Time to break up with the library and try these five Exeter café study spots

They’re all going to be better than your bedroom

2 years ago

Final year students, your stress is showing. Your eye-bags have eye-bags and your hair hasn’t been brushed in a week. Your laundry is either overflowing or nonexistent and your laptop battery is about as low as your energy level. It’s officially dissertation season.

If, like me, you’re struggling to sit down and start writing – and you need something to blame other than your academic burnout – it might be worth ditching your cramped bedroom and romanticising your study sessions by heading out into town to study. Grab your tote bag (I know you have at least three), your laptop and your will to live, and get your stressed little soul down to these five spots in town.

Taste of South Street

My newest (and proudest) discovery that I’ve been very torn about sharing. Luckily for you, I decided that gatekeeping study spots during diss season was deeply immoral, so here you are. It is a funky, industrial style coffeeshop that doubles as a cocktail bar AND restaurant; if you can dream it, South Street does it. 15 per cent student discount, free wifi, funky music, awesome staff, delicious food and fabulous drinks – what more could you want? The £4 Mac n’ Cheese has kept me company in many a study session. It has fabulous vibes, whatever the occasion. Its proximity to PureGym also means you can double up a gym AND a study sesh if you’re really feeling productive – an idea I’m yet to put into practice. 10/10.

Grow Coffee House

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Located dangerously – or conveniently – close to Taste of South Street is the Grow Coffee House, another great spot for some work. Whether you’re a sofa curler, a barstool percher or a booth hogger, you’ll only struggle to find a seat because it can get busy – there’s all kinds of seating arrangements for you and any study buddies you might’ve found yourself otherwise. Being conjoined with a music shop means there are also guitars mounted on the walls as well as an assortment of books, reminding you that there is more to life than work. I was serenaded by a live jazz band over a hot chocolate the other week. If that’s not romanticising your studying, I don’t know what is.

The Undergrad Cafe

An oldie but a goldy, with great food, cute vibes and gorgeous plants from the plant shop (conveniently) located next door. Everyone there is a student, which immediately fires up my competitive streak – being surrounded by other students typing furiously (while sipping on coffees that are definitely made exclusively with oat milk) motivates me to at least appear to be working. Eventually, I find that I stop pretending and start actually doing something; fake it til you make it is a phrase I fully believe was coined in the corner of the Undergrad Café, Exeter.

No. 1 Polsloe Cafe

An absolute winner for those of you living around the Mount Pleasant area, this cute little café is right around the corner. It makes a nice change from having to trek into town to get some work done and offers breakfasts that are to die for. The mugs are also super cute and make for an excellent BeReal opportunity to flex your aesthetic study session. Oh, and did I mention it’s dog friendly?

Boston Tea Party

Look, I know this is a chain but HEAR ME OUT. Boston Tea Party is a study space that people have been catching onto since first year, and it deserves some credit. The spacious layout makes a nice change from cramped student houses (those poor suckers stuck in attic rooms, I feel you). The indoor palm trees and big windows add an awesome touch; on a sunny day I can convince myself that I’m already on holiday (and my diss is already in the distant past). Probably the best thing about BTP though, is that you can order online from your table. This is great because a) you don’t need to deal with the stress of ordering on top of the stress you already have and b) you can keep a constant stream of drinks and snacks coming your way. What more can you ask for?