the council will decide whose projects are worth funding. This money can be requested by students who need backing for things like events, campaigns and trips. It’s often requested by groups of students doing academic projects, or by societies and sports teams.
to lobby organizations. This can be to enact change within the university, in local businesses and even in the government. And what does the NUS have to do with all of this? Good point, well made. Most students’ Unions in the UK are affiliated to the National Union of Students (NUS), the central organization for all affiliated unions in the UK. Warwick is no exception. The NUS has national campaigns with which we can get involved, such as their campaign against cuts to Disabled Students’ Allowance. They provide us with training for our officers, help us get cheaper rates to bulk-buy food and drink and of course let individual students get that all important NUS discount. If you really got into your student democracy, you could end up being one of the lucky delegates who gets to go to NUS conferences, and help set policy that represents the UK student voice. Pretty cool, eh?
That all sounds cool and democratic, but how do I get involved on a more casual basis? I’m glad you asked, questioner. If student council sounds too intimidating for you, you could come down to an All Students’ Meeting. This is, you guessed it, a meeting to which all students are invited to attend. These shindigs happen every term in the atrium of the SU building, and we’re all invited to debate on the Union’s policy. Before these meetings groups on campus run campaigns for and against motions put to these meetings. Afterwards all students are encouraged to vote online and policy is set. Policy is pretty powerful. It can be used
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SSLC
by Lorayn Brown
Who is the SSLC?
*SSLC stands for Staff Student Liaison Committee. *Every department has an SSLC and within each Departmental SSLC there is generally at least one student representative per degree subject, including joint honours. There are also a number of department staff on the committee.
What does the SSLC do?
*The SSLC meets at least once a term, sometimes more if the reps/chair feel it necessary and discuss any issues brought to them by students or any changes that are being considered for relevant courses. *SSLC reps are your voice. If you want the SSLC to address a course issue on your behalf they will do so - this may be by the rep contacting the staff members personally or by calling an SSLC meeting.
Who is my SSLC rep?
*As reps for each year are usually picked in Term 1, freshers do not have an SSLC rep immediately. If you would like to be considered for the position of SSLC rep for your course, or want to speak to a rep contact your Undergraduate Director and ask for the name of the SSLC Chair and they will be able to help initially.
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Disabilities by Jenny Wheeler
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our first port of call, should you need any adaptations to your room, is Disability Services on the ground floor of University House. They can arrange to meet you before you arrive at uni to discuss your needs for both your accommodation and your studies. If you need quite a few adaptations then they will try to arrange a viewing of your proposed room with someone from Estates who will organise the work to be carried out. Adaptations in your room can range from a vibrating pillow and flashing light connected to the fire alarm for students with hearing impairments to a fridge in your room for medication to fully adapted rooms with hoist systems and pull cords. There are many rooms already adapted on campus to suit previous students with a wide range of conditions and needs. Once a room has been adapted for you (especially where a lot of adaptations have been made) it is common for students to stay in that
room for the rest of the course although some students, like me, choose to move out of first year halls of residence and into final year halls, if you’re staying on campus for your second year. This is because most second years have to move off campus unless there is a medical reason why they need to stay. Adjacent rooms can also be made available for carers. If you require wheelchair accessible accommodation, in most halls there are larger bedrooms with larger bathrooms and kitchens. Rooms on campus are allocated to those with medical conditions first as a priority so don’t forget to mention it when applying for accommodation, or even earlier to see which halls may be best for you. They will try and do all the adaptations before you arrive but if you find that there’s something that’s not working out for you or there’s something you’ve missed after you arrive, then get back in contact with Disability
Services and let them know. Don’t forget that it’s not just your bedroom to consider but your bathroom and kitchen too, as well as your location on campus. In Bluebell for example, which is the most expensive accommodation, the access rooms are HUGE so there is plenty of room for manoeuvring wheelchairs or large equipment around the room (or just getting your money’s worth of floor space!). However, in Cryfield, which is the cheapest accommodation, the corridors and entrances are so narrow that you wouldn’t be able to fit a wheelchair down the corridor. This doesn’t stop Cryfield being suitable for other needs or minor adaptations though. Essentially, my best advice is to speak to Disability Services well in advance so that they can make the whole transition into your independent life at uni as smooth as possible. I have found the process fairly easy myself and can thoroughly recommend the support that they provide.
