A fresher’s first impression of Warwick’s creative scene

As a postgraduate fresher, I was really looking forward to enriching my university experience with the arts while studying. I love anything to do with music, theatre, film and dance and hoped to check out what was on offer in this area during Welcome Week. I definitely wasn’t disappointed!

First of all, I was really excited to find out that Warwick has such a good Arts Centre. I went to my first concert in the Butterworth Hall to see the Russian State Symphony Orchestra and was impressed by the very high calibre performance; it is amazing that university students, as well as the general public, have easy access to such high quality performances and concerts.  The Arts Centre staff were very helpful throughout, which I especially appreciate as I’m new to the University. Overall, it was such a lovely experience that I have already booked to attend another concert next month.

It is amazing that university students have easy access to such high quality performances and concerts

I have joined some arts-based societies such as BFT Film Productions. As a writer and someone who has an interest in writing short films, I think I will find it a great addition to my course (the Writing MA). I love the fact that there are so many budding writers who have joined this year and that the Film Productions society seems so inclusive, regardless of the genre you want to write in.

Being a member of the Student Cinema has also already been really fun. The facilities in the Science Concourse are amazing, with the size of the lecture theatre and screen that are used. I also appreciate that the Student Cinema shows a wide variety of films so you can experiment with new genres. Before starting my course here at Warwick, I initially thought that the university could do with more specific film societies like a Sci-Fi and Fantasy society, but going along to the Student Cinema screenings has changed my mind about that.

The BFT Film Productions society seems so inclusive, regardless of the genre you want to write in

Joining the Classical and Modern Dance club has also been perfect for me, a student who likes dancing but who just wants to do it as a hobby. The variety of dance styles on offer is impressive: the club has jazz, contemporary, lyrical, ballet and hip-hop classes. The exec team and teachers (who are students themselves) are really friendly and inclusive. There is also the opportunity to be in termly showcases and competitions which I am interested in after watching videos of dances from previous years. I love writing and expressing myself through words but dancing is a great way to express myself creatively through movement.

Welcome Week was a fun way to try all these things for the first time and get a sense of the University’s creative scene. I had a lovely surprise when the Radio 1 music bus was on campus and I heard one of my favourite songs – Panic! At The Disco’s ‘High Hopes’ – being played. The song inspired me during my first week at Warwick; in an uplifting way, it tells us to stay true to ourselves and to embrace our uniqueness as human beings. It reminded me to keep going after my dreams even though I doubt myself at times. I think that this idea resonates with a lot of students and it’s great that there are so many arts-based things on campus that freshers and returning students can get involved in, especially after a long day of lectures!