Five huge mistakes that every single Warwick fresher will inevitably make

We’ve all been there. It’s term one, you’re thinking about who to live with in second year, and you think to yourself “Why don’t I just move in with my flatmates? If I can live with them this year, why not next year?”.

Freshers, I’m begging you – don’t make the same mistakes that every other Warwick student did in their first year. In honour of term starting just around the corner and Freshers’ Week wrapping up, here are five of the biggest mistakes that every single Warwick fresher will eventually make.

1. Thinking that the person you met at Pop is the love of your life

Nobody goes to the club, let alone the notorious Copper Rooms, looking for good conversation and a strong emotional connection. As the Warwick SU website says, Pop is anything but a “sophisticated night out”. Take my word for it – if you meet someone in Pop, you will not end up falling in love. The most likely outcome is that you’ll see the rugby boy that you so long for getting with someone else the week after.

2. Getting a second-year house with the first people you meet

Please, please, please don’t agree to move in with the first friends you make at Warwick. These people usually tend to be your flatmates, as you already know that you can live with them well. However, just because you get along well with people in freshers’ week, it doesn’t
automatically mean that they’ll be your best friends in term two, let alone year two. Though I personally haven’t been a victim of flatcest, I know many who have been and are now stuck living with their ex/old situationship/however you’d like to define it next year. Hold off on signing a contract just yet – there will be houses available in term two.

3. Going for a swim in the Lakeside Village lake

As if freshers’ flu just wasn’t doing it for you, there is absolutely no need to catch a dozen more illness from whatever lurks below the lake at Lakeside Village. Granted, it’s not a universal experience to scuba dive in every single body of water you come across, but I know we’ve all thought of it before. Please believe me when I say it’s not worth it. I’ve seen way too many people get in, scream, freeze and come out soaking in algae and mud. There are so many better things you can do with your night after a couple of vodka shots – trust me when I say swimming in a lake just isn’t the best idea for everyone’s health and wellbeing.

4. Shopping at Rootes when you’re feeling lazy

I know that the prospect of the walk to Tesco can be soul-crushing at times, especially if you regrettably live in the Lakeside area, but popping into Rootes is a slippery slope. Going there will mean that your occasional trips for study snacks or drinks for pres will quickly drain your bank account – just muster up the courage to walk to Cannon Park before you dip into your overdraft.

One of my favourite snacks from Rootes

5. Setting off the fire alarm

Okay, not every first-year does this, but I know plenty of people who have. If you want all of your flat to hate you, go for it. Leave bits of bread stuck at the bottom of the toaster or don’t turn on the extractor fan when you’re cheffing up something delicious. And if you do make this mistake, please don’t do it after you’ve managed to crawl back from Kasbah/Smack/Neon. Nobody will thank you for having to congregate outside at 5am because you fancied a drunken post-club snack.

Somehow I didn’t set off the fire alarm with these… chips

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• The official A-Z of all things that make up a Warwick fresher

• It’s official: Here are the types of Warwick students to avoid at freshers

• We asked students for Warwick Uni stereotypes, and sadly most of them were true