Congratulations! If you’ve reached the stage of preparing for university, you, first of all, should be very proud of yourself. You are about to embark on what is probably the biggest change in your life so far. The transition may be unfamiliar, but fun and exciting nonetheless… get ready for Warwick!
1. Welcome Week
When you arrive at Warwick, you will have a Welcome Week to look forward to. This is a programme of events put together by the University and Students’ Union in partnership.
Warwick is, of course, a university, an academic institution, where you have enrolled to study your discipline. But to enhance your whole experience and allow you to make the most out of Warwick, your first week on campus will be spent doing fun things that hopefully will match your interests and hobbies! Or perhaps you can find a new interest or hobby during this week.
More information about Welcome Week 2019 will be available here in early September. Don’t forget to join Warwick University Freshers’ 2019-2020 official Facebook group.
2. Moving into halls
The vast majority of freshers will settle into Halls of Residence on the Warwick campus when they arrive. You will be with many other students in the same position as you, and all embarking on the same adventure. Living on campus in first year is fantastic because it eases the pressure of having to navigate a complex housing market. You also don’t have to worry about travelling to and from campus as you’ll be there anyway. You can make the most of your time on campus joining societies, playing sport, attending your classes and studying, as well as exploring the beautiful nature campus has to offer.
You can find out about what Halls of Residence are available here.
3. Living Independently
This leads nicely into another huge part of your transition: living independently. You will need to factor in time during your week to buy food, cook and do your laundry amongst many other things. These are tasks that you may have taken for granted before arriving at university.
But don’t worry, having more independence is not a bad thing by any sense of the word. It can be hugely liberating you and allow you to take charge of your own life. No one will dictate to you what’s for dinner, nor will they question what you do with your spare time – this is all up to you!
4. Getting used to lectures and seminars
If the only education system you’ve ever known is school, the university will probably appear very different. Instead of classes all day and every day, your contact time will be split between lectures and seminars. If you’re a science student, you can also expect to have classes in laboratories (commonly known as labs).
Your lectures can be delivered to a huge number of students, up to 500, which is the capacity of campus’ largest lecture theatre OC1.05. Therefore, this format requires you to make notes for the duration of the lecture so that you can consider them for your exams, assignments and seminars. Your seminars will be much smaller and therefore allow for some level of interaction. Therefore, you will often be required to do further reading upon lecture content in order to make relevant contributions.
5. Planning for the future
Making the transition from school to university is one thing, but this will be one of many transitions in your life.
University is inevitably part of your journey to wherever your future may take you. There is absolutely no necessity to have any idea of where that destination may be because Warwick will support you to reach those decisions. You will have access to careers fairs on campus and the opportunity to enjoy employers visits (including their freebies!). Your personal tutors can also help you to think about how your university degree will translate into the world of work.
Additionally, the University of Warwick’s Careers Service is a fantastic far-reaching resource that will help prepare you for your future. On this platform, you can find work experience opportunities, graduate roles and also online courses that you can complete to gain various soft skills. You can also book a one-to-one appointment with one of Warwick’s advisors to have a meaningful conversation about your next steps.