A – Z of Exeter: Part I

Welcome, University of Exeter Freshers. Welcome to your new university, your new halls, your new home for the next few years. 

All of us can remember our own Freshers’ Week: the anxiety, the small talk – “Hi! What’s your name? What course are you doing?” – and of course the Lemmy (officially known as the Lemon Grove), a must-visit on your first Saturday night.

Many of us enjoyed our Freshers’ Weeks so much that we have ended up repeating it two, three or, if first year inadvertently became an extended gap year, four times. (Any mark over 40, as they say, dear Freshers, is a complete waste of your time.)

In our A – Z of Exeter, whether you’re looking for a big night out, a quiet night in or a decent (but not too pricey) restaurant, The Tab can now provide you with the definitive guide to student life, both on and outside campus. Check it out below:

A is for Arena: If you ever get fed up of Rihanna, Will.i.am or Taio Cruz – artists who all make shedloads of money via repeated beats and predictable lyrics – head to Arena on a Tuesday night for some Backstreet Boys and, if you’re lucky, La Macarena.

B is for Bolting: Defined by the Urban Dictionary as drinking “a beverage (preferably Snakebite) as quickly as possible with minimal spillage,” bolting will probably become a way of life for some Freshers – particularly for you sporty ones.

A realistic portrayal of how blokes bolt in Holland Hall.

C is for Cellar Door: The latest addition to Exeter’s nightlife. If you like flat peak caps, dark rooms and grimy beats, you can skank all night in Cellar Door. Situated on the Quay, please don’t walk near the water’s edge after a ‘Cellar Door Iced Tea’.

D is for Dominos: Not the game, obviously. By the end of first term, you’ll be dialling the number for Dominos for post-dinner takeaways more often than you call home. For the best deals, get your hands on some vouchers during Freshers’ Week.

E is for Edgy: From Bristol to Leeds, edginess is endemic in student culture. In all likelihood, there’ll be someone on your corridor who smashes MDMA and will tell you – more than once – how they listened to Disclosure “before they got big.”

F is for The Forum: It may look like Terminal 5, but The Forum is the epicentre of student activity on campus. With the library, the student shop and The Ram all in the same vicinity, you hardly need to move an inch during the dreaded exam period.

Minus the overhead screens, deadline day for library fines.

G is for Gilet: With around two thirds of the University of Exeter students either descending from Guildford or boasting more than two polysyllabic middle names (or both), gilets are as common around campus as small-time drug dealers in Leeds.

H is for Holland Hall: Some of the most expensive accommodation on campus, a small minority of its residents like to live up to their posh-prick reputation. In comparison to some of Lawfrowda (see L), Holland Hall is almost heaven on earth.

I is for International Students: With more than half of Business School’s students hailing from countries outside the European Union, there are plenty of international students on campus – most of whom tend to walk together in rather large groups.

J is for Jaegerbomb: Who doesn’t like a jaegerbomb or two? In fact, every so often, who doesn’t like three or four of them? Dancing in a club at 1am, a jaegerbomb is probably the best (and most legal) option for keeping the moves going until lights on.

K is for King Billy: Boasting a member of staff who goes by the name of Rob ‘The Dogg’ Fellows, you’d probably have to be barking mad to walk into The King Billy. Located on Longbrook Street, it’s probably Exeter’s most unfriendly-looking local boozer.

With a vest, he wouldn’t seem too out of place at The KB.

Stay tuned, readers, until later on in Freshers’ Week for letters L – Z.