These eight Exeter Uni moments shouldn’t be embarrassing but they really are

Sincerely, someone who cringes at everything

5 months ago | UPDATED 5 months ago

In your years at the University of Exeter, you are bound to have a slip-up here and there (or every Wednesday at TP). These things happen. We have all had our moments and have been extremely embarrassed over quite reasonable things like falling over, ending up at Vaults or kissing strangers in Fever room two as the Macarena plays. Embarrassment is a short-lived feeling but it’s hard to get over, especially when you find every little thing embarrassing. Let’s be real, it becomes hard to hide your red face when these things happen (like walking past your Tinder match in the Forum).

At the University of Exeter, it is very easy to feel embarrassed, especially when Overheard is your biggest enemy and can expose all these little embarrassing moments in your life. Think of your TP Wednesday snog in the smoking area, your lost ID outside of Efes or even your terrible parking on Penny Road.

Although many of us get embarrassed over our mishaps, it is also very easy to get second-hand embarrassment of other Exeter students, especially when they have no shame about being a “silly fresh” in their third year. So, here’s a list of all the embarrassing things an Exeter student does or has done, including second-hand embarrassment for those who shouldn’t be allowed out of the house.

1. Being late for a lecture

Starting strong with one of the worst: Being late for a lecture. The absolute embarrassment of walking into the Alumni Auditorium and having all eyes on you. It’s even worse when your lecturer PAUSES the lecture and points at a seat for you to sit in: “Come in, come in, plenty of room”. Ugh, makes me want to die just thinking about it.

As I always say, if I’m late for a lecture, I am simply not going. I am not risking the embarrassment that I will think about for the rest of the week, month and years to come – nothing worse than getting a cringe flashback as you’re getting ready for pres.

As much as we all try to be punctual, on-time students at the University of Exeter (*cough*, massive lie, *cough*) it can be super difficult to get to your 9am lecture on time. It’s especially hard if you’ve been out to your weekly Logic Monday the night before, or the Pret queue was a bit long, but you HAD to get your oat milk vanilla latte fix. To make matters worse, your lecture is taking place in the high heavens of the Amory Building, and you keep getting lost. At that point, just go home, it’s being recorded anyway.

Cringe rating: 10/10

2. Batty Bingo costumes in broad daylight

The whole point of the much-loved Batty Bingo is the super obnoxious costumes that come with it. As Batty pres usually begin at 4pm, you have little choice but to walk down Sidwell Street in your Oktoberfest dress, your superhero costume or your Barbie fit. You get a lot of Exeter locals staring at you, but surely, they’re used to the weird Exeter student life?

It is quite humbling when you see other students making their way to campus as you’re making your way to a pres with a bottle of Chekov in one hand and your mixer in the other. It’s not even night-time, but you’re ready to get the party started now. Although everyone knows you’re clearly going to Batty Bingo, I just can’t stop myself from turning red when I make eye contact with someone as I am in a questionable costume. But, after a few drinks, then they can stare all they want – just need that Dutch courage first.

Cringe rating: 6/10

3. Walk of shame

Now. The infamous “walk of shame”: Let’s face it, we have all been there. Whether that’s walking home from passing out at your friend’s house after what was supposed to be a chill wine night or walking back from your casual situationship who you called three times after your third double vodka and lemonade.

If you’re saying you have never done the walk of shame, you are a liar. There is nothing worse than making your way home in last night’s outfit, in the same dress or in the same shirt with a throbbing headache as you regret last night’s decisions. There is nothing worse than having your mascara smudged, lipstick smeared and last night’s makeup slowly seeping deeper into your skin.

Walk of shames are not for the weak. My advice for doing a walk of shame is to have your head down and message your Snapchat AI to pretend that you’re busy. Bonus points of embarrassment if you’re walking back from going to Batty Bingo the night before with strange pen marks all over your body (but not as strange as the mysterious hickey on your neck, that’s for sure).

Although the walk of shame is infamous, and you can instantly recognise someone doing the shameful walk as they make their way back to Lafrowda, just know you’re not alone. Many Exeter students have been in your shoes once before or, weekly in that position every Thursday morning after TP Wednesday. The walk of shame is only for the bravest and silliest of soldiers. It can be an embarrassing 40 minute walk home, but at least you got a new jumper out of it. Not all is lost.

