‘Early club entry isn’t that bad’: Here are 10 unpopular opinions about Exeter Uni

Everyone’s got an unpopular opinion about their uni. You will probably discover this when your friend starts raving about a popular Exeter club night that you really can’t stand, or when you just don’t get the attraction of the uni gym and making awkward eye contact with someone you sat in a lecture with once. Whatever your Exeter unpopular opinion, you’re probably not alone in thinking it. Chances are, everyone is thinking the same thing but is too scared to say it – so we’ll say it for you. Here are 10 unpopular opinions about the University of Exeter that will make you say: “Thank god it’s not just me'”.

1. You will get nothing done in the Law Library

Picture this, you’ve bought yourself an expensive Pret coffee and you’re heading to the library in hopes to catch up with the overdue reading that’s been piling up. You head to the Law Library: It’s miraculously got free seats and the atmosphere’s relaxed. Surely you can get stuff done, it’s still the library. Wrong. With the noise levels making you question whether your AirPods are actually on noise cancelling mode and the freshers spilling all of their current flat drama (it would be rude not to listen in), I challenge anyone to get anything done in this room. Sure, you can boast to your friends that you’ve been to the library, but if you want to actually catch up on that reading instead of chatting to anyone and everyone, try a coffee shop or the dreaded silent study areas in the library.

2. Exmouth isn’t the only beach

Don’t get me wrong, I love the third-term trips to Exmouth beach. When the weather’s nice, nothing comes between an Exeter student and a boozy beach BBQ. As great as these afternoons are, there are other beaches in Devon and they might even be prettier than Exmouth. Just as cheap on the train, Dawlish and Teignmouth are great spots and Budleigh Salterton is a personal favourite. Ask yourself this: Do you really want to graduate uni having been to one beach in the entirety of Devon? If not, do yourself a favour and go to watch the sunset somewhere else – you won’t regret it.

3. TP Wednesday is not worth the FIXR fight

Don’t kill me for this one. With the new TP Wednesday rules meaning that you can’t buy overpriced tickets from re-sellers, the only way to go to the infamous club night is to face the battleground known as FIXR. My question to you is: Is it really worth it? Surely random ticket drops and the app crashing when you’re just about to use Apple Pay is too much stress for a night being sweaty in a crowd of drunk rugby boys. Even if you manage to succeed in this impossible ticket conquest, you might spend your night longingly wishing to be good enough for a uni sports team (if this is the case see, opinion number eight). Ultimately, I commend you if you can hack the ticket war but if you really cannot be bothered, there is no judgement here. Besides, a spontaneous TP Tuesday can be the way forward – minimal stress AND a good night.

4. You probably won’t stay friends with your first year flat mates

Now, while this isn’t actually Exeter specific, it’s still worth saying. Every year a fresher, probably found in East Park or New Laf, will tell you that their flat is like “a family” and that they can’t believe how close they are already. While there are probably some people who will remain friends with all of their flat, for the most of us it isn’t the rosy picture that some people would have you believe. If you haven’t found “your people” in your flatmates, there’s really no need to panic – you’ll find them another way. Believe me, before long you’ll be sat in your second year house discussing the drama that’s happened in the houses of people who swore that they were “family”.

5. Early club entry is not that bad with the right people

The shock on my boyfriend’s face when I told him that we had to be at TP by 7:30pm is the reaction of most people when they realise how early Exeter nights out can start, no matter how hard you try to explain that TP is like a pub and a club combined. Whilst Exeter students are all too used to this early start, it doesn’t mean that they’re happy about it. Often, you can find people desperately trying to swap their 7:30-8pm tickets on Overheard for ones that mean they don’t have to pre in daylight. But hear me out, early club entry isn’t all that bad with the right people. The best nights out have been spent sat outside at TP, actually being able to talk to (and more importantly hear) your friends before making your way to the top top. There’s also the added bonus that you’ll probably want to leave early, meaning that you’ll be back in your bed before midnight and tomorrow you will definitely be grateful.

6. You don’t need to get your house in the second week of term

Housing horror stories will convince you that if you haven’t signed a house in the second week of uni, you will be homeless or in some remote area of Exeter (and Mount Pleasant doesn’t count). While I don’t advocate waiting until March to find a house, don’t fall victim to the peer pressure encouraging you to choose who you live with in week two – you will end up hating them and it will make for an awkward second year. It is honestly better to miss out on Penny Road than to live with people you don’t like. It might be an unpopular opinion but don’t decide your housing too early – future you will regret it.

7. The clubs can get unpleasantly busy

If you don’t agree with this one you’re either too drunk to care or enjoy being a human bowling pin getting constantly knocked over. While the music isn’t bad, it’s so busy that it’s impossible to enjoy it. When losing your friends becomes an inevitability and there are literal fights over free stash, it does make you question whether clubbing is all it’s cracked up to be. However, this opinion really must be unpopular seeing as week on week all clubs remain filled with Exeter students clearly unbothered by the certainty of being crushed to death.

8. You don’t need to be part of a sports team to enjoy uni

We get it, Exeter uni is very sporty – bleed green and all that. But there are many other things that you can do to be involved in uni life if you aren’t necessarily sport-inclined. Join other things like music or academic societies and who knows? You might even avoid the rumoured freshers sports initiations. If playing sport isn’t your thing, there’s nothing stopping you bleeding green in other ways – a personal favourite is going to rugby varsity. There’s nothing quite like watching Exeter beat Durham at Sandy Park with a few pints and lots of yelling.

9. All the walking is actually quite nice

If I had to face Cardiac Hill every day I might have a different opinion but the walking that every Exeter student knows all too well isn’t all that bad. It really feels like free exercise when you have no other choice but to walk to your seminars threatened by your module participation mark. It has also proven a great time to rant to your parents on the phone about the latest house drama without worrying who can hear you although be sure to check who’s walking behind you first. While it might be a pain at first, the 25 minute walk back from the club might just be long enough for you to sober up in time to actually take your makeup off when you get home. So get those steps in, blast some good music and all will be good.

10. Not everyone here is from Surrey

As a Midlands girl myself I would like to point out that there are people that exist beyond the realm of Surrey. We may be hard to find amongst the repeated “I’m from near London” but I promise we are around somewhere.

Related articles recommended by this writer:

• Here are five things an Exeter student really means when they say they can’t make a lecture
• Watch out Exeter: This is what your university road says about you
• Don’t have a car? Here are six places you can get to in Exeter without one