A Warwick Student

2nd year Politics and International Studies student, Warwick University, UK

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Which languages do you speak? I think its amazing that you know four!

English, French, Italian and Spanish! And yes it's very useful and I find it wonderful to learn new languages :)

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Questions you might have

Don't hesitate to ask me anything! It could be general tips regarding studying or any university related questions, or specific questions about the university of Warwick or what's it like to study Politics and International Relations at a university level. Just so you know, I also speak four languages, so feel free to ask me questions related to that. Lastly, I studied History, Economics, and various languages during my last years of highschool, and took some courses in Sociology at university. Ask me anything, I'm here to help! :)

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When should I start thinking about my application?

When applying to a university in the UK, the application process (through UCAS) can be long and tedious. In order not to stress about it too much, I suggest starting as early as possible. I personally started the summer before applying. So let’s say you want to start attending university in the 2018/19 academic year, you should start working on your application this summer (2017). If you start during the summer holidays instead of leaving it until September, you should have the necessary time to create a strong application. Ideally, you could even start planning right before the holidays so that teachers can advise you or even give you feedback on your personal statement’s first draft. 

Now, even though you should start working on your application during the holidays, it doesn’t mean that it’s all you should do during your holidays. And you definitely don’t need to stress about your application (at least, not at this stage). It’s important to start early because you never know what can go wrong, or you might change your mind on the course or university you’re applying to and thus need to change elements of your personal statement, or decide that your early drafts weren’t that good and go in a completely different direction. However, since you’ll have plenty of time, don’t spend you holidays constantly think about it. My advice would be to make sure you want to study the course you’ve picked, you can still change it or look at universities who offer courses that combine subjects. Then select universities that appeal to you, take your time and do plenty of research. Then, make a plan of what you want to include in your personal statement. Take a few weeks to do the things you would normally do during your holidays and get your application out of your mind. Come back to it with fresh eyes and start writing your statement (you’ll go throught many different versions but you’ll be able to write the final one once you’re back to school as you’ll benefit from your teachers’ feedbacks). 

I hope this helps some of you and let me know if you want me to write a post dedicated just to your personal statement! 

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University of Warwick’s places to eat

There are a lot of different places to eat or drink on campus, and all of them have different purposes. Some might be better for brunch, some for breakfast, some for a take-away, others for a nice long meal, others for a cup of tea and so on.

-Curiositea: The campus’ tea shop. Great atmosphere, lighting, and decoration (though they changed the decoration during the summer so it now looks a bit different). Large selection of hot drinks and some cold drinks (especially during the summer where they have the best smoothies and iced drinks!). They’re mostly known for their amazing cakes (eg. red velvet, rainbow cake, scones, chocolate, lemon drizzle and many more). Also the cheapest hot drinks on campus. Situated in the piazza.

-Costa: Right next to Curiositea. The atmoshpere is nice, though not as much as Curiositeas’. Prices are higher, and personally the drinks are rarely too my taste. 

-The Dirty Duck: I love the Duck’s atmosphere. The food is very good and it’s good value for money (I absolutely love the vegetable lasagna!). Many societies meet there, and the Duck hold pub quizzes and karaoke nights.

-Xananas: A restaurant above Rootes Grocery Store. Prices can be expensive, but I basically always take the same dish and manage to spend no more than 6 or 8 pounds! There’s everything from burgers to noodles.

-Varsity: My favourite restaurant on campus, though it’s not actually on campus! In fact it’s not part of the University, nor of the SU. The only disadvantage is that it can take a while to walk over there (depending on which accommodation you’re living in). There’s a variety of dishes (lots of vegetarian options) and the food is generally really good. On top of that, you can get 2 desserts for the price of 1 which is great if you go there with a couple of friends and end up paying half-price.

-Library: There’s a restaurant that does breakfast (brunch) and lunch: good food, quite cheap, and copious portions. The cafe on the other end of the room sells sandwiches, salads, and many pastries, cakes and so on.

-Le Gusta: The Arts Centre Restaurant. I personally haven’t found something that I really love from there and it’s really pricy for students (that’s why many adults coming to the Arts Centre to see a performance eat there).

-Arts Centre Cafe: I love this place and often grab lunch there. They sell loads of sandwiches, paninis, salads and even sushi. There’s also many drinks (hot and cold), sweets, and of course cake! Many cupcakes muffins, and cakes. They also make jacket potatoes (lunch and dinner) and other specials that vary from day to day. 

-Bar Fusion: I have only eaten there once so I don’t really know how the food is, but it’s Asian inspired cuisine and the dish I ate was alright.

