Housing Guide

Last updated: Tue Feb 1 09:52:31 2005
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The Boar editorial team bring you the ultimate guide to student housing in Coventry and Leamington

Coventry

Coventry, the city that was rebuilt in the 1960s and it certainly shows. It's not as pretty as Leamington and it certainly doesn't boast the healthy student population that arty Leam has, but don't let that put you off. Coventry is convenient. It's close enough to campus to be a short bus or car drive in for when you feel like attending a lecture or meeting a friend for lunch, and yet, it enjoys the vivid night life and resources that modern cities like Coventry can offer. The people who knock Coventry's Ikon and Jumpin' Jacks venues are usually the same folk who went wild at Score! in their first year. Coventry also boasts a cinema and a few bars in its Sky Dome, which are worth a visit. Plus, there's Coventry's shopping district with various highstreet big names to meet nearly all your desires. You'll perhaps miss being surrounded by students, apart from those who will live with you, but now's your chance to blend in with real people and families to get a taste of what suburbia is all about: putting up with irritating neighbours who ask you not to park your car outside their house despite them not owning a car in the first place. It's the real world, unlike the drunken, poncey make believe realm of Leamington.

Click on the houses to read our reviews of living in Coventry:

Leamington

Even the name sounds refined. 'Royal Leamington Spa'. Ah. Why live in Leam? Because it is quite simply lovely. Days spent in the park with ice creams and feeding the ducks; one of the nicest town centres you could find -everything all on one beautiful street; a plethora of trendy bars, cute cafes and intimate restaurants; and you're almost guaranteed to bump into people you know as soon as you get into town. Leam has an undeniably cosy atmosphere, helped by the fact that most of your friends will inevitably live there. Sure, some parts of it aren't as aesthetically pleasing as the centre - living in Sydenham is never going to be quite as peachy. But the town itself is a gorgeous place to live. Buses are a problem, but that's a fact of life wherever you are. And the wise amongst us utilise the bus-journey time to catch up on seminar reading, call the parents or do some other such practical activity. See? That ten minutes on the bus from Earlsdon is just plain wasted. Leamington is easy to get to know and feel like you've lived there forever, it has a discernible identity and town centre and if you're not a regular at Sugar and Mirage then quite frankly you're not really a proper student at Warwick. Leamington: the place to be.

Click on the houses to read our reviews of living in Leamington:

Interactive maps by Kate Fleetwood

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