University of Exeter REAL review: WARNING - POSH

I am not one to write reviews online, but for the sake of those who could experience what myself and a few other have, it’s worth it.

SOCIALLY:

Exeter is a bubble. It truly is a big private boarding school. The people are unlike any I have met before - in a bad way.

Let me preface this by stating that I am upper middle-class and my siblings attended private schools. I have never had a problem socialising with people from wealthy backgrounds. I am charismatic and generally likeable. Given this, I believed Exeter wouldn’t be a problem. I was quickly proven wrong…

Non-privately educated students should think twice before enrolling here.

Unfortunately, students at Exeter value status, popularity, wealth, extreme confidence and looks. The biggest problem is that it is a self-fulfilling culture. Others see what’s popular and they all follow suit. People loose their real selves in trying to fit in and in doing so develop nasty traits like arrogance and poor manners. For example, students will not move out of the way for you on paths or corridors. It is seemingly uncool to think about others.

The only things of importance are: if your dad owns Tesla stock, who you slept with last night before, whether you’re going out clubbing or where you went skiing last week. Admittedly, this is common in parts at any uni and can normally be ignored. But here it is not just an isolated group of individuals, rather it is endemic. As someone who does not value these things, I was essentially seen as uncool and not friendship worthy. It is like being in “Made in Chelsea” (the Tv program).

The truly entitled private schoolers dominate the small campus and small city. Indeed, I have met more lovely people in single weekends when visiting other universities than my entire time at Exeter!

To demonstrate, you will see “mullet” hair cuts, beige chinos, button down shirts and quarter zips worn for a routine trip to campus. YOU WILL FEEL INSECURE WEARING TRACKIES HERE. Private school logos dominate clothing. Every other student is displaying their private school emblem on their PE shorts and rugby tour bags.

Even in group projects I was made to feel excluded by such students simply because I do not speak poshly nor dress preppy nor go on ski holidays.

On a more POSITIVE note, the international students are very sweet. Often also coming from wealth, they however do not put such a value on status. They are both kind and interested in you as a person.

Overall, this sentiment is mirrored by other people that I met. Remember, these are people who come from middle class professional households, yet also felt inferior at Exeter!

POSITIVES - THE EDUCATION:

I was an Economics student. I cannot speak highly enough of the course, teachers and support available.

My mathematical abilities grew massively thanks to the teaching. Further, I was able to study a broad range of modules related to accounting, economics and business. You are also able to take modules from other departments like languages.

The teachers answer your questions very quickly and support you. The business school is simply amazing in response times when handling any queries.

The only issue with Economics degrees at Exeter is the examinations. IT IS INTENSE! There are just two terms, each with 11 weeks of teaching. Term three is just more exams. This system of learning means that the material is condensed into a small time period versus other unis. The significance of this is that it can be very hard to stay on top of work. It is almost impossible and is incredibly stressful at first. Further, you have exams every six weeks in addition to weekly smaller assessments and seminar work. This can be draining and at any period you are only a matter of weeks away from an assessment. If you get unwell, which is inventible at university, it is a mission to be fully prepared for exams. This is however not the case for all degrees.

In summary, If you love to study and work-life balance is not important to you, the education there is amazing. I absolutely loved my course and it certainly pushed me. But, for most others like me who aimed for a 1st, it simply did not leave enough time to enjoy weekends or to take a break.

SPORT:

Hockey, rugby and lacrosse are the main sports at Exeter. Rugby culture dominates and people even end up doing in it just to fit in.

If you like football, this is not the place for you. It is NOT considered a performance sport there! Not a single photograph of the football teams can be found at the sports park and there are no team managers. It is student-led and largely subject to favouritism.

The gym is a fantastic facility. It has around 8 squat racks. If you don’t mind being surrounded by tank top/vest-wearing rugby players and private school logos, you will love it.

-Again, I did not wish to write this review as I am not a negative person and really did not expect my university experience to be like this. It was therefore written to help any prospective applicants in realising the true culture there before getting into three years of it.

Lastly, it was not just me who felt this way. Many hide it and desperately try to fit in. Also, I acknowledge that the only way to change cultures like these is to introduce a more diverse student population which they attempt to do. But trust me, there are many other universities where people will be very warm to you.