Website: www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/accommodation/studentaccommodation/apply/swd Telephone: +44 (0)24 76150641 – Disability Services
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Email: disability@warwick.ac.uk
MATURE STUDENTS M
ature Students! Are you flicking through this (wonderful) guide thinking “Well, that’s all very nice and good but it’s not at all relevant to me?”. Good. Because I was exactly the same last year. Put it this way - if there had been freshers information for mature students, then this article wouldn’t exist!! Being a mature student is incredibly daunting, no matter what your age, surrounded by nervous, excited 18 year olds it’s all too easy to give the impression of someone who already knows everything and people will just leave you to get on with it. Hell, some people won’t initially realise you’re a student! So here are my top tips for surviving freshers’ year as a Mature (age, not attitude!) Student. Facebook. - It’s possible you’re already a Cyber God(dess) and have found alllllll the groups possibly related to A) Warwick and B) Your degree, but if not I would highly recommend doing so. Contrary to what people may have told you there is no requirement to post picture after picture of cats and become addicted to Candy Crush, however common the two might be, and the amount of ‘unofficial’ contact between you and your peers that happens on Facebook is not
by Lorayn Brown
something you want to miss out on - especially if you’re not in halls or are rushing back from campus to feed the kids/dog/husband/ wife/feral animals you’ve adopted (oh, wait, that WAS the kids). Your course will almost definitely have a Facebook page (unofficial) created by one of the other students and come crunch (exam/deadline) time it will get busy! Facebook is also a great way to meet your fellow students so you don’t feel quite so ‘new’ if you manage to attend a social and are worried that everyone else knows each other already from halls. So, yeah, Facebook. Do it. Societies. - As a mature student chances are you won’t have as much time on your hands as the younger freshers which can make societies harder to join if you worry about the attendance levels. Societies WANT you to join. They do not mind if you will find it hard to attend events! Last year one of Warwick’s societies started a campaign I felt very strongly about, the soc were aware of my home commitments and the Presidents even met up with me separately at a time suitable to me so I could be involved. Join the socs you want to join, and explain
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your situations. I guarantee they’ll be as helpful and flexible as they possibly can. This is YOUR experience too. Initiate meet-ups. - Much of the socialising at Warwick is done with a lot of alcohol on campus at events like Pop! or in kitchens in campus residences. Again, as a mature student this may not be so simple for you - I think I managed about 5 nights out in my whole first year (not that I remember much of them…). This doesn’t have to be the only way though! Ask your classmates if anyone fancies popping to Curiositea (Best. Coffee. Shop. Evah - on campus, across the road from the bookshop/arts centre) before or after class when you’ve got the time to spare. If you live close enough to campus - invite people round for dinner (this is best achieved weeks before the next student loan when everyone is living off noodles and you can offer a roast dinner…). Finally, remember you may not be the spring chicken many of you classmates are but you deserve to be here and you WILL fit in, make friends and end up loving your time at Warwick. This is your experience, make the most of it.
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Ahlam Al-Abbasi • Emma Axelsson • Victo • Joanna Jakubowska • April Roach • Josh Saffold-Geri
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oria Botella • Megan Bower • Katie Hall i • Daniel Sorenson • Jenny Wheeler • Christine Wong •
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ROOTES (THE 'PARTY HALL')
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hen I applied for first year on-campus accommodation, initially I was horrified that I could not put both Arthur Vick and Jack Martin down; it also isn’t possible to apply for more than 3 accommodations with en-suite facilities. But hey, I’d been lucky enough to get in to this uni, surely luck would strike again and I’d get my first choice of accommodation (Arthur Vick). However I got New Rootes… L block to be precise. You’ll probably have heard a lot about Rootes, the ‘Party Halls’, and at first, I have to admit I was a little disappointed. But, looking back after having survived my first year, I realised how much I love Rootes; I love the people I met and the friends I’ve made, I love the atmosphere in the kitchen and in the corridors (perhaps less so on a Wednesday night at 2am when everyone returns from Pop! at the SU). Rootes is based around community living; that may be new to a lot of you moving in in September, so here are my words of advice, the stuff I wish I had known from the very beginning.
