Six things to do in Exeter that are easier than your dissertation or your exam revision

April is here, which means it’s dissertation/deadline season. Get ready for an ungodly amount of hours in the library: About half of which are actually spent studying, and the other half probably crying. Who’s excited? Whether it’s exam prep, essay writing, or the dreaded diss itself, it’s tricky to fully appreciate any glimpse of the approaching summer sun when we’re buried deep beneath a mountain-load of assignments and tasks.

Even the most impossible of dilemmas an Exeter student may face now seem achievable next to that incredibly high word count. And so, we’re counting down six things which are genuinely easier to do than hitting that deadline. I know which I’d rather be doing.

1. Securing a TP ticket

With Unit 1 dead and gone, Exeter’s oh-so-tiny nightclub selection is now increasingly dominated by the overpriced fountain of dreams that is Timepiece Wine Bar and Nightclub. Even Tuesdays are soaring in popularity (rest in peace Cheesys, and those blessed first year memories). No doubt in the near future, every day of the week will be a Timepiece day. 

As a result, and despite very recently failing us not once, but twice (EGB in my back garden, anyone?), the dreadful app that is Fixr remains the battleground for securing that oh-so-precious ticket. If you’re looking to grab one though, be quick: Else those hours spent in the library may end up devoted to scouring Overheard for something later than a 7:30pm entry, and cheaper than an eye-watering £15+.

2. Staying friends with your first year flatmates

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They’re called “first year flatmates” for a reason. If you’re in second year or beyond, and are still pals with the folks you met on your first day in student accommodation, then fair play to you, you’ve achieved the unachievable (either that, or you never bothered to branch out). Each to their own, I suppose: But a new study buddy or two never hurt anyone.

3. Survive a night at Fever

Timepiece disappointed, and now Fever’s your destination for the night. Our advice: Approach the mosh pit that is room two with a decent amount of caution and two feet planted firmly on that newly renovated dance floor. 

On the other hand, if being pushed around like a pinball and shoved here, there, and everywhere by some mullet-donning drunkard is more your thing, then Fever’s the one. Bonus points if it’s a weekend, and the locals are out to get you, or simply out to aggressively do the worm in Room 1, for some fascinating reason. Just try and avoid stumbling there the night before those 8000+ words are due.

4. Win Batty Bingo

We’ve all heard of that friend of a friend of a friend who won a very expensive and impossible-to-transport-back-home television at Batty a few months back. Winning may be just as impossible as finishing that dissertation without an extension, though.

Especially when half your friends have disappeared (leaving their bingo tickets for you to desperately scramble over: Honestly, the amount of times I’ve found myself playing over four cards at once) and the rest have spilt the contents of the evening’s beverages over their tickets and ruined their chances of winning. Tough luck.

5. Find a seat on campus

Set those alarms for 7am sharp and prepare to embrace the morning summer sun if studying on campus is your thing, because dissertation season brings with it the hordes and hordes of students desperate for a seat and a socket on campus. Whether it’s the solitary Loft, the overly chatty Law Library, or even the recently refurbed Devonshire House, finding a seat on Streatham Campus is no easy task. Alternatively, be prepared to brave Exeter’s coffee shops, or even stay home. Finding that precious space is only step one, though. You know what comes next.

6. Visit Unit 1

Gone, but not forgotten.

Related articles recommended by this writer:

• The eight stages of writing your dissertation at Exeter, as told through BeReals
• Here are five things an Exeter student really means when they say they can’t make a lecture
• Here are the eight best places to find your soulmate at Exeter Uni