Nine things that consistently humble me as an Exeter University student

At the University of Exeter, there are many things that humble me on a daily basis. It gets to the point where I might as well not even try to be a classic Exetah student because of how often I am humbled. You may think you’re the only one who has experienced these embarrassing, inconvenient and humbling moments, such as a 7:30pm TP entry. But, trust me, you’re not alone. Although these humbling moments frustrate us or leave us cringing for the next week or so, they’re universal experiences if you’re a student at Exeter. From the annoyance of tickets to the torture of Forum Hill, here’s all the things that consistently humble me as an Exeter uni student (don’t pretend this hasn’t happened to you too).

1. FIXR

The app that all Exeter students share a love/hate relationship with: FIXR. It’s the app everyone runs to to secure their TP Wednesday tickets before they sell out in less than a minute because let’s be real, FIXR determines your social life. This app is so temperamental that sometimes you don’t even know if you got your ticket successfully or not, making you want to bang your head against the wall, especially when every student at Exeter was desperately trying to secure their beloved EGB ticket. This app is the bane of our lives. It is more unreliable than the Eduroam Wi-Fi and THAT’S saying something. It is very humbling when you and your friends all gather around to make sure you secure some event tickets and only one of you manages to get one, or none of you do at all.

2. Begging on Overheard for tickets

This is the MOST humbling thing an Exeter student can do. When all is lost on FIXR and you failed to secure a ticket for TP, there is only one other option: Begging on Overheard. No one likes doing it, no one likes posting how down bad they are just to get a night out and no one, and I mean no one, likes the Overheard scammers who decide that £60 for a club ticket is reasonable. It becomes very humbling when you continue to comment “Messaged xx” under every single seller’s post. And it gets even worse when your friends start posting for you – at that point, just give up. It’s for the best.

3. Walking up Forum Hill

In Exeter, you get used to the steep hills very quickly. By the end of term one you basically become a hiking expert and have calves of steel. But, walking up Forum Hill humbles you real quick, no matter how long you have been a student at the Uni of Exeter. There’s just something about Forum Hill that puts you back in your place, especially when your bag contains your laptop, your books, your lunch, your energy drinks and your Stanley cup; the hill is not for the faint-hearted. It gets very humbling when you’re trying to control your breathing as fellow students leisurely walk down the hill, feeling as light as a feather. You’re not alone, fellow students who are also climbing up Forum Hill feel your pain. To get through it, they usually take a pit stop halfway up to have a puff of their blueberry ice Lost Mary. Why? Because health is wealth. There’s nothing like Streatham Campus to make you feel better about yourself.

4. TP Venoms

The classic TP Venoms: a dangerous game for all Exeter students out there. You always think they aren’t that strong and that it’s really just some overpriced juice with a VK in it. But next thing you know, you’re halfway through your second Venom and starting to hear colours on the TP dance floor. You wake up to the most humbling morning debrief known to man and deal with crippling hangxiety for two days straight. You ended up being carried out by your friends and threw up on the bench outside TP. You possibly lost something too and now have to go back to begging on Overheard to see if anyone has seen your black North Face jacket or Signet Ring, last seen at The Piece. You are simply just a silly fresh at heart.

5. Attending lectures hungover

This is a battle that ALL Exeter students must face in their time at uni: Attending lectures and seminars hungover. This is a real endurance test, which only the strongest of soldiers can face and that only the bravest academic weapons can tackle. There is nothing more humbling than sitting in the Auditorium listening to your lecturer ramble on about something to do with your degree whilst you’re trying to keep last night’s tequila shots down your throat. You start to see stars, you start to hear voices, you start to get the hangover sweats and shakes. You catch a glimpse of yourself in your laptop reflection and can still see last night’s garlic mayo on your chin. To be fair, the main reason you made it to the lecture was because you were still drunk when you woke up and now, it hits you all at once. All you can think about is chunning and treating yourself to a McDonald’s delivery for being so strong and brave.

6. Walking into the wrong seminar/lecture

This has happened to many of us once or twice in our times. It happened to me. I study English, but somehow walked into a Physics lecture? I have NEVER been humbled so quick and ended up walking in late to my actual lecture just to add to my embarrassment. It’s even worse when it’s the beginning of term and you’re entering a new class, not realising you are in the wrong one until the teacher begins talking about something that is definitely unrelated to your course. It’s okay, at least you’re trying to be a good uni student and get your attendance up somehow.

7. Falling down the Fever stairs

Fever is truly a fever dream and the stairs have seen it all. From the stairs coming out of the smoking area to the stairs that go to the girl’s toilets, there is just something about Fever that when you go in there, you lose all sense of balance (and dignity). Drunkenly conquering club stairs in general is a true skill and one that can only be learnt through numerous hazy memories of embarrassment. You may look like a bruised banana after your Logic Monday, but, hey, what can you do? You live and you Fever.

8. Chunning at pres

This is truly a humbling experience for many Exeter students out there. You know you might have taken it a bit far if you’re already chunning before you’ve made it down the East Park stairs. Perhaps it was a bit silly to down the whole bottle of Chekov mixed with one per cent summer fruit squash in the first half an hour of pres. So, many students embrace the “tacky chun” before heading out to make sure they actually make it in for their 8:30pm TP entry. It’s understandable if you were unlucky in Ring of Fire and had to down the middle cup (worst experience known to man). But, if you’re projectile vomiting in your mate’s mouldy bathroom, just stay in – you’ve been humbled too much already.

9. Ending up at Vaults after TP closes

Ending up at Vaults can be a massive win, depending on how you look at it. If you’re wanting to carry on the night after being in TP for four hours, then Vaults is the go-to. But, if you were meant to “just have one drink” at the pub on a Sunday and you end up at Vaults then, I really don’t know what to say. Waking up with a hangover on a Monday morning is a very humbling experience – you’ve already started the week on a bad note. It may seem like a good idea at the time, but trust me, it’s not always worth it.

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