Tell me about Warwick

[Warwickk]

I got some really helpful responses the other day when I asked about Durham - now it's Warwick's turn.

I have at least been to Warwick, and although DD hasn't yet, she's going to the open day next month.

I'm curious about second and third year accommodation. I think some live in Coventry and some in Leamington Spa, and my question is - why do people live in Leamington? Coventry looks much closer and must surely have more amenities / nightlife etc.

Please explain, and tell me what else is good and bad about Warwick!

DD2 has just started second year. She’s in a shared house in Canley, so in easy walking distance of the campus and the Tescos! It’s a nice house in good condition, rent is £3000 a month between the four of them, including all bills. She and her friends looked at places in Leamington but found them more expensive, plus there’s the added hassle of having to commute in to uni (about 25 mins on the bus). But it’s a more attractive town than Coventry, with better nightlife (I gather), which is why many students like it. And with so many of them there, it’s like an extension of the campus. Depends what’s important to you, I guess. (Also, a couple of DD’s friends are living on campus again this year, so I assume Warwick doesn’t have the same shortage of accommodation that some unis do.)

The Warwick campus is pleasant but not the most exciting in terms of swinging hotspots. DD is not much of a party animal and this doesn’t bother her, but it’s probably not for everyone. They had a well-organised offer holder day and she pretty much decided on it after that, and she’s had a good time so far!

Leamington is a much nicer place to live than Coventry (which is a bit rough), and still has a good student scene/share houses etc

Leamington has good transport links to rest of country (it’s on Manchester Piccadilly to London cross country line) and there is a good bus service to the campus

The sports centre & arts centre on Warwick campus are also v impressive (I didn’t study there, have family in the area)

Cos Leamington is “nicer” (but much more boring) than Cov

Lots of accommodation in Canley and Earlsdon (both Coventry) all in easy reach of campus and Tesco/Sainsbury's either on foot or bike, or the 11 bus, which is every twenty minutes during the day
and every 30 the rest of the time. That's the Leamington bus, but obviously the journey is longer.

Bits of Coventry are a bit rough, but the uni is on the south side and that is generally all right.

Coventry also is on the cross country line, so direct trains to Bournemouth in one direction and Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh in the other. Ten minutes on the train to Birmingham. Also close to M69, M6 and M1, so good transport links all round.

DS went to Warwick and loved it. Halls first year, corridor “flats” where about 7 rooms share a big kitchen. He made a lovely group of friends, who went on to share a big house in Leamington. As others have said, much nicer area than Coventry and apparently good clubs/pubs for nights out. He enjoyed the campus style life too, although he chose it initially for the particular course and the fact it was well up the league tables.

We only went to the open day, but it is very different to Durham. It is a self contained campus and feels quite isolated, which made it a no for DD.

Warwick Uni is in Coventry. The expansion of the university means that it has long outgrown student accommodation in Leamington.
Coventry is awash with purpose built student accommodation.
Coventry is no rougher than any other city and with two universities it caters to students.
It's never going to be a shoppers paradise - Leamington much better for independent shops and Birmingham nor that far.
The campus has a huge relatively new sports centre and the Arts Centre is fabulous.

Thanks for the replies, really helpful.

Am I right in thinking Leamington is too far to pop back home during the day if you have a couple of hours between lectures? But you could do that if you lived in Coventry?

Is there ever an issue with the bus from Leamington to campus being full? (Sorry these might be dumb questions.)

Is it sensible to cycle to campus if living in Coventry?

I really liked the campus when I went before (with older DS), thought it had a nice feel to it. Hopefully DD will like it as she is struggling to find courses she likes and the Warwick one looks good.

It's very easy to cycle in from Earlsdon where I live. In fact one of my lodgers who worked in the uni used to walk in ( bit too enthusiastic for me)

My son went to secondary school on the edge of campus and he cycled in.
No 11 buses run very frequently at peak times and you would be in Earlsdon in approx 20 minutes. You would need to check the frequency for mid day ish times but in theory doable

I'm surprised that Leamington has better nightlife, pubs/clubs/gigs etc, isn't it much smaller than Coventry? Or is Coventry just a bit dodgy? No disrespect to Cov, I don't know it at all. We live near Cardiff and while student land is not the nicest part of the city, it's pretty safe and good for a night out. As far as I know, no students live in the prettier suburbs or the Vale of Glamorgan.

I am getting the sense that the choice off campus is between more genteel but relying on buses vs more convenient but a bit edgier.

I think the relative isolation of Warwick's campus might be an issue, so good to know that the outside world is walkable!

There's a fast bus from the uni to leamington goes on the by pass. There's loads of buses some slower, unlikely to be full and if they are next one is 15 mins.

Cov would be better place to stay really but again the buses can take just as long to get across the city depending on what part you're living. Most of the student accommodation is nearer the campus or city centre.

Cycling is not a problem. They have bikes on campus you can hire as well. And those electric scooters.

This.

My friends DS considered Warwick (I live in the general area) and we went to the open day. I also used to work there.

Coventry is much better to live in imo- if they wanted to see the nightlife in leamington they could get the bus in and taxi back but Coventry much more going on and much better transport links.

And there's loads of student accommodation near to the uni.

Come and have a look! Coventry is no more dodgy than any other city of comparable size and the legacy from its time as City of Culture has improved things enormously. @Ted27 and I are obviously surviving!

Leamington was always more genteel, at least on the north of the bridge, but it is further away. However, I doubt nipping home between lectures would be practical to either location.

11 buses are sometimes full. 12X direct to the station and then town, not so much.

