Here are eight frustrating things only Exeter Uni students will understand

Most of the time, Exeter students will agree that being at uni here is a blast. It’s a close distance from the sea which means spontaneous beach days and of course, every Exeter student loves pres at Laf. You can even grow to love the hills after enough time!

But, that doesn’t mean Exeter is all blissful beach days and fun nights out. Aside from the typical uni hardships (think staying up past 2am to complete an assignment due the next day), Exeter has its own unique obstacles that only a well-versed “bleed green” student will understand. If you thought Cardiac Hill was the worst of your troubles, you might want to think again. So, here is a definitive list of frustrations that only Exeter students understand.

1. Never getting club tickets

Exeter is host to a number of clubs which is perfect if you haven’t got an 8.30am the next day. However, getting into these clubs may prove harder than expected. The famous Timepiece is an excellent place for a fun night with your friends, but tickets are famously hard to get. If you want to make it to the upstairs of TP, get ready to frantically message your class group chats: “Anyone selling a TP ticket?” at 9pm. Another great clubbing option is Fever, which you can get into without a pre-paid ticket, as long as you’re ok queuing for 45 minutes and have £5 cash on you.

2. Getting the ‘Are you up to go out?’ text

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It’s even worse when you’re settling down for a quiet night, a cup of warm tea in one hand and Netflix loading on your laptop, when you get the classic: “Up for a night out? x” text from your bestie. Who are you to say no? Besides, who wants a cosy night in catching up on work when you could be getting violently elbowed by drunk men in the club instead? Even if you’re aiming to get in for 11pm, that means pres by 9pm, which means getting ready by 7:30pm – yeah, the work is going to have to wait until tomorrow.

3. Waiting for the heating to go on

A classic uni predicament, especially as the weather gets colder. In the Exeter accommodation, the heating only gets turned on from a certain time onwards, so as everyone eagerly awaits 6pm, you’re going to be left piling on the coats and jumpers as you desperately try and keep your fingers from freezing when finishing those pesky assignments!

4. The campus cat won’t come in

Exeter is home to two gorgeous cats, named Napoleon and Flash respectively. These lovely felines spend their time exploring campus, and if you’re lucky, you may run into them on your way back from class! The more frustrating part is the cat’s lack of enthusiasm to the invitations inviting them into your halls. I don’t know if you’ve been there, but I’ve certainly kept the accommodation door open for five minutes, desperately trying to lure the cat in so we can finally get a much loved flat pet, only for them to bolt at the last second.

5. The uni printers

I don’t miss much about high school, but one thing I do miss is the seemingly unlimited access to the printers. At Exeter, we have a very generous weekly budget of £1 we get to splash out on when it comes to printing. Not only that, but the online process of getting your file to print is a battle within itself. Oh, and to make it even better, you have to use the university WiFi to print which, as all Exeter students know, isn’t always the most reliable – classic Eduroam. 

6. Being unable to find library seating

You’ve just finished a particularly perplexing lecture which you zoned out of half way through. But all isn’t lost – you made notes! You and your friend grab a cheeky Pret iced latte and head to the library, ready to do some extra work and understand the notes you just wrote but oh, wait – the world is against you. All of the seats in the library are full as well as upstairs (and downstairs). You and your friend are left searching at the end of the library shelves for a vacant seat as the ice in your latte melts away. It’s probably better to go home and call it a day.

7. TP cups

You’ve gotten into TP, congrats! Now comes the hard part – bagging enough plastic cups to keep you and your besties supplied for the week. A simple enough task can become quite competitive mixed with dark flashing lights and alcohol. Trying to find one of those pesky plastic cups may take up a good bulk of your evening, and may result in a scrap or two, depending on how desperate you are.

8. Losing your keys

Gone are the good old fashioned door keys. Instead, at Exeter, you get a trusty fob, the mechanics of which I’m not going to even try and understand. Helpfully, these room keys are only slightly bigger than your thumb, which means you’re probably going to want to invest in a lanyard or, if you’re feeling fancy, one of those fob phone cases. But even with these investments, there’s no guarantee your key is safe. A night out mixed with some heavy dancing may result in your key being forever lost on Sidwell Street, leaving you wandering aimlessly outside your accommodation at night.

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• Here are five things I learnt about Exeter when visiting other universities