Brunel or Exeter??

I've been accepted by Brunel and Exeter, and i'm having a bit of trouble choosing between them. Would anyone be able to help me with their experience at any of these unis? Or if you have any thoughts about which uni is better?

Reply 1

Anonymous #2

Original post by Anonymous

What course do you want to study?

I go Brunel and although I do enjoy being there, the management and tbh in general the uni is ****

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

I'm doing business and management, but more than the course i wanna know about the living experience, student life, diversity, etc.

Reply 3

Anonymous #2

Original post by Anonymous

I'm doing business and management, but more than the course i wanna know about the living experience, student life, diversity, etc.

Okay

Living experience/ Student Life - Well, some of the halls can be a bit dire, especially the cheapest halls where u will have 14 odd neighbors (and only 2 toilets bearing in mind) I went for middle tier accommodation (9 flatmates all ensuite), price wise was like 154.00 a week off the top of my head, i hit jackpot cause I got put into a disabled room which is twice the size and the ensuite to match (can have a bath shower/wet room in there) otherwise standard pokey outdated sh*t that they like to nail down so you can't acc rearrange the furniture into a usable space but i digress. Maintenance men are useless ngl and often make the problem worse rather than resolve it but I have been left the equivalent of a tool kit in their sloppiness so I am happy about that lol (as an engineer n all). Get used to the fact that majority of ur bstrd flatmates can't cook (not even toast) and you will be evacuated 24/7 by a siren that must have been left over from WW2. The washing machines always run cold and never spin properly so be prepare to be ripped off like 8 quid a wash and dry lol. Also if you are a light sleeper ur fked lol. The student club on campus is a lot of fun and has a good buzz especially global nights but the local nightclub to the area (Atik) is kinda crap - all bouncers hate you (having chewing gum is a war crime in that Atik stg) and you have to reallllly like 'London stylie' music. I come from a coastal party town so only having one club is alien to me. Commute into London is looooong, you will be sober by time you reach central so finesse your illegal tube drinking skills and to be expected, central clubs are disgustingly expensive and chocka with thieves. Shops wise, most are a 25 mins commute by foot from campus (depending on which side you have accommodation in) you have Lidl, wilko, poundland, tesco, etc. Word to the wise, limit buying from Cost Cutter as it is far from cost cutting lemme tell u that. Crime is also a bit questionable round there, hell when I joined a boy got stabbed to death just before. One highlight is you can get an 18" pizza for 10 quid free delivery

It is a very diverse university that hosts a lot of international socials so whatever your ethnic background you are likely to feel at home, same goes for the gender split. Beware some of the sports socials, they will smash ur flat up *cough* football, rugby and hockey *cough* and also beware the leaders of these socials peer pressuring ppl to drink far far too much or getting them to buy too much

If I think of anything else or if you have any other questions drop it in chat but this is off the top of my head.

Probs not selling it but I'm giving you a realistic overview

Reply 4

Anonymous #1

Ahahah omg damn all this sounds so intense, definitely reconsidering my choice towards Exeter now, but one last thing that i wanna know is what the crowd is like, i mean is it easy to make friends or is it like a mean girls situation there? Also are the dorms close to the academic places or is it a long walk?

Reply 5

CuriousO

I do not know about your course, but on a whole they are not in the same category. Exeter is usually grouped around the 3rd tier of the top, alongside unis like Bristol, Durham, Warwick, Kings. Brunel is not even Russell Group.

Reply 6

username5801834

Original post by CuriousO

Brunel is not even Russell Group.

There are plenty of great universities outside of the Russell Group. Not being in the Russell Group shouldn't be a reason not to go to a university.

Reply 7

CuriousO

Original post by SpaceLover29

There are plenty of great universities outside of the Russell Group. Not being in the Russell Group shouldn't be a reason not to go to a university.

It is if you hold an offer from a superior institution

Reply 8

username5801834

Original post by CuriousO

It is if you hold an offer from a superior institution

So it being a "superior institution" is what actually matters, not whether it is in the Russell Group or not.

Reply 9

Anonymous #2

Original post by Anonymous

I can't really speak on behalf of Exeter but I have a friend who goes there and I think they really enjoy it. Disclaimer tho, they aren't actually in Exeter, their campus is in cornwall yet it is still exeter university (whack ik) so more of a pub and beach scene there I think and a few snobs but overall fun?