-Some departments also have their little cafes (Social sciences, Humanities, Business...) where you can usually find sandwiches, salads, drinks, and pastries.

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A guide to Warwick accommodation

I know that prospective Warwick students will soon have to apply for accommodations so this is the time of the year when future freshers are looking for as much information as possible on the internet. Hopefully some of you will come across this post and find it useful! First of all, it is fundamental to sort out your priorities (whether it is price, proximity, en-suite bathroom...) in order to pick the accommodation that best suits you.

-Arthur Vick: I'll start with this one as it is where I lived during my first year. AV is a really nice accommodation overall. The buildings are pretty (at least much prettier when compared to other accommodations), the launderettes are within halls, it is surrounded by nature, rooms are quite big and have lots of shelves, and kitchens are massive. I would say that the number one advantage is the location. As it is central, it is close to everything, including the Sports Centre, Library, many scientific and social sciences/humanities departments, rootes grocery store, the learning grid, the Student Union, and the Arts Centre. Only disadvantage is that it is a 34 week let so you'll have to vacate your room over the Easter holidays.

-Jack Martin: Extremely similar and close to AV, though slightly smaller kitchens.

-Tocil: Next to Arthur Vick, very central location but is not en suite and unfortunately doesn't even have washbasins in rooms. Rooms are pretty small, so are kitchens, which can get very crowded. Lauderettes are a 2mins walk. It is completely surrounded by nature, quite close to Tesco, and right next to the Sports Centre. But it's much cheaper than the previous two.

-Heronbank: 10-15mins walk from central campus, surrounded by lakes and fields (gorgeous scenery but noisy geese), big bedrooms, en-suite, nice kitchens, overall a lovely accoommodation.

-Lakeside: Very similar to Heronbank, maybe even bigger rooms.

-Rootes: The 'party' accommodation, very central location, close to the SU and the clubs/bars/restaurants, cheap, ugly buildings, many people per kitchen, smaller rooms, shared bathrooms, and launderettes outside halls.

-Bluebell: The opposite of Rootes, very modern and 'luxurious' buildings, central location, big bedrooms with double beds, overall a bit quiter, next to a lake (and to Rootes on the other side), en-suite, much more expensive.

-Sherbourne: The newest accommodation, further than Lakeside/Heronbank, so a good 15mins walk, en-suite, nice bedrooms.

-Whitefields: I've never been inside Whitefields, but a couple of friends complained that it was 'one of the worst accommodation'. One of the cheapest accommodation, little houses instead of standard corridors, very central location, shared bathrooms, 3mins walk launderettes, small rooms.

-Cryfield: Old buildings, small rooms, has common rooms, 5mins walk from central campus (closer buildings are the SU and the Arts Centre), shared bathrooms, quiter because it's not close to any other accommodation, cheap.

-Westwood: 15-20 mins walk from central campus, big rooms, surrounded by nature (but have to cross the main road everyday), common rooms, right next to the post room and the closest to Tesco.

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How to prepare before coming to University

The months leading up to the big day when you move into a new room, a new environment, a new city, and possibly a new country can be a bit daunting. I still remember when I would spend hours searching for useful information about my University, carefully studying the campus map, and looking at all the societies on offer. Well, this is precisely what I would recommend to any future fresher: to do some research. Now, don’t over do it to the point where you know literally everything about the University before even arriving there and are left with no surprises. If you’re already interested in some societies, start planning which ones you’d like to join, look at the map of the campus or the buildings to have an idea of how further they are to your room, and to avoid being lost the first few days. Also have a look at where the closest supermarket is, and where the lauderette is if you’re living in halls. And perhaps do a bit of summer reading!

I would recommend you to look at your future accommodation website and search for the inventory section, so that you know what to bring with you. It is indeed important to know exactly what to bring because there is no need to have ten hobs and pans or four duvets. I personally brought some food (such as pasta, rice, tins, biscuits...) with me and you can totally do this, but don’t forget that there will be shops over there! Useful items to bring include large plastic boxes in case there’s not even storage in your room, a door wedge, earplugs (you’ll need them, trust me), slippers, posters or photos to make your room look a bit more cosy, maybe a board game (though your university might provide some), a raincoat will be much needed if you’re studying in the UK haha, a bath mat, laundry basket,tupperware, cling-film, painkillers, paracetamol and so on, and of course don’t forget everything course related such as a pad of lined paper or A4 folder. On the slightly boring and administrational side, you need to bring your passport, your University acceptance letter, information or contract concerning your accommodation, passport photos, insurance documents, and student loan documents. These will usually be needed to set up a bank account (if you don’t have one already), or to sort out all the NHS stuff.

