Thought Freshers’ Week was scary? Here are five things that terrify Exeter students

As spooky season befalls the hallowed streets of Exeter, many students will be donning their scariest costumes possible for a festive night out.

But no horror movie, spooky story or jump scare can frighten an Exeter student more than these five things…

1. Tickets

Perhaps the scariest thing of all in Exeter is the cursed ticket system. Want to go on a fun spontaneous night out? Not possible here. Exeter students must use their organisational skills to plan their nights out up to weeks or even months in advance.

Far scarier than the looming threat of organisation is the possibility of even getting tickets. With Timepiece’s random ticket drops, coded regulations and record sell outs, trying to have a fun Friday or Wednesday night is sometimes impossible.

What will really chill an Exeter student to the bone is the prospect of having to fight off the scammers on Overheard, trying to secure a TP ticket for less than 50 pounds.

2. The housing market

Students in Exeter seem to find nothing more terrifying than the dreaded Exeter student housing market. Think Halloween is the scariest event in October? I beg to differ.

The crazed panic that spreads like wildfire among the student population makes trying to find your accommodation for next year an apocalyptic struggle. Many blame the letting agents for putting up their houses too early, but in my humble opinion, the students themselves create the panic that surrounds this feat.

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Once you’ve secured you’re student house, there still lies the fear of the evil housemate. What else could rushing into a house in week three of freshers lead to, if not the housemate who reveals their true colours once you move in together? Think piles of dirty dishes on the counters, chore-dodging, and those petty little arguments that living in close quarters always seems to bring out.

3. Sidwell Street

Many Exeter students have felt the bristle of fear as they pilgrimage down Sidwell Street after a night out to reach the haven that is Efes or Taco Bell. Many a story has arisen that rivals any ghost story about the happenings on this street.

Whether that’s being chased by locals or encountering a drunken fight, I’m sure most students will have one story or another about Sidwell Street. A stark contrast to the Tom’s Trunks wearing student body, the sights of Sidwell Street are scary enough to make these trust funded teenagers run as fast as they can.

But who can blame these locals for being slightly disgruntled as the tens of thousands of students descend on their previously quiet streets? What’s the real horror here, the student, or the local?

4. Trying to find a seat in the library

When deadline season rolls around students become lost, confused shells of themselves. They don’t know what to do when uni becomes university and weeks full of nights out become nights spent in the library.

On top of the stress evoked by assessments piled high, trying to find a seat in the library is a struggle known by many. Even if you leave at 10am, when most of the student body are sure to be still in bed, the coveted library seat is still not guaranteed.

Exeter students like to set up camp in the law library, spending days, and sometimes nights in the place. The struggle becomes even more pronounced when you want to study with a friend, the likelihood of finding two seats together are almost none.

5. Forum hill

What could be scarier than an 8am lecture on a Thursday morning? Well, none other than Forum hill. Trying to drag yourself up the mountainous climb whilst nurturing a headache and two hours of sleep is enough to make any student run screaming. Who thought you would need sherpas and oxygen just to make it to one lecture?

Whatever spooks you the most in Exeter this year, make sure not to fret too much. The little inconveniences in our university town are what make it so special. There really is no experience like that of an Exeter student – but we still love it all the same.