THINGS I LEARNED FROM ROOTES: • Once you’re in Rootes, you’re in! By that I mean that I could enter L block with my key and then have access to every floor from J block to L block. • Although you’ve probably done your weekly shop from Tesco, you will inevitably end up going to the Costcutter on campus several times that week just because it is so close, or because all of your friends are going, or you’re bored, or you’ve forgotten something, or you can’t think of an excuse not to go. • It is advisable that you get to the kitchen before the cleaner shows up at around 9am on the days they clean it. I know this seems early but they could be in there cleaning up for ages and when that “attention: cleaning in progress” sign goes up on the door, you can’t use the toaster, microwave, oven or hobs. You have been warned! • If you have to do an all-nighter, and if that night happens to be on a Wednesday (and you haven’t got tickets for ‘Pop’), you’re in luck because Rootes walls are paper thin, so whether it’s noise from outside, inside, upstairs or downstairs, you won’t be sleeping through the hordes of returning ‘Pop’-patrons. • At some point during the year, only about three washing machines will work out of the thirtysomething machines they have in the Rootes laundrette, so my advice is to be patient or become a night owl or early bird. On a side note: that pile of change you hate so much starts to hold a lot more value compared to notes in your wallet when it comes to paying for the laundrette or buses. On a second side note: relying on the change machine in the Rootes laundrette is a risky move … it has a mind of its own. For an alternative, go to Costcutter to ask for change for a fiver or tenner – but avoid Curiositea, they’ll only send you to the shop anyway! • Having a group of people who cook for each other can be great, especially when it comes to socialising (that real family feel) and budget (your mum will be so proud), but remember; not everyone
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has the same cooking abilities and if you’re cooking for a large group you had better not give them food poisoning. After all, you are sharing toilet facilities with them. • ‘Your’ pots and pans are likely to become ‘everyone’s’ pots and pans if they are left in the kitchen, so if there is something you are particularly fond of, keep it in your room. • Heads up if you bring a printer to uni, only you and your close friends need to know or you’ll become busier than the library, because no one wants to walk to the library in the rain to print off a 10 page essay. • Warning: your room will go from being far too hot to far too cold at different times of the year; it’ll usually be a sauna during first term; a fridge during second term; and completely unpredictable during third term. Be prepared for all climates.
So these are a few things of many that I learnt during my short but amazing stay at Rootes. For me, Rootes is by far the best halls of residence, it’s nothing fancy, but I will look back at it with fond memories.
INTERNATIONAL HOUSE (I-BLOCK)
W
hen you get your accommodation information, you might be wondering where to find International House, otherwise known as I Block in Rootes. Just so you don’t get lost, it’s right next to the Rootes Launderette. It’s quite nice living here, as it’s cosy and contained. There’s also a courtyard-esque area which is an absolute blessing on a hot summer night. There are only two downsides to living here: firstly, we’re not really a proper part of Rootes at all. There’s the old Rootes and the new Rootes, but we’re sort of awkwardly half part of Whitefields as well. So unfortunately you won’t really feel too much hall spirit. The other downside is that you are sharing a flat with a lot of people, from about twelve to sixteen roughly depending on which floor you’re on, and the kitchens at mealtimes can sometimes get a tad crowded. All in all, I loved living in International House for my first year.
