The Student Room Group

Exeter Vs Queen Mary

I have offers for Mathematics from Queen Mary and Exeter and don’t know where to go. I always wanted to study in London for the social scene and just being in London. But Exeter are ranked higher and i’ve heard do have a good social scene as well. Considering i want a good course and a vibrant social life what would be the better choice?
Hi anonymous,

Firstly congratulations on receiving an offer from both of the universities you applied to! I'm sure that's the result of a lot of hard work, but now it puts you in the exciting but perhaps tricky position of trying to choose between them.

Ultimately I'd say there is no right or wrong answer here, but that it's important to reflect on what is important to you and what you want to prioritise out of your own student experience. This can be a combination of both the social experience and the city, but also from consider the academic offerings of the university - for example what modules are offered as part of the course, whether the research interests of the department overlap with your own, and whether there are any extra opportunities such as doing a placement year in industry (you can find more about this as part of the Exeter course here).

It's important to not only think about your three or four years at university, but also how those experiences and the course might help set you up for afterwards, whether that be for further postgraduate study or starting your career. I can't comment on QMU and London as I haven't studied there, but I can say that Exeter has a great social scene with a number of different clubs and bars across the city, alongside different cinemas, theatres (including one right on campus!) and music venues from punk clubs like The Cavern to larger venues like Phoenix and even the Great Hall on campus. We've also got a wide range of sports and societies - listed on the link here - that contribute an important part of the social scene on and off campus. Regardless of what you're into on the weekends or a night out I'm sure you will find something you enjoy at Exeter. Being a slightly smaller city also helps as everything tends to be close together and easily accessible, so you can spend more time actually enjoying yourself socialising rather than worrying about the logistics or travel to the event.

As well as life in the city of Exeter, we've also got a range of green and blue spaces right on our doorstep, from the national parks of Exmoor and Dartmoor to wonderful beaches and surf spots across Devon and Cornwall. Personally I love the balance and really value time in nature and fresh air just as much as I do being in a busy city. Further afield in the South West we aren't too far away from other cities like Bristol, Bath and Plymouth, both easily accessible by train or bus, so that can add even more variety if you fancy a weekend away or if you're favourite band plays elsewhere on their tour.

Best of luck with the decisions you've got to make, but please reply and let us know if you have anymore questions we might be able to help with.

Kingsley
University of Exeter Student Ambassador.

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