Exeter University - private student accommodation

I have an offer from Exeter Uni which I've accepted (hurray!) but didn't manage to get any university accommodation (boo!). My course is going to be split between St Lukes and Streatham and I'm struggling to work out what to do. The privately owned student accommodation looks great on their websites but I'm worried about missing out on campus life and potentially living with students who may be quieter/more mature etc. Does anyone have experience of living at Hillview Place, Exeter One, Northernhay House, Clifford House etc? I'd really welcome any information / experience anyone can share.

Reply 1

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

I lived in Northernhay my first year at Exeter. It's probably quite convenient for you as it's between the two campuses and easy access to buses to either if you don't want to walk up the big hill to the main campus. Can't see how you would miss out on "campus life", it's like a 20ish minute walk or a 5-10 min bus ride, Northernhay is directly in the town centre so you're actually closer to most of the nightlife activities there anyway as well. It was also convenient as I could see firehouse out of my window and scout out how busy it was and report back to my friends without having to leave my room :tongue:

The campus is really not that far away from the city centre anyway though.

In terms of other students at Northernhay when I was there most of them were school leaver age but international students doing various English language type courses at colleges and such there. I think the rest of the building was pretty similar demographics with just a couple of younger mature students or postgrads. I actually considered this a negative as it meant the building was full of drunk idiots (only occasionally including myself in that category) at all times and the fire alarm went off at least once a week a 2-3am due to toast failures after a night out.

Reply 2

ExeterStudentRep

Official Rep

Hi there!

I am sorry to hear you did not get any university accomodation, However, private accomodation in town is just as good an option!
I lived in both The Printworks and The Barn which are right between the Streatham campus and St Lukes and I really enjoyed it. Ultimately, you will meet people from all over: your course, sports, societies, through other new friends etc. so even if you find yourself in a situation where you do not get along with yout flatmates, there are so many people on campus that it is absolutely fine! In my experience, student life and socializing was the same in on-campus and private accomodation, it really just depends on the group of people you get put with. There do tend to be more international students in private accomodation, which is in my opinion a big bonus as you get to meet people from all around the world. They also often organize events in common rooms and have parties and dinners etc.
It is also really convinient to be 2-3 minutes away from town and both campuses are just a 15-20 minute walk.

I hope this was helpful!
Laura
Exeter University Student Ambassador

Reply 3

yupcabra23

im the same i just got a email saying they have no accommodation but i dont know about you, i applied to Northernhay House and it looks the same if not better than some Exeter accommodation places

Reply 4

Anonymous #1

Original post by yupcabra23

im the same i just got a email saying they have no accommodation but i dont know about you, i applied to Northernhay House and it looks the same if not better than some Exeter accommodation places

Totally agree. I've just spent a couple of days in Exeter looking at the private options and came to the same conclusion. I've gone for Clifford House just because it's accessible for both campuses and had more of a "halls" vibe. Fingers crossed it all works out!