Is the Platinum Pass really worth the money?

To buy or not to buy, that is indeed the question posed to many a fresh-faced fresher on arrival at Warwick.

Some realise early on that £200 is a little on the steep side for what they will soon discover to be the home-grown charm of our local club; however the opportunity to explore your freedom, (and the inside of other people’s mouths) is a rare one at home, and therefore one that must be seized now you have a new found freedom.

So when this option was posed to me, my dear reader, I found myself compelled towards the Platinum Pass, admittedly driven solely by my crippling insecurities and fear of missing out on what was promised to be, the best week of my university career; the eponymous freshers’ week, the Holy Grail of amateur alcoholics, the promised land of unhinged sexual promiscuity, and the Pearly Gates leading to a paradise of ethically questionable activities.

One of these happy party-goers bought the Platinum Pass… the one with the ever-growing student debt, and sadness behind their eyes.

Naturally, as everyone who’s been through Warwick Freshers’ week will tell you, Platinum Pass or not, Freshers’ week is barely worth the £58 pounds you pay for the standard pass, so why invest in the Platinum? The Platinum claims to be the  “especially hard-core” version of the freshers’ pass. Here we reach the main appeal, everyone’s been there, it’s Wednesday evening, the kitchen is buzzing, everyone’s getting hyped for POP and circling that night. But hang on a second, Richard doesn’t have a POP ticket, he does have crippling student debt, but more importantly he has a crush on the girl in the kitchen opposite. She does have a pop ticket, and all the poor boy can do is sit and stew in his sexual frustration. That or run around like a fool desperately trying to beg, barter or steal a POP ticket from anyone and everyone he knows. If he succeeds, he will enjoy the frivolities of getting tremendously drunk and end the night by urinating into a Rootes sink.

However, in scenario two Richard was smart, he bought the Platinum Pass, and didn’t spend the pre-lash chasing people all over campus. Instead, he spent it chatting to his girl, having a few drinks and realising rather rapidly that Platinum Pass aside, he still has about as much of a chance at pulling this girl, as Donald Trump has at joining ISIS.

In order to ensure Pop success, a pilgrimage to the Koan is often advised. Buying the Platinum Pass is not.

Aside from POP then, what other events does it cover? Certainly the pre-puberty themed ‘Skool Dayz’ is an event enjoyed by many, and having a pass prior to rocking up to the Copper Rooms dressed in either your dad’s tie or your uniform from four years ago which barely covers your nipples, seems handy. But that’s only six times a year.

Entrance to either the Christmas or Halloween balls that happened is included… I think… I mean I didn’t go… I was on the bar crawl…did anyone go?… you get my point. On top of this, half price to one of the sports ball or societies awards, YAY I guess.

Also the infamous ‘let’s spray shit all over them’ parties at the end of each term which, successfully get everyone very wet and thoroughly piss off all the girls who’ve been getting ready for longer than their makeup actually lasted in the foam itself. Finally, the Platinum Pass also got you into the Playlist events, if you wanted to go.

So then we must ask ourselves is £200 a price worth paying for exclusive and unhindered access to the Campus’ most exclusive venue? The answer is simple, if you want to go to POP every week, if the idea of Skool Dayz appeals to you, and if you’ve never been to a foam/paint party before, or if mummy’s paying for it, sure, why not, go for it.

However, if you don’t want to listen to the same playlist from when you were in year 9, every Wednesday of your uni life, then don’t bother. Just take the liberty of buying a ticket to any event in advance, and then again if you don’t want it, there will probably be someone who is desperate enough to buy it off you.