Cringe rating: 7/10

4. Chunning

Chunning and “Tacky Chuns” are all part of the Exeter student life. Again, we have all been there before. But that doesn’t stop the sheer embarrassment you feel the next day as you wait for your Deliveroo to arrive. Sometimes, it needs to be done. Although chunning itself is not necessarily embarrassing, the location of where you do it can be the issue. If it’s in the club toilets – basic. If it’s in the middle of Fore Street after a brutal bottomless brunch at Turtle Bay with multiple locals walking by and it’s only 3pm – yeah, that’s pretty embarrassing.

No one likes chunning or seeing someone chun, but when you feel your green TP Venom slowly creep its way up, there is really no choice. You either run or you risk throwing up on Minty’s white linen trousers: “Rah man, these are vintage!” Again, the choice is yours.

Although many of us don’t even remember throwing up, when being told about it in the morning debrief can make your hangxiety 10 times worse. It’s even worse when your flatmates show you pictures and videos they got with your spag bol dinner swinging off your chin – not a good sight. It happens. Just make sure you got someone to tie your hair up and that you’re not throwing up outside of East Park (I am guilty, sorry).

Cringe rating: (if in club toilet) 1/10

Cringe rating: (if outside the TP burger van) 8/10

5. Finding a seat in the library

When deadline season creeps up, you just know the Forum Library is booked and busy. You either have to get there before Pret opens or wait for the freshers to leave around 7pm for their Logic Monday pres. It is super frustrating when you get to the library and someone has taken up three seats for their Macbook, iPad and keyboard (they are the worst kind of people in the Forum Library). Sometimes, you spend longer looking for a seat than doing your work – very annoying.

I hate it when I get catfished by a “free” seat in the library and someone’s left their Longchamp bag on it. I end up getting so embarrassed with people staring at me as I make my third lap around the Law Library. Even though this really shouldn’t be embarrassing, something about it makes my toes curl, especially when my bag is so heavy, and I just want to find somewhere to sit. It becomes a mixture of anger and pure embarrassment. After my fourth round of the Forum Library, I’m just going to go home. Turning up to campus was enough work for the day.

Cringe rating: 3/10

6. Carrying a food shop

Doing a food shop is a weekly task that all Exeter students have to face. If you’re lucky enough to have a car, you can simply zoom down to your nearest Adli or Waitrose (depending on how big the budget is), or you can always opt for a delivery to avoid the embarrassing walk back from town. But, for many of us that decide to be active and walk to our closest Sainbury’s, we endure the food shop embarrassment of carrying three bags of shopping, with a loaf of bread under one arm, on a weekly basis. It doesn’t get any less embarrassing every time you come face-to-face with the task.

Carrying your food shop is a strenuous task for any Exeter students. You begin to sweat, your shoulders become numb due to the weight of your tote bag and your legs feel like you’ve just climbed Cardiac Hill. As you make your way up Penny Road, you start to realise that you really need to quit that Lost Mary addiction as your lungs start to give way when you’re outside your front door. It’s even worse when you have to stop multiple times just to catch your breath.

It becomes super embarrassing when you walk past people who can see your struggle as you sweat and look close to death. Carrying your food shop becomes even more embarrassing when it’s your turn to get the loo roll for your house. The massive mega-value pack of 24 rolls down Sidwell Street is very humbling – making it known to everyone that yes, girls poo. Although the task of doing a food shop comes with a lot of embarrassment, you get to reward yourself with a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel at the end: A little treat for your endeavours.

Cringe rating: 5/10

7. Fighting for club merch

Right, this one is a second-hand embarrassment thing and mainly applies to Fever. Because, if you’re fighting for club merch that’s been thrown around by Fever reps, please, get a grip. I have witnessed this happen in the flesh and got chased around Fever room one by this fresher because I stole his Logic Monday bucket hat – true story. When the DJ announces that a t-shirt drop is happening in five minutes, the whole of Fever room two flocks to the booth, coming together like sardines just to possess the camo Dirty Beat bucket hat or Logic Monday t-shirt.

People become animals. Hats are being stolen off people’s heads whilst they neck on with a fresher. T-shirts are being ripped apart on the Fever stairs. People are on their hands and knees as they scavenge the floor for any merch remains. It becomes a tug of war game. I don’t understand why people get so aggressive over Fever merch but, they do. Any freebie and Exeter students go crazy for it. You probably won’t ever wear the club merch again, but at least you got to completely embarrass yourself by fighting first year girls over some Dirty Beat visors.

Cringe rating: 8/10