Lastly, I would try and find the reading lists of the various modules you’ll take. I wouldn’t recommend buying books in advance. You can always buy one if it seems very interesting, will know for certain it will be of use to you during the year, and if you want to do some preparatory reading. But most of the time, your department or course society will organise a book sell where 2nd years sell their books (second hand but cheaper!). This also gives you a chance to ask and discuss which books they’ve found useful and which ones are truly worth buying. 

Hope this helps :) Please ask me any University related question or let me know if you want me to do a specific post if you need any tips! 

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Tips for freshers? Hoping to start at Warwick in September! Great blog, I really appreciate all your posts. :)

Thank you! :)

So, first of all, I would thoroughly recommend freshers to get involved in as many societies as they can. This really is my number one tip. Before coming to Warwick, I had planned to join a massive amount of societies, and even though I joined quite a lot (about 5), looking back, I wish I had joined more. If you want to have a look at all the socities: https://www.warwicksu.com/societies/all/. First year is a time when the workload is much lighter compared to following years, and it is a time to create many (hopefully lasting) friendships. I cannot emphasise that enough. If you happen not to get along exceptionally well with your flatmates and do not know a huge amount of people in your course, societies is where you’ll meet people who share your same interests. Also, back in October, I thought that I could/should only join societies I knew I would be very active in. This is not the case. I would encourage you to join other societies you find interesting, even though you might end up only going to a few of their events. Now, remember that societies are not free to join (they cost a total of £2 to £4.50 annually each, so go to the Societies Fair at the beginning of Term 1 and ask executive members of each society when the taster sessions are (this is especially for Sports/Dance/Music societies) and if you make a few friends and like the kind of events they offer, then join it, otherwise, find a better one. Finally, I would recommend applying to be a Freshers representative in a society you are invested in because this can help if in the future you want to be in the executive team.

Right from the beginning of the year, such as in Freshers Week, I would try to meet people living in your hall, but who are not in the same kitchen as you. It really is a shame only to know your flatmates and miss out on potential best friends who are living right next door. I would also try not to only stick to your accommodation, but visit other ones, and generally visit the whole campus. This not only means that you won’t get lost as much in your fist few weeks, but you’ll also feel more comfortable and more at home if you feel as though you know your surroundings. 

My last tip would be to make the most of campus in your first year. You won’t be living there forever and it’s such a great feeling coming back from a night out or a movie with some friends and only having to walk a few minutes to get into your bed (as opposed to a 30mins bus ride!). I don’t know what your hobbies and interests are, but for example I love to hang out at the Arts Centre, and I tried to go see a film, play, opera and so on as much as I could this year. If you’re into cinema there also is the Warwick Student Cinema (which basically means cheap tickets and free screenings). 

Studywise, first year should be hard work but not unbearable work. If you’re doing a Humanities or Social Sciences subject, always do your reading before a seminar because if you do this all year long, revising for exams should really only be looking back at your notes, learning them, reading a few additional texts, and doing past papers. University means independent learning, but remember that you’re not alone and shouldn’t be struggling without asking for any help. Departments give great advice and your lecturers and tutors are literally paid to stay in a room and wait for students to come and see them during advice and feedback hours. This can be for ‘random’ questions relating to your course, or to receive additional more in depth feedback after you’ve submited an essay. 

I could continue all day long, but I feel that these are the main tips, so I’ll stop here. Hope it’ll somehow help and good luck for next year! 

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what a level grades did you get and what was your offer?

My conditional offer was AAA, and I met the requirements.

If anyone is interested in the various entry requirements of degrees similar to mine (at the University of Warwick), here they are: https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/study/studyundergrad/requirements/

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Essay writing

I’m currently writing my last essay of my first year of Uni! This means I won’t be writing any other essay until next October, which I must admit feels a bit weird. I might complain about essay writing here and then, but deep down I actually quite enjoy the process of it (nope, I’m not even kidding). Don’t get me wrong, it can get boring and exhausting, but if the topic you’re writing about interests you, it’s so much easier and more pleasant to write. In fact, the essay I’m writing at the moment is on pressure group effectiveness, which I don’t find particularly fascinating, hence the procrastination. But when a few weeks ago, I was writing about education, climate change, or feminism (topics that I personally find interesting), I was eager to write, and wrote much faster in comparison to now. In these cases, the wordcount limit is even too short and I often get frustrated about how much I would love to write a whole dissertation on a specific topic.