Coventry has a reputation of being dodgy/grimy. Leamington is more expensive but more green and calm. I'm not sure your Cardiff comparison holds; having been in both areas... Coventry is a city; Leamington is a leafy town. Some kids will be fine in either, others much prefer Leam. It does have limited nightlife; but Birmingham is only a short train ride away and most students have "bigger" nights out there. Cov has things like crazy golf; which Leamington doesn't.

Neither is really practical to go home between lectures; Warwick is quite far away from both. It's a pretty isolated campus university, really; and it has a very different feel to Durham. I suspect if she loves Durham and wants that uni experience, Warwick wouldn't be a good idea, and vice versa.

My biggest concern with Warwick would be how it handled the scandals against female students recently if I'm honest. It's a lovely uni; I went there, but it really didn't cover itself with glory. I'd be nervous about how they've created an atmosphere of male students with that attitude, across numerous years.

There are frequent buses to the campus. You learn when the busier times are, so you can avoid them or get there early for a seat. There's a great sports centre, and an on-site pub with quizzes etc, so there's things to do right there.

No Coventry isnt any more ' dodgy' than any other city, Leamington also has its not so nice areas.
They are just two different places with different characters. Leamington town centre is prettier with the river and Jephson Gardens. Coventry city centre was flattened in the Blitz and rebuilding was brutalist 1960s style. Having said that over the last couple of years the town centre has been redeveloped, and looks much better than it did. And work is ongoing.
I do think Coventry is shockingly bad and promoting itself and what we have to offer.

The Cardiff thing - I was imagining if the uni was on the western edge of Cardiff, would students commute in from Penarth or Cowbridge, I couldn't see that happening. Do a lot of Warwick students drive in, I wonder?

I think she'd be ok in Cov, she's not averse to a bit of grime. But who knows, we'll have a look at the open day.

She doesn't fancy Durham, too small, not diverse enough and a long way away.

Good point about the Warwick misogyny issues, I had forgotten about that.

My DD spent a long time going back and forth on whether to firm Warwick or Durham. The course (economics) was better ranked at Durham, much larger cohort and more impressive. Other than that, the campus is lovely with huge sports centre, very green, the centre has an Arts centre, pubs, club, the Freshers are all in accommodation on campus and it has a Tesco and Aldi on the doorstep. Coventry is 10 mins away and is fine. It has loads of shops (inc 3 story Primark), restaurants, pubs, cinema. Leamington is more like 30 mins on bus but is a more genteel town, again lots of shops, restaurants. I think there are better clubs there. Then Brum is 10 mins by train. After 1st year you can move out or remain on campus.
DD found Durham a bit claustrophobic and tiny. There aren’t many shops. She found the student body not diverse enough (we’re from London) and thought it gave off boarding school vibes. Newcastle isn’t far at all by train but it costs quite a bit if you need to be there a lot.
so far she’s enjoying it but very early and lectures haven’t started yet. It’s a friendly but grown up, the campus has an adult feel. There aren’t the pomp and ceremony events that Durham and Oxbridge do but DD wouldn’t enjoy those.

What’s your daughter’s course choice @Warwickk ?

Haha if I tell her there's a 3 storey Primark nearby, she'll put Warwick on the form straight away 😂

Good to hear your DD is settling in. My DD feels similarly about Durham, she doesn't think it's for her. She's not into formals or that catered accommodation feel.

She's looking at Liberal Arts but would want to add a bit of science, which apparently you can do.

It doesn’t have better nightlife. I think what people are referring to is Leamington has a couple of more middle class pubs.

Do a lot of Warwick students drive in, I wonder?

No, weekday daytime parking on campus is permit only, and only staff, those with mobility issues and certain postgrad students can apply. To park daily in the PAYG parking would be well beyond the means of a typical student.

There's enough onsite accommodation for all freshers, and enough over for there to be a decent chance of getting a room in final year or as a postgrad.

Whether someone chooses Leam or Coventry tends to depend on what they thing of the respective places once they know what University life is like, plus what their mates' preferences are.

It doesn’t have better nightlife. I think what people are referring to is Leamington has a couple of more middle class pubs.

😂 this sounds like a very different student lifestyle from mine!

Coventry has some dodgy areas, as any city does, but there is no reason for a student at Warwick to ever go to those areas. Mostly, Coventry is just a bit bland and not especially attractive, although there have been some improvements lately. Except for Canley (near the University) and some of the expensive purpose built accommodation in the city centre, the students who live in Coventry live pretty much exclusively in Earlsdon which is considered one of the nicest parts of Coventry.

Leamington is a more attractive place and as more and more students choose to live there it has become more orientated to students in terms of its nightlife and social offering, while things in Coventry are a bit more more 'of the people'. Some students prefer Leamington because it has some bigger houses for groups of 6/8/10 whereas the housing in Earlsdon is pretty much all for 3s and 4s with the odd 5. It is my impression that groups of friends will decide to all try to live in Leam or all in Cov.

The buses to/from Leamington are frequently overcrowded and are a perpetual source of complaint. The Coventry buses have been much improved by the introduction of the 12X fast bus to the station and city centre that has freed up space on the 11 which serves Earlsdon. Students don't generally drive to campus as there is only a very, very limited amount of parking that the students are allowed to use. Some students do cycle from Earlsdon, but it's more common to take the bus. There is not really much to easily walk to around the University except for the Cannon Park shopping centre but there are nice places to walk on campus like the Tocil Wood.

In the first year, things are very campus-focussed - referred to as the 'Warwick bubble' - which can be convenient and good for making friends but can also make the University feel a bit isolated.

That is a brilliant summary, thanks @Phphion