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Arthur Vick+
(THE 'NORM
A
rthur Vick is a FANTASTIC accommodation to choose because you have big bedrooms, an en-suite, huge kitchens with a common room and the dearly sought after BEAN BAGS. It’s great. But the accommodation itself is half the experience. This, unless you went to boarding school, is the first time you will have that communal experience. In this instance, the operative word is ‘experience’ and all you can really do is go along for the ride. You will be living with OTHER PEOPLE. You will have to deal with other people’s crap. To begin on a more positive note before I dive guiltlessly into the UGLY of communal life, I want to let you know that in halls you meet nice people. You meet very nice people who are a joy to spend fifteen or twenty minutes chatting away to in the kitchen. You share your quirks and banter. You also meet your frenemies and your nemeses and…darn, I was meant to keep this positive! On another note, shock and absolute horror, you will have to empty your own bins. This won’t happen. After about two warnings from the domestic, not cleaner (make sure you remember that), some good soul will make up a rota for bin clearing duties but more often than not those rubbish-filled bags will walk themselves to the refuse room. You will have to keep your kitchen clean in between cleaning days. This won’t happen. You all have to clear up after yourselves. This also won’t happen. All I can say is be careful where you set your plate. Be under no illusions; that suspicious looking stain will be the remnants of raw chicken breast and BEWARE of the ants when Summer comes- DO NOT OPEN THE KITCHEN WINDOWS or you’ll get a whole host of nasty beasties joining you for dinner. However, if you keep to a routine and don’t let the chores get on top of you, living in Arthur Vick is great. I would recommend it. Your room becomes your own little house and your corridor your own little eccentric groups of neighbours.
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+JACK MARTIN
MAL HALLS') J
ack Martin lies conveniently on campus, being only a few minutes’ walk from most central places, such as the SU, Costcutter, the Arts Centre, the library, bus stops and more—but not so close that you’re having to deal with all the noise from being right next to the SU (here’s looking at you, Rootes). There’s no laundrette on site, but again, the ‘Rootes’ laundrette behind the SU is only a few minutes away. The rooms aren’t the biggest around on campus, but this is the price you pay for an ensuite, with the unimportant but nice bonus of having a bath and shower—this is probably the biggest benefit of JM alongside its location, since only you are mainly responsible for the state of your bathroom, not some lost drunken mess stumbling around corridors at night (there’s always some horror stories about Rootes bathrooms that turn up with Snapchat evidence). Unlike Arthur Vick which has common rooms, the large kitchen is usually your main area for hanging out; they normally have around 12 people from each corridor in them, though some can end up a bit smaller. Debates about how social JM is are never-ending; most think it’s quieter than Rootes, though livelier than Arthur Vick. I ended up in a “partying” kitchen, though to be fair to them they knew when to get down to study (we later found out we’d all written similar things in our “about me” for our accommodation application), whilst the kitchen next door was practically invisible until the second term, when they finally ventured out of their rooms and decided that you actually could talk to other human beings. Ultimately, however, it’s likely up to what kind of people you end up sharing a kitchen with that decides how social a time you’ll have at JM, but if your corridor ends up too loud or too quiet for your personal liking, making friends from the other nearby accommodations is easy because of the lack of distance. The closeness of pretty much everything bar the Student Post Room and Tesco (about 10-15 minutes away for both) and my kitchen made my time in JM pretty great for first year, though I would recommend considering whether the en-suite is really worth the higher price, since other accommodations are equally handily placed and the people you end up with are pretty much just down to chance.
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SHERBOURNE
+
(THE 'NATUR
P
courts and a ping-pong table. We’re also close to Varsity and University House. Also, never underestimate how much having a bathroom of your own is worth. Those long showers and privacy on the mornings when you can’t even look at your own face is worth a lot. In my opinion, the downfall of Sherbourne is that it tries too hard to be super secure, safe and modern. As a result, contrary to being convenient and attractive it can be infuritating and secluded. The doors have electric locks. The novelty factor wears off almost instantly when you realise how easy it is to lock yourself out when all you wanted was a cup of tea from the kitchen. Warning – your door will decide to lock itself and leave you homeless for no apparent reason at least once a term. Having a locked kitchen and locked doors between flats doesn’t encourage the mingling and socialisation that some of the other halls have. That said, this is only a problem if you don’t make an effort to overcome it. Someone in my block did a genius thing during fresher week: he rounded up his flat and they went to all the kitchens, one by one, collecting more people. We ended up crammed together in the bottom flat and it was the night I met my two best friends.