Essay writing at University is very different from high school. It takes up much more time because there is the need to reference every idea and quote, and write a bibliography, which is surprisingly long to complete. You’re also supposed to get your references from many varied sources (textbooks, academic journals and so on). It might be longer and harder, but you get so much more out of it. In one week you learn as much as what you previously learnt in a month, you read so much more, and you get to think and write critically, which is so rewarding. 

I hope this will somehow motivate you to write essays, and perhaps even see the good side of it, rather than the boring one.

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Hey, I just wanted to ask about your opinions on Bluebell and Heronbank. I'm looking to apply for an en suite accommodation with a 39 week let, but I'm not sure if Bluebell is worth the money? If I do apply to Bluebell, I should have around £90 per week for food and other stuff. What do you think? Also what is Heronbank like? Thank you so much!

Hey there! 

So, Bluebell is definitely a very nice accommodation, it is the most ‘luxurious’ of all of them. However, I wouldn’t say it’s worth the money. I was also interest in Bluebell when I applied but decided not to put it as my choice in the end, precisely because of its price. Also, even though the rooms are spacious and the beds are huge (at least compared to other accommodations), the kitchens are quite small. It depends if you’re willing to make that financial sacrifice, and spend less on food and leisure. 

As for Heronbank, I personally absolutely love that one! (in fact, it was my second choice). Now, Heronbank and Lakeside are extremely similar, so I’ll talk a bit about both. They are both a 10 minute walk from central campus, so do bear that in mind. They’re also known for their infamous geese, which means that at some point, they’ll inevitably wake you up. In terms of proximity and size, Heronbank is about 2mins closer to central campus compared to Lakeside, and I’d say Lakeside has slighlty bigger rooms, though they really are about the exact same size. Heronbank has nice (small-ish) kitchens with a big round table, which gives it a homely feeling - very social and perfect for nice dinners with all your flatmates. A part from that, they’re both surrounded by lakes and fields, and the view from the bedrooms or kitchens really is quite pretty.

Laslty, I just wanted to mention that if you’re looking for a en-suite accommodation, I would recommend either Arthur Vick (that’s where I’m staying so I’m obviously biased) or Jack Martin, which is a very similar and close one. The prices are more affordable than Bluebell and slighlty more expensive than Heronbank, but the location is central, close to literally everything, while being in beautiful surroundings. Lastly, Arthur Vick has massive kitchens! Only downside is that you have to vacate your room over the Easter holiday. 

If you have any other questions, please ask :)

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How to choose what University to go to

Choosing what University to go to can be a difficult task. First of all, make a list of what is important to you. Is it the University’s prestige? Is it the place and surroundings? Do you prefer a campus or living in a big city? Is it the course’s reputation and quality? Do you want the option of doing a year abroad? Sort you priorities out, and then do your research to find the perfect Uni for you.

Look at all the different course descriptions, because ultimately, this is what matters most, as you’ll be studying it for the next few years. Look at all the modules, check if it offers a certain flexibility (optional modules, interdisciplinary subjects and so on), try and have a look at reading lists, and be aware of the various methods of assessments. Courses’ contents vary so much from Uni to Uni, so pick the one that suits you best.

Finally, what I would really recommend is to (if you have the opportunity) visit the Universities you’re thinking of applying to. Spending one day there can make you understand if you’d see yourself living there in the future, if the atmosphere/vibe seems right to you, if you like the buildings or if the area is surrounded by nature. Trust me, these ‘little’ things do count. So, I would thoroughly advise you to either go to an open day, or contact the University asking to come and visit for a day. 

Hope this helps!  

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Hey :) I might apply for a similar course - straight politics, and I was wondering how did you find your course so far

Hello! :)

I’ve generally enjoyed my course so far, even though it was a tad bit more theoretical than I had expected. First years usually don’t get an awful lot of choice regarding modules so you’ll learn broad topics, which you might then look at in more detail in the following years. What I actually love about Warwick is that you do get a fair amount of choice, you can even take modules in other departments (I took one in Sociology) which gives you the opportunity to study topics you’re most interested in. I’ve also really enjoyed the department’s support and the teaching quality, especially when it comes to seminar tutors.

Hope this answers your question!

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Introduction

Hello everyone, I’m a first year studying Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick. I thought it would be a great idea to have a blog in order to help future applicants, prospective students, or fellow freshers. I’m here to give you guys tips about the UCAS process, uni choices, and so on, as well as to answer any questions you may have about Warwick. So don’t hesitate to ask any uni/work related questions, and I’ll do my best to answer them. Hope this will be helpful!