University of Exeter Nightlife

I've gotten an offer from the University of Exeter, and it's one of my options to firm to study Psychology, however I'm worried about the level of nightlife. I was previously under the impression that there weren't a lot of clubs or anything in Exeter, so thought it was more similar to Bath in the sense that the nightlife isn't great, however I've been researching more online and talking to friends and a lot of sources say its quite a big party uni. I'm not someone who likes to drink, let alone party, so I just want to know how involved Exeter is in this. I'm going to visit it in a couple of months to get a feel for the place so this isn't a deciding factor, but it would be helpful to know. Thanks!!

I've gotten an offer from the University of Exeter, and it's one of my options to firm to study Psychology, however I'm worried about the level of nightlife. I was previously under the impression that there weren't a lot of clubs or anything in Exeter, so thought it was more similar to Bath in the sense that the nightlife isn't great, however I've been researching more online and talking to friends and a lot of sources say its quite a big party uni. I'm not someone who likes to drink, let alone party, so I just want to know how involved Exeter is in this. I'm going to visit it in a couple of months to get a feel for the place so this isn't a deciding factor, but it would be helpful to know. Thanks!!

Hiya!
I’m a second year student at Exeter and honestly, I’m not a big party person either - I don’t drink, I get anxious in crowds, and I tend to only go out and socialise if my friends drag me! Hopefully I can answer your question and help reassure you that Exeter is right for you.
The level of nightlife you experience will really depend on what you want and what you get involved with. We do have a few popular clubs which tickets are often sold out for so it’s safe to say there are plenty of people who do enjoy a night out. There’s often some sort of themed club night going on so walking around town in the evenings you’re pretty much guaranteed to see someone in some sort of fancy dress costume - seeing a crowd of minions wandering the streets of Exeter doesn’t even faze me anymore! However, from my experience there really are plenty of opportunities to have fun and socialise in more chill environments. We have over 300 societies who will sometimes run socials like pub quizzes and club nights but equally I’ve been to ice skating, bowling, pizza nights, beach trips, therapy dogs, glass painting and other chill crafty socials… the list goes on. There’s even a trampolining social coming up with the Taylor Swift society! Plus the summer and winter balls which are a fun opportunity to dress up and have a fancy meal with your friends.
In my first year accommodation my flatmates did occasionally host pre-drinks or parties in the kitchen, or come back from the club in the early hours of the morning and chat in the hallway - I made sure to bring earplugs to uni so it didn’t bother me too much. If this sounds like a nightmare to you, something worth looking at if you do choose Exeter would be the Further Preferences section of your accommodation application form. Here you are able to indicate that you would like to be allocated to a quiet flat and/or an alcohol-free flat. The uni can’t guarantee these allocations but ticking these options will make it much more likely that your flatmates will share similar views which might ease your mind.
I’ve experienced no peer pressure at all to attend anything I didn’t want to. Through my course and societies I found it really easy to befriend like-minded people who prefer to stay in and chat, watch movies or play games with the occasional pub night here and there. While Exeter may have a bit of a reputation for its lively nightlife, your personal uni experience is really what you make of it. Uni life looks different for everyone and finding a solid group of friends who share your preferences to enjoy it with is something I can personally vouch for.
Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions
Bella
University of Exeter Student Ambassador