10 most common questions exchange students going to Warwick ask

31st May 2018

Shanita Jetha | Politics Contact Shanita

Anything!

Hi everyone,

Throughout my time in Australia, I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of students visiting Warwick either for a semester or a full year. There are some questions that I get asked frequently and are pretty much similar to the questions I had before beginning my exchange at Monash. So, here are just some of the questions that I have been asked, and hopefully, they help clarify things regarding Warwick. Please do note that things may change when you start your exchange so it is always best to double-check!

1. My friend from Warwick said that it is not worth selecting because of the campus bubble, is this true?

Understandably, I get asked this a lot. It is important to remember that the other side is always green! Yes, Warwick is known for its campus bubble, but so is Monash. It is likely that as a Monash student you will be exposed to Warwick students on exchange, and therefore making the most of their time at Monash. However, I can assure you that Monash students who have visited Warwick have absolutely loved their experience!

There is always something to do at Warwick, and I personally really love the campus community. This is partly why I chose Monash for my exchange because I knew that a campus university will allow me to make new friends and even provide vaster opportunities in terms of things to do, especially spontaneously.

Listen to other students opinions but also do your own research. If it sounds like Warwick is a good choice of university for you, it probably is. 2. Is accommodation guaranteed? What is the best one?

As far as I am aware, campus accommodation is not guaranteed to exchange students, however, they will do their best to accommodate you, especially if you are only joining for a semester. If you are doing a full year, it may be worth looking into Warwick accommodation (flats off campus) as this will give you a full experience being abroad and living in another city.

In terms of the best accommodation, this really does depend! There is no right answer, mostly because you will probably love whatever you choose. I have written about the different accommodations available before and I personally think that Rootes is the best. Although, this is an extremely biased opinion since it was my chosen accommodation!

3. Is doing grocery shopping really simple?

This is typically a question that students think about closer to their exchange period as knowing what to cook nerves begin. I promise you that you will be just fine. It took me a few trial and errors to get used to the different brands here in Australia, but it was a simple task.

Tesco is our nearby supermarket and I promise you that you can find absolutely anything there (except for Tim Tam’s, unfortunately, you will have to make do with our equivalent: Penguin)

4. Will I be able to make friends?

YES.

5. I don’t know. I feel like everybody except for me can. (ok, not quite a question…)

I can assure you that these nerves are completely understandable! Unless you don’t even come on your exchange, you will 100% meet at least one person.

– Just like at Monash, a lot of my friends are from my course. A piece of advice I like to give is that it is worth coming to your lectures and seminars a few minutes early in the first few weeks as this is the peak socialising period where everybody is looking to make friends.

– Warwick is a very society based university (more so than Monash in my opinion) as I have mentioned in my previous posts. JOIN SOCIETIES. During your orientation week it is worth trying out everything that even mildly interests you, and then selected 2/3 societies that you want to maintain an active involvement in. Societies are used to regularly having new members join, and if you join early on, you won’t be alone either.

– Flatmates. Don’t underestimate just how friendly neighbours you have!

6. Where can I find out what units/modules Warwick offers?

This varies course by course. A quick google search of your course followed by “modules” should take you to the right page.

(Modules is the same thing as a unit, we call it modules in the UK)

Here is a link to the list of modules that the Politics department offers: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/study/studyundergrad/ugmodules/ (Note that this may change)

7. How difficult are the modules? How good is the xyz department?

Well, I know for sure that the politics department is amazing! The difficulty of the modules are nothing that you won’t be able to handle, otherwise, Monash would not let you come here on exchange. Don’t let this concern you because it will all work out and you will eventually find a study: socialise balance that suits you, allowing you to make the most of your exchange.

Side note: For International Relations students at Monash, this comes under the Politics and International Studies department. From experience with friends studying IR on exchange at Warwick, you will probably be fine selecting modules from the Politics department.

8. What are the best places to travel to?

Studying at Warwick gives you endless opportunities! Coventry train station is easily accessible from the university and will take you to pretty much anywhere in the UK. Birmingham airport or the two biggest airports in London (Heathrow and Gatwick) will also take you anywhere else within Europe. The travel opportunities is definitely a good enough reason to select Warwick! You will have a nice balance between a good community spirit as a result of the campus life, whilst being able to get away whenever you want.

9. What will my timetable be like?

My timetable at Warwick is very similar to the one I have at Monash. Each module will have lectures and seminars during the week, and you will be spending your spare time reading for your classes. The modules structures for each degree are relatively similar at both universities, so I doubt it will be too much of a shock.

10. So shall I do my exchange here then?

It is understandable to have some doubts, this is all part of the study abroad nerves. Follow your gut instinct (which hopefully is that you should select Warwick)

To end on a high, the Eurovision Song Contest just took place and you bet that I was up and ready at 5AM to watch it with my friends!

ecv