Vidhi's top tips for choosing your first year accommodation

Undergraduate student ambassador, Vidhi highlights the key things you need to consider when choosing your first year accommodation.

The University of Warwick has 13 undergraduate accommodation halls spread across campus, each of which fall within four village options. The first two options are Cryfield Village and Central Campus. These are close to on-campus facilities like Rootes Grocery store, The Dirty Duck and Pret, as well as multiple academic buildings. Another popular option is Lakeside Village, which is a short walk from central campus. It is close to the Sports Hub, has beautiful views of the sunset, and you may even see some swans swimming around the lake. Lastly, there is Westwood Village, which is a 20-minute walk from central campus, but very close to local shops and grocery stores like Tesco and Aldi. Also, Westwood is near the post room, making the collection of your online purchases a breeze.

I submitted my accommodation preferences after receiving my IB results and was able to submit 6 preferences, with a limit of choosing three en-suite accommodation options. It was a tough decision, but I had a couple of factors in mind. Also, I had managed to visit several different accommodation options during the University of Warwick Open Day, which really helped me get a feel for each accommodation hall and supported my selection process as I narrowed down my options.  

These are the factors which I took into consideration: 

Let period 

This is a key aspect to keep in mind when choosing your first year accommodation. If you select a 35 week let, you will have to empty your room before the Easter break and, upon returning for the summer term, set-up your bedroom once again. If you select a 40 week let, it will mean emptying your bedroom at the end of term 3. Lastly, a 43 week let gives you a couple of extra weeks at the end of your academic year, in case you want to stay on campus for the first few weeks of summer break. I was looking for a 40 week let as, for my first year, I did not have any commitments during the summer which would require me to stay on campus. 

Shared facilities

All undergraduate accommodation options have shared kitchen facilities. However, for some accommodation options, you could be sharing with as many as 19 flatmates. Therefore, make sure to check how many flatmates you would share with and decide whether you are comfortable with that number. I was happy to share the kitchen with several flatmates, but I preferred an en-suite as I was not as comfortable sharing the bathroom facilities. I have noticed that this is a key factor for many students, which is why I encourage you to check the various accommodation options to make sure you are happy with how the facilities are shared. 

Location

I liked the central campus location as it was convenient for me to walk to numerous buildings, cafes and restaurants. Also, I loved Lakeside Village due to the breath-taking views at sunset, and it is only a five-minute walk to the Sports Hub. 

Price

I was flexible on the price but I hoped to find accommodation which met all of my requirements at an affordable price. 

After searching through all of the options, I found the perfect accommodation, which aligned with all my expectations. This was a new-build accommodation block called Cryfield Apartments. It was in a great location and was only a three-minute walk to the main campus. Also, the accommodation was en-suite, and I only had to share the kitchen with eight flatmates. The only downside was that it was not very spacious. Sadly, Cryfield Apartments are now only available to postgraduate students, but Cryfield Townhouses are available to undergraduate students and are part of this newly built village. I would definitely recommend taking a look at the Cryfield Townhouses if your preferences are similar to mine. Lastly, the University does try its very best to assign you to one of your top three choices. However, please keep in mind there is still a chance that you may not be allocated one of these. 

Please see below a couple of points I recommend that you keep in mind once you have been allocated your accommodation and you are preparing to move to campus for your first year:

1. You don’t need to buy a printer for your room as there are a number of conveniently located printers on campus. Also, most academic materials are available in a digital format.
2. Clothes-wise, I recommend that you pack light, and only bring the essential as you will find yourself mainly wearing hoodies throughout the year as you rush to your morning lectures. Also, you are probably going to shop online or go to the local shopping centres during occasions like Black Friday, and your wardrobe space will slowly start to seem limited. Furthermore, the more you bring and purchase during your first year, the harder it will be to clean out your room at the end of the year!
3. Learn how to cook during the summer prior to starting your journey at university. Ready-cooked meals are not healthy in the long term and they will definitely increase your weekly costs. Cooking is a great skill to possess and your mates will love you for it too!

Discover more about Vidhi`s course, Discover more about Vidhi’s course, BSc Management.

If you would like to know more about student accommodation at Warwick, you can find out more on the Warwick Accommodation website.