The ultimate 2026 ins and outs for Exeter students

Welcome to the New Year, goodbye to old habits (and hello to some new ones!).

In 2026, you’ll make it to 9am’s, get a full night’s sleep, and stop circling back to the same guy… right?

1. Out: Stop going back to the same situationship. Please.

Situationships are bad enough as it is – why on earth do you keep going back to the same one? The guy you’re with isn’t a catch, he’s not worth the effort, and he’s already eyeing up his flatmate’s girlfriend.

For the love of all that’s holy, will you please stop? If you haven’t already finished with him, do. If you already have, keep it that way.

2. In: Waking up for 9am lessons

Let me put it this way… if you’re an English student, as a lot of us Exeter girlies are, you’re essentially spending something in the region of £100 per lecture. My point is, you’re essentially wasting money that’s either out of the trust fund or the SLC. Either way, you’re literally wasting money for an extra hour’s sleep.

Secondly, do you actually want to graduate? Seriously, I mean it. First year, second year… I don’t care. March your merry self up forum hill to your lecture or don’t complain when you get a 34 per cent.

3. Out: Scrolling Cider, Insta, or Tinder in class

Seriously, stop. You really need to wake up and pay attention. Time’s ticking, people!

You only have to get through 12 more weeks of actual class time. Is that not encouragement enough? It’s a bit weak that you can’t get through that without scrolling, actually.

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4. In: Taking out the bins

Take out the bins, clean out the kitchen drain, and mop the floors. And empty out the half-rotten food from the fridge – particularly anything you neglected to throw out before setting off for winter break. Living in a house of fruit flies is mildly disturbing and a little bit gross.

5. Out: Complaining about 8:30am lessons

Like, seriously. It’s one of the worst parts of student life, but we’ve all been there. it’s a canon experience, if you will, and you aren’t special for having to lug your MacBook out the house at 8am (or earlier). Like, actually, stop complaining.

6. In: Getting deadlines out of the way

“I have two assignments close together”, “I’m going to have to pull an all-nighter”, and “I haven’t even started and its due at noon” are uni-life staples, but really, its a little embarrassing.

You haven’t been under a rock, and the assignments have been showing on ELE since the start of the academic year. Get ahead of the game and get working sooner. Nothing is stopping you from pulling the dreaded caffeine-fulled all-nighter a week in advance, is it?

7. Out: Pining after a guy who’s just not that into you

From the bottom of my heart, please stop. It’s awkward for him, and lowkey embarrassing for you. You need to block him on everything and move on.

Even if you don’t believe there’s another guy out there for you (I promise there actually is) at the very least learn to be comfortable as your own person. If you aren’t happy being an individual, you have no business entering a relationship.

8. In: Taking a moment to be mindful

Of yourself, of others… take a breath and step away for a moment. You won’t regret it! Stop the doom-scrolling, drink a glass of water, and do something good for you.

I’m a huge fan of cycling – I have a mountain bike that I take along the river Exe in the summertime. Reading a book for fun (yes, English girlies, put down Beowulf and pick up something causal to read), learning a new skill, or going for a walk are really really important. You’ll thrive, even just if you take 10 minutes out the day to crochet or make a matcha.

9. Out: Bad sleep schedules

Am I writing this at 1:45am on my sofa while watching Netflix? Yes, but that’s no excuse. Isn’t the saying “Do what I say, not what I do”?

Anyway, I’ll go to bed when I finish this (promise) and even if I’m asleep by 2:30am, it’ll be an improvement on last night’s (or this morning’s… ah, confusing!) 3:30am. We need sleep to do well, and if you go to bed early, you’ll be up for your 8:30am, no trouble.

10. In: Sleep routines

Not just a sleep schedule, but a sleep routine. Reading a book for ten minutes before bed, an indulgent five minutes on TikTok… all of it counts. It’ll make all the difference with solidifying a sleep routine and give structure to the vaguely unstructured student life.

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