Not the accommodation you wanted? Don’t panic!
Have you ever been guilty of not reading the terms and conditions, or reading them and not taking them seriously?
I knew, I always knew, that in Warwick’s Accommodation contract it was very clear that you had to put down six choices of accommodation halls and be prepared to receive any of them, but to be honest, I took that caveat with a shedload of salt. Realistically, I was going to get Lakeside, or Heronbank, or Sherbourne. Maybe, in the worst of worst cases, I’d end up with my fourth choice of Claycroft. But the fifth and sixth choices? No way, they just made you write them for marketing research. Ahem. Or so I thought.
I remember how excited I was when I finally got the email telling me to log into the Warwick Accommodation portal to see my confirmed allocation. My phone was on 1% (I had an iPhone 6s, enough said) yet I was still desperate to find out there and then. At the time, I was in the kitchen, and my mum was looking at me expectantly, wondering why I stood staring at the screen in silence. “It’s Tocil!” I eventually spat out. And just as my hopes of living in Lakeside Village died, so too did my phone. Really rather poetic, I suppose.
The very next morning I rang up Warwick Accommodation, but I only got halfway through my overly polite paragraph that my dad had insisted on scripting for me, before being gently cut off and told without having applied through Well-being Services, I couldn’t change my accommodation. I then scowled moodily at the phone (it was on speaker) whilst the poor advisor on the other end kindly tried to explain how it really wouldn’t be that bad, and to read blogs on OurWarwick by other students who’d got their last choice and ended up loving their accommodation. Which I did, but didn’t take any of them seriously (you can probably see a pattern forming) since these bloggers must have just got lucky and been chosen specially by the university to share their rare fortunate situation. (Not true).
And now, ironically, here I am a year later telling you that you can definitely trust the authenticity and freedom with which these blogs are written, and also crucially, trust that it will all work out. Believe me.
As with many students, one of my main concerns about Tocil was sharing a bathroom, especially since I started university in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic- but the hygiene of shared bathrooms is genuinely not to be worried about, as they get cleaned every weekday, so you actually get away with not having to clean your own en-suite. Moreover, I have almost never been in a situation where I had to wait to use the bathroom. I was also worried about sharing a kitchen with so many people, and while I was fortunate to be placed in a flat with 8 people rather than the 12 that is standard for Tocil, everyone does eat at completely different times, so we are rarely even in a situation where 4 of us are trying to cook at the same time! Moreover, a friend at Westwood has assured me that even though she has to share her kitchen with 16 people, cooking has not been an issue for her either, due to the amount of space and facilities. Finally, I was also initially against Tocil because of the size of the room, and while it’s not giant, it’s definitely not too small. In fact, I’m pretty sure the bedroom of one of my friends in Sherbourne is basically the same size because the en-suite is included in the overall number of square metres!
But it’s not just that I can tolerate Tocil through gritted teeth (like when you accidentally pick one of those stupidly sticky toffee fingers from the Quality Street box- honestly who came up with that idea?!). No, I am genuinely happy with where I ended up because, while it’s a cliché, your flatmates really do make all the difference. I really don’t understand why other universities haven’t assimilated Warwick’s idea of a personality survey in the accommodation application, because having flatmates with similar lifestyles and preferences does make life so much easier and more enjoyable. And it’s not as if I’m one of those lucky few from my blatantly incorrect conspiracy (that bloggers had been selected specifically to write about their positive experiences), because the vast majority of people who I’ve spoken to are also very happy with their flatmates- and even amongst the minority, they are still friendly with their cohabitants even if they aren’t amazingly compatible.
Plus, (as I’m sure you’ll know if you’ve spent as much time obsessively researching halls before arriving as I did), each accommodation has its own perks! For example, for Tocil, the location is amazing – all accommodations are no more than 15-20 minutes from Central Campus (yes, even Westwood), but having the FAB literally outside my doorstep is massively convenient. As for Cryfield residents, they are gifted with not only a TV in the kitchen, but access to a private cinema room. Claycroft residents can fall out of bed and be at Tesco’s. And you’ll never be lonely in Rootes, whether you all go on nights out/nights in or just want to have someone to chat to! And all of this doesn’t even take into account that if you do receive a shared bathroom accommodation (which are often put by students as one of their lower preferences), you save quite a lot of money!
So, in summary, if you get one of your last choices for accommodation, don’t panic, don’t beg Warwick Accommodation unless you really need to, and don’t sulk that your next year will be ruined now. Because if (and now this is actually ‘a rare situation’) you truly aren’t happy with your accommodation, you do have the opportunity to apply for a transfer after three weeks of the first term.
Struggling with not panicking? Believe me: as someone who will very literally make a fuss over spilt milk, gone-off milk, accidentally buying the wrong style of milk…I know that’s easier said than done. But the best thing to do if you have any concerns or questions, is to get in touch with Warwick Accommodation or with any of the bloggers on OurWarwick because no worry is too small or silly.
I hope this was helpful: feel free to comment below or send me a message!
Priya x