eople talk about Sherbourne as though Sherbies have to commute from the suburbs into campus. After a year of trekking back and forth multiple times a day I can say that the walk is a) no big deal and b) actually beneficial. It wakes me up in the morning and sobers me up when I’ve been out at night. Walks in the sunshine or early at bunny rabbit o-clock or while shrieking and sprinting through the rain are beautiful moments. The walk won’t kill you (But I’m still not convinced that the geese won’t). A word from the wiser: the distance from Tesco to Sherb is exactly far enough for the plastic bags to tear if they are carrying something weighty, such as a bottle of wine, or 8 cans of beans and a carton of eggs. Don’t put yourself through the tragedy of watching that thee quid of chardonnay bleed out on the curb. If you really can’t bare the exertion of a 10 minute walk then the free shuttle bus will (slowly) take you around. Sherbourne’s ‘suburban’ location means that there is wildlife to amuse you and stunning sunsets behind the blocks. If you come out of Sherbourne and turn right, run or walk all the way down to Cryfield Pavilion you can get onto the nature trails. Right behind the blocks are netball/basketball
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+
RE HALLS')
HERONBANK F
their nesting area and most students will be away for the Easter holidays at this time anyway. Heronbank is one of the ensuite accommodations on campus with a 39 week let, which means that it tends to attract a lot of international students. This is great if you’re looking for diversity or if you are an international student yourself and want to share a kitchen with some people who are in a similar boat to you. The rooms are fairly spacious with great shelf space, which as an English Literature student I particularly loved. Choosing to stay at Heronbank really depends on your living preferences. It is one of the quieter residences with fewer party animals than a place like Rootes may have, but if you’re an international student or like the quiet and beautiful scenery, then Heronbank is definitely for you.
rom the outside, Heronbank looks like the ideal university accommodation. Situated only ten minutes away from central campus and perhaps twenty minutes from Canon Park and Tesco, distance is not really an issue. It’s close enough to be a short walk to the library, most lecture buildings and the Student Union. The walk to Heronbank is a beautiful one, with the lake, grass areas, duck and geese, rabbits and famous swans. The swans and geese make for some interesting neighbours. Despite what you may have heard, they are harmless and live peacefully around the lake. It’s only around March, during their nesting season, that the swans become territorial and have been known to run after some students that get too close. However, the university has recently built a fence around
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CLAYCROFT (THE 'COMFy HALL') C
laycroft is well located on campus. As the closest halls to Tesco you’ll have no problems keeping the fridge full. It’s also close to the sports centre and main campus. There are generally 8 to a flat and you share a bathroom with another person of the same sex. You get the double advantages of having a bath with a heavenly powershower over it. Your bedroom is ‘compact’, shall we say, but makes good use of the space. The kitchens have two parts to them – a cooking area and then a dining space. Depending where you are in the block, the kitchens come in a variety of shapes and orientations but it is generally possible for more than one person to cook at a time and you can certainly all socialise together in the dining area. Disabled access
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rooms are generally more spacious ( although adaptations vary depending on need), generally come with an ensuite wet room, and the kitchen may have a separate adapted area for you to cook in. What I love about Claycroft is that you are surrounded by green space, and despite its proximity to central campus, you feel as if you are somewhat separate, in a good way. I really like making my way to lectures through the trees and past the ducks (and ducklings!) and simply being able to go outside your own front door to escape from work. If you walk in the opposite direction then you will go past the BBQ sites and rounders fields and eventually come to the nature reserve on campus, Tocil Wood. This has been a fantastic place to escape and have a break should you need to.
