How pretty is Warwick Campus?

A new survey carried out by The Boar has found that only 63% of Warwick students would describe campus as “fairly” or “very” visually attractive. 29% said campus is “not very” attractive, while 5% of respondents called it “hideous”.

But there are signs perceptions are improving. Of the freshers who responded, over three quarters (76.9%) answered that campus was either “fairly” or “very” visually attractive. The lowest result came from those in fourth year and above, of whom only 50% liked the look of campus.

In contrast to these figures, however, 58% of students surveyed still believed Warwick has a reputation as an ugly university.

Students also raised concerns that constant building works were negatively impacting campus life.

One respondent said: “it’s disheartening to see some projects taking months and months whilst others, such as the WBS buildings, were constructed quickly and are now in use.”

A large percentage of students complained about the lack of green space on campus. One second year said: “They keep building on green spaces, which were what attracted me to the uni in the first place.”

However, the University argues that building works are ultimately in the best interests of students.

Of all the second, third and fourth years questioned, 57% said campus looked a little or a lot better than when they were a fresher.

This number rocketed to 88.9% for second years, unsurprising given the current lack of roadworks compared to last year.

Over 30% of respondents said the Humanities Building was the least attractive place on campus. The University seems to agree, and is currently consulting students and staff on how best to improve the building, which has been around since the University’s opening in 1964.

Many students, however, had good things to say about campus. A fresher claimed it was “beautiful in autumn”. Many also agreed that campus looks “much better than last year”.

However, there was one persistent problem that no amount of improvement work could solve:
“The walk to Sherbourne was a treacherous and dangerous one… It only got worse as the year went on and the geese got horny.”

Infographic by Lily Pickard

1) How attractive is campus?

First years:
61.5% fairly
15.4% very
(76.9% attractive)
15.4% not very
7.7% hideous
(23.1% ugly)
Second years:
57.1% fairly
3.6% very
(60.7% attractive)
32.1% not very
3.6% hideous
(35.7% ugly)
3.6% unsure
Third years:
59% fairly
5.1% very
(64.1% attractive)
28.2% not very
5.1% hideous
(33.3% ugly)
2.6% unsure
Fourth years:
25% fairly
25% very
(50% attractive)
40% not very
5% hideous
(45% ugly)
5% unsure
Everyone:
51% fairly
12% very
(63% attractive)
29% not very
5 % hideous
(34% ugly)
3% unsure

2) Does campus look better now than when you arrived?

Second years:
59.3% a little better
29.6% much better
(better: 88.9%)
3.7% a little worse
0% much worse
(worse: 3.7%)
3.7% about the same
Third years:
33.3% a little better
5.1% much better
(better: 38.4%)
17.9% a little worse
15.4% much worse
(worse: 33.3%)
28.2% about the same
Fourth years+:
35% a little better
15% much better
(better: 50%)
30% a little worse
10% much worse
(worse: 40%)
10% about the same
Everyone:
41.9% a little better
15.1% much better
(57% better)
16.3% a little worse
9.3% much worse
(25.6% worse)
16.3% same

3) Does Warwick have a reputation for being ugly?

First years:
61.5% yes
15.4% no
23.1% unsure
Second years:
50% yes
25% no
25% unsure
Third years:
69.2% yes
20.5% no
10.3% unsure
Fourth years +:
45% yes
50% no
5% unsure
Everyone:
58% yes
27% no
15% unsure