I am not one to write reviews online, but for the sake of those who could experience what myself and a few other have, it’s worth it.
SOCIALLY:
Exeter is a bubble. It truly is a big private boarding school. The people are unlike any I have met before - in a bad way.
Let me preface this by stating that I am upper middle-class and my siblings attended private schools. I have never had a problem socialising with people from wealthy backgrounds. I am charismatic and generally likeable. Given this, I believed Exeter wouldn’t be a problem. I was quickly proven wrong…
Non-privately educated students should think twice before enrolling here.
Unfortunately, students at Exeter value status, popularity, wealth, extreme confidence and looks. The biggest problem is that it is a self-fulfilling culture. Others see what’s popular and they all follow suit. People loose their real selves in trying to fit in and in doing so develop nasty traits like arrogance and poor manners. For example, students will not move out of the way for you on paths or corridors. It is seemingly uncool to think about others.
The only things of importance are: if your dad owns Tesla stock, who you slept with last night before, whether you’re going out clubbing or where you went skiing last week. Admittedly, this is common in parts at any uni and can normally be ignored. But here it is not just an isolated group of individuals, rather it is endemic. As someone who does not value these things, I was essentially seen as uncool and not friendship worthy. It is like being in “Made in Chelsea” (the Tv program).
The truly entitled private schoolers dominate the small campus and small city. Indeed, I have met more lovely people in single weekends when visiting other universities than my entire time at Exeter!
To demonstrate, you will see “mullet” hair cuts, beige chinos, button down shirts and quarter zips worn for a routine trip to campus. YOU WILL FEEL INSECURE WEARING TRACKIES HERE. Private school logos dominate clothing. Every other student is displaying their private school emblem on their PE shorts and rugby tour bags.
Even in group projects I was made to feel excluded by such students simply because I do not speak poshly nor dress preppy nor go on ski holidays.
On a more POSITIVE note, the international students are very sweet. Often also coming from wealth, they however do not put such a value on status. They are both kind and interested in you as a person.
Overall, this sentiment is mirrored by other people that I met. Remember, these are people who come from middle class professional households, yet also felt inferior at Exeter!
POSITIVES - THE EDUCATION:
I was an Economics student. I cannot speak highly enough of the course, teachers and support available.
My mathematical abilities grew massively thanks to the teaching. Further, I was able to study a broad range of modules related to accounting, economics and business. You are also able to take modules from other departments like languages.
The teachers answer your questions very quickly and support you. The business school is simply amazing in response times when handling any queries.
The only issue with Economics degrees at Exeter is the examinations. IT IS INTENSE! There are just two terms, each with 11 weeks of teaching. Term three is just more exams. This system of learning means that the material is condensed into a small time period versus other unis. The significance of this is that it can be very hard to stay on top of work. It is almost impossible and is incredibly stressful at first. Further, you have exams every six weeks in addition to weekly smaller assessments and seminar work. This can be draining and at any period you are only a matter of weeks away from an assessment. If you get unwell, which is inventible at university, it is a mission to be fully prepared for exams. This is however not the case for all degrees.
In summary, If you love to study and work-life balance is not important to you, the education there is amazing. I absolutely loved my course and it certainly pushed me. But, for most others like me who aimed for a 1st, it simply did not leave enough time to enjoy weekends or to take a break.
SPORT:
Hockey, rugby and lacrosse are the main sports at Exeter. Rugby culture dominates and people even end up doing in it just to fit in.
If you like football, this is not the place for you. It is NOT considered a performance sport there! Not a single photograph of the football teams can be found at the sports park and there are no team managers. It is student-led and largely subject to favouritism.
The gym is a fantastic facility. It has around 8 squat racks. If you don’t mind being surrounded by tank top/vest-wearing rugby players and private school logos, you will love it.
-Again, I did not wish to write this review as I am not a negative person and really did not expect my university experience to be like this. It was therefore written to help any prospective applicants in realising the true culture there before getting into three years of it.
Lastly, it was not just me who felt this way. Many hide it and desperately try to fit in. Also, I acknowledge that the only way to change cultures like these is to introduce a more diverse student population which they attempt to do. But trust me, there are many other universities where people will be very warm to you.

would you say the same about the medicine course? as I know it is on a different campus