WHITEFIELd + CRYFIELD (THE 'cheap HALLs') WHITEFIELDS was scheduled to be
Ah, Cryfield. Despite its architectural claustrophobia, has been a wondrous place to live. We warmed to the shoulder width corridors, box shower cubicles and those modest mausoleums that we called rooms with a gradual heat that now burns in me as I pack everything away, never to return. With thirtyseven people living in such a close quarters in one block, becoming a community was inescapable. Thrown together, with a common room to accommodate our mutual affinity for alcohol and heavy bass, Cryfield became subject to our inebriated imaginations. Where, at a first glance, Cryfield appeared to be somewhat prison-like, the accommodation slowly became something unanimously understood by everyone who lives
issues with housemates who didn’t socialise or wanted an early night. It meant there was also very little privacy. You can hear phonecalls through walls, even quiet music is often too loud, and if you come home with someone after a night out…well, I’ll leave that to your imagination. The age of the buildings became apparent early on. The heating didn’t work in the winter, drinking the tap water made you ill, and in the summer, the large glass windows turned the house into a sauna. Due to the cramped nature of the house, personalities often clashed as there was nowhere to go. As for positives - location. Wake up 5 minutes before a lecture? No problem. Want to stagger home drunk from a night out? Simple. The rooms are fairly spacious, but that’s about it.
there as absolutely epic. A collection of accents, from Irish, Danish and Vietnamese to Russian and Spanish, as well as the English regional accents, fashioned quite a colourful tapestry of company. You get all sorts in Cryfield; from sassy politicians to docile gym freaks. This accommodation is in no way the most luxurious, nor is it the cheapest (£81 a week compared to £79 in Whitefields), but then again the university halls experience isn’t really about the buildings. The best way I could put it would be to say that, much like Litchfield’s Correctional Facility from the much loved ‘Orange is the New Black’, Cryfield has been made by its occupants.
demolished last year, and after a year of living in there, I can understand why. Don’t get me wrong, it was an interesting year, and the place certainly has its charms, but there are also a very large number of issues. I will begin with the negatives, as there are a lot to get through. Firstly, the layout. Whitefields is split up into individual houses, 17 in total with 12 residents in each. This is not ideal as there is very little socialising between houses, so it’s hard to meet people, something that isn’t a problem when you live in a corridor. The house was cramped; 12 people barely fit, with 6 to a bathroom, with half a fridge shelf each. At peak eating times, it was impossible to fit even half of our housemates in the small kitchen. The same goes with bathrooms and showering - you often had to wait. The walls are also very thin, which created
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BLUEBELL I
remember September 28th as if it was yesterday. My luggage was bigger than me and I did not know what to expect from Bluebell, and from Warwick in general. Looking back, it was the best year of my life. Freshers week came and went as fast as I can recall; being Spanish I had to learn new terms and drinking games, and soon ‘ring of fire’ and ‘Cards Against Humanity’ were a central part of flat life. I soon fell in love with Bluebell Four, I remember that even walking down the stairs would make me happy. I fell in love with the people in my flat and with the views from my window
(THE 'POSH HALL')
to the lake. So now, when I type about it all I can do is feel nostalgic, and say: ENJOY IT while it lasts! It’s amazing having your room only ten minutes away from the furthest lecture, and five from a sneaky Costcutter’s icecream. Top tip about living in halls; try not to be too close and clingy with your flat too soon, because if you create a small clique with them, it will be harder for you to meet new people. Bluebell is very private and close so you should be brave and go meet people in your course, sports, etc…you have all year to become close with your flat! Explore other floors, don’t
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just settle for yours. Bluebell was amazing, and I would not trade it for anything, but now that I am moving to a tiny house in Leamington, my biggest advice would be not to get too used to it. The comfortable life that it gives will only last a year, so enjoy it, go crazy, don’t work too much, go out as much as you can, meet everyone, don’t prejudge, and sleep in until late (oh and try to eat healthy). All I can say to you is that you are about to have the time of your life, that problems at uni are really not problems and hangovers are cured with Berry Go Rounds from Curiositea. Now stop reading this and go make some great memories.
