The pandemic has meant that most students have spent much less time on campus this year. For many, this has induced a ‘campus nostalgia’, leaving many longing for the simple activities that they used to enjoy on campus. Read this post for a wish-list of things to do on campus, now that the world is beginning to get back to normal.
Looking back on the beginning of my university experience in September 2019, when we had no idea that a global pandemic would strike, there are so many things I wish I had valued more. As campus starts to open up, I still feel a very long way from my early university experience – both physically and mentally. I have been living two hours away from campus since October, and seem to be hit with pangs of nostalgia every time I see an image of campus on a friend’s social media. To help ease my sentimentality, I have compiled this list of things I’m looking forward to doing as soon as I’m back on campus next year!
Visit Warwick Arts Centre
I think I spent more time in the Arts Centre than I did in any of my seminars or lectures. I would often spend my whole Saturday in the Arts Centre Cafe catching up on reading after work, powered through by loaded fries and muffins. Of course, as a Theatre student, the Arts Centre also became a hub of watching and performing theatre for me, and I just can’t wait to be back. What makes returning to the Arts Centre even more exciting is the soon-to-be-completed Warwick 20:20 project, which includes a multi-screen cinema, art gallery, and bookshop. The Arts Centre seemed new and exciting in my first few months at Warwick, and in the new academic year it will become exciting all over again!
Walk to the Sports Centre
I can’t be the only one that dislikes the walk to the Sports Centre? While it’s certainly not the longest journey you can make on campus, something about the straight and wide path stretching into the distance seemed so tedious to me. However, my time away from campus has even made me miss that journey to the Sports Centre! Perhaps this time I’ll take the longer route through Lakeside Village, so I can check on the geese that woke me up every morning in first year…
Attend a Lecture in the Faculty of Arts Building
Gone are the days of the old and tired Humanities Building! I remember hearing about the plans for a Faculty of Arts Building when I first visited the university for open days, and this new academic year brings with it the opening of our fresh new space. I can’t wait to attend a lecture in my own department’s building, rather than feeling like an imposter among Chemistry students! I’m also excited to make the most of the new rehearsal studios – hopefully they will mean no more pushing tables and chairs to the edges of a classroom to practice for an assessment!
Eat Nachos in NAIC
In my opinion, the NAIC Cafe in the Lord Bhattacharyya Building is Warwick’s best-kept foodie secret. Only students who have spent time in Milburn House or on Westwood Campus will have had the pleasure of walking past this well-hidden establishment, knowing it’s the best place to grab coffee when walking from one campus to another. The coffee and cake is as top-notch as you’d expect from Warwick eateries – I’ve been known to get through several Diet Cokes and salted caramel doughnuts in a study session. However, where this cafe truly excels is in its hot food. Breakfast and lunch is served cafeteria-style, with a Tex Mex-inspired menu featuring burritos, chicken burgers, and chilli con carne. But in my opinion, the best item on the menu by far are the nachos. I’ve sprinted from many seminars in order to make it into the lunch queue just to get this dish, which features a generous offering of guacamole, salsa, jalapenos, and cheese. I last ate NAIC’s nachos in March 2020, and I can honestly say that I haven’t stopped craving them since.
What will be the first thing you do back on campus? Tweet us at @warwicklibrary, email us at libraryblogs@warwick.ac.uk, or leave a comment below.
by Hannah Filer
The Study Blog 