Anyway, back to Brunel. I would say it is easy to make friends, my actual flatmates didn't really gel well at all but on my actual course everyone was relatively friendly. Can feel a bit like like school all over again as people like to fall into small familiar friendship circles (creature comforts and all that) but I think that is going to be the case wherever you go. Just put yourself out there and I highly encourage you accept any night out you can and join any social club you fancy. Really make the most of your first year cause yr 2 hits you like a train (as a design student anyway lol)

Other words of advice are meal prep, just do one phat cook sesh that covers a few meals and freeze down and ALWAYS tidy yo sh*t before you leave somewhere - you will not regret that when you come back off ur t*ts and just wanna crash.

But yes, keep weighing up your options, someone will say it's amazing, others not but it varies from the year group you are with and the course that you do. I can see some hot debate below about Brunel being scum class for not being russell group (lmao) but it is acknowledged as being one of the best institutes for design and I believe business as well so don't let that put you off entirely!

Reply 10

Anonymous #3

depends what your course is, if you wanna be in a very diverse uni ( Exeter is a long way from being diverse) . Brunel is really strong in some subjects. Don't get hung up on Russell group. it's meaningless and a marketing thing and doesn't apply for most subjects. The campus is great and I think everything is close and well organised. I get on well with flatmates and as most if my course friends also live on campus its great. There is loads of campus halls

Reply 11

Anonymous #4

Original post by Anonymous

I saw you said earlier your doing business, honestly at Brunel not many business students stay on campus. And with the remnants of covid still lurking all the lessons are still hybrid so socialising within your own course can be quite tricky. Also living in london is quite expensive all round.

Reply 12

Anonymous #5

While they are both good universities, they are different. Brunel is more diverse, Exeter less so. If you want to go to university to have a good time, think about the different social scenes at both universities. Brunel would be a lot of fun. If you want the best job prospects, choose Exeter. No matter what people say about it not being important where you go to university, it does make a huge difference when you are applying for jobs. You have to bear in mind that short listers scan your application, they don't read it. They are looking for things that make a difference and they will mentally sort out those with solid degrees from well respected universities, and that means Russell group, and those higher in world rankings. Its not nice, but it is how it is.

Reply 13

ExeterStudentRep

Official Rep

Hi there!

Firstly, it's great to hear you got an offer from Exeter University, that is fantastic news! My name is Laura and I'm a student ambassador at the University of Exeter and have been living here for 5 years now so I'll do my best to give you some insights into student life.

If you have had a look at Exeter University I assume you already know it is campus-based. This is great because you can come to uni in the morning to your lectures/seminars and everything will be a 5min walk away. The main forum also has everything you might possibly need from restaurants to caffes, bars, shops and more. Town is only a 15 minute walk away so depending if you are based on campus accomodation or in town, everything is really close!

Exeter is really good for all things social. There are more than 300 societies from sports and course-based to more random ones like Taylor Swift society or Hide and Seek society. There is really something for everyone and during freshers most of them have taster sessions where you can meet other freshers and see if it is something you would enjoy. You also meet people through your course, accomodation, sports, through friends etc. so even if the first few weeks might seem a bit rough with meeting new people, eventually everyone finds their group. The Student Guild also offers a bunch of events such as flatmate finder, arts and crafts, movie nights and more where you get to meet new people. Almost every society will have weekly events which can be both drinking and non-drinking. Sometimes it will be a night out social but sometimes its a beach day or a picnic social so you can choose what you want to go to based on your preferences. There are also loads of activities in town like bowling, the boom bar, escape rooms, kayaking etc. All in all it is a small. town but it has a very vibrant student life!

You will find that living costs are definitely cheaper compared to bigger cities like London. There are a lot of opportunities for part-time jobs either in town or within the university (student ambassador, internships etc.). I would also say (based on my personal experience) that Exeter is a very welcoming ans safe city. Because more than 40% of people living in Exeter are students, there will almost always be some students around when walking home from nights out. There is a night bus that goes from town to campus on 'student nights' and there is also a safe walking route where you can call up estate patrol and they can watch you get home or stay on the phone with you. I find this to be a big advantage for a smaller city which you may not find everywhere.

One of my favorite things about Exeter is that all your friends live really close so you dont have to spend too much time commuting between your place, uni, town and where your friends live. All in all, if you want to get away from big crowds and settle down for a while in a smaller community with a really good atmosphere I would absolutely reccomend Exeter.

I hope this helps and if you have any other, more specific, questions please do ask!

Laura
Exeter University Student Ambassador