The Student Room Group

scared to go clubbing during freshers??

basically i'm awfully afraid of being spiked after seeing it happen to my friend not too long ago. lucky we were surrounded by people we knew at the time - but now i'm worried going clubbing with people i barely know?! no one will have a trustworthy friend group that early on that they know would help them out if things went wrong, so how does any of welcome week work safely?? i've also heard from locals that exeter is particularly bad for women's safety, and as much as i appreciate honesty that's making me even nervous! i was thinking of signing up for events at one of the campus clubs because i'd feel safer doing that, especially with them being closer to accommodation, but still apprehensive...

Reply 1

Original post by Anonymous
basically i'm awfully afraid of being spiked after seeing it happen to my friend not too long ago. lucky we were surrounded by people we knew at the time - but now i'm worried going clubbing with people i barely know?! no one will have a trustworthy friend group that early on that they know would help them out if things went wrong, so how does any of welcome week work safely?? i've also heard from locals that exeter is particularly bad for women's safety, and as much as i appreciate honesty that's making me even nervous! i was thinking of signing up for events at one of the campus clubs because i'd feel safer doing that, especially with them being closer to accommodation, but still apprehensive...

Hi, Anonymous #1

I hope you are well! 🙂
What university will you be going to? What will you be studying?🎓️

I'm sorry to hear about your friend, I hope they are well, and that you are feeling a bit anxious about going out at university.

I think signing up for one of the events at the campus club would be a great idea if you are interested, because you will get the chance to meet other students at your university (as opposed to a club in a town where there could be non-students, or other university students), and while all club/nightlife scenes have a duty of care over customers, it sounds like a nice option if you are feeling nervous, as lots of planning will go into welcome weeks/freshers weeks, and safety will be one of the universities top priorities. In addition, as you said, university events are likely to be on campus, and this could be closer to your accommodation too!

You could always get into contact with your university to see what measures/support they have in place for students who feel nervous about going out.

You definitely won't be the only student feeling this way! But there are some things you can do to stay safe, like staying vigilant/ aware, knowing your drinking limits, you could purchase a drinks topper, and although you may not have a close group of friends at first, I would recommend going out with a group of people, such as your flatmates/ course mates, and making a plan to get home safely. I'm sure you won't be the only one feeling this way, I certainly am more vigilant when I go out, so I'm sure you'll find some other students who feel the same, and they might be a good group to go out with!🙂

I hope this helps! Feeling nervous about going out is completely normal, and while no one should feel nervous about going on a night out, there are some things we can all do to make sure we stay safe! I hope this has settled your nerves a little bit, but don't let your nerves stop you from going out, having a good time, and meeting some friends for life!😊

Wishing you the best of luck for your start at uni! 😊

Best wishes,
Josie
University of Kent Student Rep🎓️
(edited 9 months ago)

Reply 2

Original post by Anonymous
basically i'm awfully afraid of being spiked after seeing it happen to my friend not too long ago. lucky we were surrounded by people we knew at the time - but now i'm worried going clubbing with people i barely know?! no one will have a trustworthy friend group that early on that they know would help them out if things went wrong, so how does any of welcome week work safely?? i've also heard from locals that exeter is particularly bad for women's safety, and as much as i appreciate honesty that's making me even nervous! i was thinking of signing up for events at one of the campus clubs because i'd feel safer doing that, especially with them being closer to accommodation, but still apprehensive...

heyy i’m at exeter uni!! honestly coming from a much larger city, i’ve found exeter to feel comparatively very safe. on a night out, a very large proportion of people are students. this means lots of students in the clubs and also lots walking back to halls at the end of the night!
i personally haven’t heard of any of my female friends experiencing spiking. that’s not to say it doesn’t happen, but i definitely feel safer in exeter than i do in my home city.
i also think exeter uni does have more females?? or at least that’s the way i feel on a night out which defo does help!
the campus club does offer a good option to help you feel a bit more relaxed, i've always felt safe walking round campus even late at night.
i would just recommend staying in groups, (and with boys if you can too for added peace of mind). keep your eye on drinks, but honestly i wouldn’t say exeter is disproportionately unsafe!

Reply 3

Original post by Anonymous
basically i'm awfully afraid of being spiked after seeing it happen to my friend not too long ago. lucky we were surrounded by people we knew at the time - but now i'm worried going clubbing with people i barely know?! no one will have a trustworthy friend group that early on that they know would help them out if things went wrong, so how does any of welcome week work safely?? i've also heard from locals that exeter is particularly bad for women's safety, and as much as i appreciate honesty that's making me even nervous! i was thinking of signing up for events at one of the campus clubs because i'd feel safer doing that, especially with them being closer to accommodation, but still apprehensive...


what uni do u go to or will be going to. also can u get the safezone app

Reply 4

Original post by Anonymous
basically i'm awfully afraid of being spiked after seeing it happen to my friend not too long ago. lucky we were surrounded by people we knew at the time - but now i'm worried going clubbing with people i barely know?! no one will have a trustworthy friend group that early on that they know would help them out if things went wrong, so how does any of welcome week work safely?? i've also heard from locals that exeter is particularly bad for women's safety, and as much as i appreciate honesty that's making me even nervous! i was thinking of signing up for events at one of the campus clubs because i'd feel safer doing that, especially with them being closer to accommodation, but still apprehensive...

Hi Anonymous #1,

I am a student at the University of Exeter and just wanted to assure you that, in my experience, Exeter has always felt like a very safe place to be at night. I come from London and was nervous about going out in a smaller city, but I've never had a bad experience, and my friends have always felt very safe here too.The amount of students means that there are always people walking in the same direction as you, and therefore always people to talk to/looking out for you if you needed.The campus club 'The Lemongrove' is a great option for the beginning as you may feel safer being on campus, until you've made stronger friendships and so feel more supported on a night out in town.

There is also an Exeter students listening service if you wanted someone to talk to on your way home, to make you feel safer if you are alone. The link to look more into this is https://www.exeter.nightline.ac.uk/home.

I hope that helps and let me know if you have any further questions!

Sophie
University of Exeter Student Ambassador
Original post by Anonymous
basically i'm awfully afraid of being spiked after seeing it happen to my friend not too long ago. lucky we were surrounded by people we knew at the time - but now i'm worried going clubbing with people i barely know?! no one will have a trustworthy friend group that early on that they know would help them out if things went wrong, so how does any of welcome week work safely?? i've also heard from locals that exeter is particularly bad for women's safety, and as much as i appreciate honesty that's making me even nervous! i was thinking of signing up for events at one of the campus clubs because i'd feel safer doing that, especially with them being closer to accommodation, but still apprehensive...

Hi there,
It is a scary world out there and I’m sorry your friend had that experience. I felt like this in first year and especially in freshers I actually only bought drinks I could see being made in a bar not a hectic busy club as I was so nervous. I’d recommend Safe zone is a great app for your phone to keep you safe on campus, life 360 is an app I downloaded with my friends to keep us all safe (especially on the walk home) and just staying together and watching out for one another is huge. There’s always people around during freshers to help out and as it’s such a big event people are prepped and know how to help with these things if, in the worst case scenario, it did happen. You sound like you have made some fab steps already to say safe 🙂
Best wishes
Emily

Quick Reply