What to expect on your first few days at Warwick

It will soon be time to begin a new year at Warwick, and this will be a new year like no other. Covid-19 will reshape many things about uni life, so what should you expect as a new student?

No matter how prepared you are, the day you arrive will still feel an overwhelming one. Warwick will have bombarded you with emails about where to go when you physically reach campus, so make sure to give those a read and having a checklist or a copy of those emails close to hand will be helpful. The main things you’ll need to do are finding your accommodation, picking up your room key and then taking your belongings up to your room. There’s generally no rush to unpack, but one thing you do want to do as soon as you can is claiming a cupboard and a fridge shelf.

Hang about in your kitchen and meet some of your flatmates

For that first weekend, there are a few things you could do. Hang about in your kitchen and meet some of your flatmates – you’ll be stuck with them for a year, so there’s no harm on starting off on the right foot. You won’t need to socially distance from anyone in your flat, so getting to know them will be a good move. Explore campus a little, learn where the laundromat is, find the library. It’s worth knowing where Tesco and Aldi are too, but I wouldn’t go there on arrivals weekend. Instead, bring some little nibbles to keep you going, because the shops are always full of new students this weekend, and distancing requirements will make this shopping more horrendous than usual.

There is typically a welcome fair of sorts on the main piazza, handing out free goodies and leaflets on everything from insurance to bus passes (although this is unconfirmed at the moment). You could pick some up if you have the time. Most of the info isn’t that relevant, but some of it could be.

Ask about welcome talks and taster sessions as most clubs will have a couple in the first few weeks

We now have a welcome week, which will give you a chance to become a little more familiar with campus and the many opportunities available. There will be a sports and a societies fair, and it’s worth wandering around to see if anything catches your eye (albeit wandering online, as both events will have a solely-digital presence this time around). At this stage, you don’t need to make any commitments so, if something seems interesting to you, give it a try. Ask about welcome talks and taster sessions, as most clubs will have a couple in the first few weeks of term, and that will give you a sense of whether the thing is right for you. Some will be, some won’t, and that’s something you’ll only discover through going to events and trying things out.

It will also be a week of inductions, and these will be of varying levels of use. Your resident tutor (the person who looks after your particular accommodation block) will host a meeting in your kitchen to lay down the rules. It’ll mostly be obvious stuff, like being reasonable with noise and where to take the bins. Don’t let yours be a flat where no-one empties the bins. You’ll also be given info about cleaning protocol in your accommodation, and you’ll probably want to know this given the global circumstances.

This week is really an opportunity to explore and get a little more comfortable with Warwick

Your department will have an induction, running through lots of useful information, and it will be a great chance to physically or virtually meet some of your course mates before things really kick off. Only small classes are slated to be held in-person at the moment, so this is where you’ll learn in detail about your department’s plans. It’s usually the case that the vice-chancellor will host a welcome talk, and this is generally not worth your time as it’s kind of a ceremonial welcome to campus, and most of the useful info is delivered elsewhere.

This week is really an opportunity to explore and get a little more comfortable with Warwick before your course begins. As Covid-19 is likely to still be with us, it’ll also be time to familiarise yourself with the guidelines and restrictions and become accustomed to a socially distanced campus. My advice is to read your welcome emails and any info you’re sent and make sure you know what to expect.

Further advice about how Covid-19 will affect campus life is available here