A home from home
As part of my weekly social life in Vanbrugh College, I love to spend a bit of time in the place that is dubbed Vanbrugh’s home. The Warren is a short walk from all the Vanbrugh accommodation. This makes it perfect for me to go there in the evening to meet my friends and have a late night study session. It’s amazing to get away from your halls for a bit and hang out with other Vanbrugh students! When we get bored of studying, the hot chocolate-making commences in the kitchen in the Warren.
It’s not just a space for studying, as I have had many board game tournaments there. I usually lose but it’s good fun regardless! Quite often when you’re in there, someone will be playing the piano that is open to all Vanbrugh residents. This is always a good backing track to your study session or serious board game competitions.
Now I can’t play a musical instrument to save my life but if you do, Vanbrugh is the college for you! Right next to the Warren there is a little exclusive space you can use if you sign up to the College Music Scheme. You can use it to practice and play a massive range of instruments.
The Vanbrugh Arms
The Vanbrugh Arms is the best bar on campus – not that I am at all biased. It takes the best part of classic pubs (the atmosphere) and student bars (the prices!) I can say it’s my place of choice for pre-drinks on campus as it’s so cheap for a double of my drink of choice (Malibu). If you’re looking for a cheap night out, I would suggest doing a bar crawl around all the bars on campus ending with the Vanbrugh Arms. It stays open later than any other bar on campus – another reason why it is the superior venue!!
I ran my own event here – a pub quiz for my charity society. We had a music round, a Christmas round and two general knowledge rounds. We raised some amazing funds while supporting the student venue! The Vanbrugh Arms runs many events throughout the year. These are hosted by a range of societies and the Vanbrugh student committee.
Kitchen socials
I was a fresher in the Covid-19 year, so I spent the majority of my nights in my Vanbrugh kitchen. Even though everything is back open, it’s still fun to have a kitchen party.
Take inspiration from TikTok like we did and have a “anything but clothes night”. You could also do a ‘room’ crawl instead of a pub crawl. Not only is it cheaper, but you can give each room a different makeover based on a theme. Different countries, different drinks in each room or different decades in each room would work so well!
One of the best things about kitchen parties for me is taking a large plastic box and making a massive cocktail. Sometimes making it is more fun than drinking it! Another advantage of kitchen parties is that you can make a bumper playlist as a group, with exactly the kind of music you want, avoiding the awful club songs.
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