WESTWO
(THE
I
initially chose Westwood as my accommodation because of its lower overall costs. It was not the cheapest one, but it did not have an ensuite I had no need for and, being on its own little ‘campus’, seemed to provide the community spirit I wanted to expierence in the first year of university. One thing is certain Westwood is one of the farthest points on the
university map that most students rarely venture to unless they absolutely have to. It can be tough coming home alone after a party night on central campus, or getting taxis to an address not every cabby and moving company is aware of (this week the driver that was supposed to pick my stuff up got lost and couldn’t find his way, even using GPS). Your friends will most probably prefer to meet in
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other accommodations such as Heronbank or Rootes rather than Westwood, since it’s such a hike – and unfortunately, you will then have to make that trek to see them. It can be a right pain in your beginning weeks, and indeed continuing on throughout the year when it comes to getting to classes on time. It is far easier to be late when you’re from Westwood. How much of a social life you have really depends the type of people you will be housed
OOD
E 'LONELY HALL') with and, perhaps partially, by the personality traits you put down in the accommodation application questionaire. My block this year was really quiet. Different blocks are often seperate entities and it can be quite challenging to make friends outside of your home dorm if you are unfortunate enough not to get on with the people in your own block. Hopefully, that won’t happen, but it is worth noting the effort it takes to make friends from outside your block. Finally, and you may not believe me considering what you’ve just read, but Westwood is actually situated in a rather favourable location (bear with me). Ok, so it’s not that close to campus, but Cannon Park shopping centre is filled with shops most students find exceptionally useful. It isn’t far to walk to get buses to and fro from Coventry. University House and its cafeteria are just across the road, and you have the Student Post Room on your doorstep. Among other things, the quietness of the natural surroundings, full of trees, flowers, occasional wild squirrels, and birds, can be truly relaxing and gives a much-needed breath of fresh air from usual campus life.
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atrium, the
LINGO
noun
1. The central area of the SU building.
bird
noun 1. Warwick is famous for its winged wildlife; literally, one of our swans made the national press. Ducks, geese and magpies are everywhere on campus.
bubble, the
noun 1. a.k.a. campus. Because you can get away with not leaving campus for weeks and it can feel like we’re living in our own little bubble. 2. also the name of the SU’s weekly leaflet.
circling
verb 1. what we call the madness that ensues before Pop! every Wednesday. Societies and sports clubs play drinking games for 3 hours. There’s nearly always a ridiculous fancy-dress theme.
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koan, the
noun 1. the sculpture that can be found outside the Arts Centre by Senate House that lights up and rotates at night. Not even a cone (the point is cut off) but still somehow finds a way into Warwick students’ hearts.
Pop!
noun 1. for some reason, the exclamation mark matters. See our nightlife guide on pages 10-13.
purple
noun 1. A snakebite, Warwick style. Beer, cider and blackcurrant cordial. Not actually that bad…if you stop at one. £1.50 for a pint.
U1, the
noun 1. Your lifeline to Leamington for shopping or nights out. Takes 20 mins in good traffic – but beware of certain buses to Sydenham that turn off at the Church instead of carrying on to South Leam.
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Terrace Bar - great place to go for casual drinks...or if you’ve missed your bus and are waiting for the next on a night out.
Curiositea- 1000x better than Costa. Try the mile high chocolate cake and all the loose-leaf teas.
The Piazza - a mini-amphitheatre by the SU, great for chilling or circling in.
Costcutter - costs are far from cut but they have great hot food and are a lifesaver for first years.
Amazon lockers in Costcutter - the most sought after delivery spaces ever. Saves the walk to Westwood.
Cafe Library - serves an amazing, cheap, and greasy English breakfast before 12pm.
The Dirty Duck - solid pub grub and drink at pretty decent prices. Try the Maneater burger.
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TESCO - basically nirvana.
The student post room - if you live on campus you will always fume about why they moved it to Westwood.
Westwood sports centre - running track, sports hall, tennis courts, astroturf. Everything in one inconvenient place.
University House - there’s a delicious buffet with different types of food every day, and a 24/7 study space.
Varsity - a bit overpriced but the food and drink isn’t bad, and it’s a nice change from the food in the centre of campus.
Depending on your degree, you will either love or hate the business school.
The ‘Arts Centre’ bus stop - ideally located by the SU and all the bus services that go through campus serve it.
Probably only 20% of these machines work at any one time.
Temperamental as hell. But when it works, it’s handy for getting change for the bus.
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t yto ugh bro you b
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