Anyone with a dc at Exeter?

[bendmeoverbackwards]

How do they find it?

Dd has been redirected from Oxford and is now considering Exeter where she has an offer. The course is Ancient and Modern History but if she accepts she might see if she can transfer to straight History.

Any experiences good or bad would be welcome! Thank you.

@GaribaldiGirl tbh I think there's enough of lots of different types of people at both campuses for anyone to find like minded people.

I'd say Penryn is a much more laid back student experience, small campus, small town, not many nightclubs, beaches, countryside etc. It's very much a matter of personal preference.

And the degree certificate doesn't have a campus on it. They're all Exeter degrees

Mine is in her final year (Streatham campus) and really enjoys it. We live in a small town so the size of Exeter is perfect for her. It's quite a bit bigger than our nearest big town, big enough to have lots going on and small enough for her to feel at home there and to know her way round.

I suspect those who are used to London, Birmingham or other big cities might find it a bit too small - but presumably they also feel the same way about Oxford (a little bigger than Exeter), Cambridge (a fraction smaller) and Durham (much smaller)?

Exeter is more cut off than Oxford, Cambridge and Durham. Durham is very close to Newcastle, which has lots of nightclubs. Oxford and Cambridge are close to London.

It's a small city campus university. Nothing wrong with that. It'll suit some but not others.

All kids I know there absolutely love it. Great courses, staff, students, fab campus v close to town, near beaches, good pastoral care, great sport. Negatives: small city, definitely not edgy/gritty, probably not very diverse

@Goingtothebudgies

Exeter is more cut off than Oxford, Cambridge and Durham. Durham is very close to Newcastle, which has lots of nightclubs. Oxford and Cambridge are close to London.

I went ro Cambridge and never felt that it was close to London! It seems very remote!

Ive just googled it - only an hour from London on the train! Never once occurred to me to go! Hoe funny. Exeter is about 2 hours from London and an hour from Bristol

@Frodont

Ive just googled it - only an hour from London on the train! Never once occurred to me to go! Hoe funny. Exeter is about 2 hours from London and an hour from Bristol

Trains between universities and London tend to be good when their alumni make up the government

Isn't it just distance??

Not always. E.g. London to Newcastle is about the same distance as London to Penzance, but it takes nearly twice as long to get to Penzance.

It depends; If you're WHITE - it's lovely! friendly, very green, cosy, good reputation with employers, beautiful campus.
If you're BLACK - It's a cesspit of racists in and out of the university.

@Rege

It depends; If you're WHITE - it's lovely! friendly, very green, cosy, good reputation with employers, beautiful campus. If you're BLACK - It's a cesspit of racists in and out of the university.

😞 that doesn't sound so good

Rege, is this your firsthand experience of Exeter? I keep reading that Exeter is racist but have not found anything to support this apart from one case in which the perpetrators were expelled for it ( so university handled it well). My DS is considering going there. I simply do not understand this ‘racist’ reputation. Can anyone explain, please why the label?

I've not heard this either. Trouble is these rumours become self fufilling prophecies, with black students being less likely to apply

My view, having been to Exeter, and having lived in the West Country (my parents still do), and then moving to London, is not so much that it is racist, but that it really is one of the least diverse areas of the UK.

When I graduated and moved to London, my parents' builder came up to do some work on my first flat in SW London. He asked me 'if I felt unsafe with so many, you know, of those people about....'. I genuinely didn't know what he was talking about until I gently questioned him further and realised he meant black people....I was utterly horrified, until I went 'home' and realised that it is SO non diverse, he felt uncomfortable. He is not remotely racist and one of the kindest, most genuinely nice people, but just hadn't met anyone who wasn't white, because there were (and still are really) relatively few non white faces in Devon and Cornwall.

Sadly it is not a 'rumour', I really wish it were. Racism exists in some form in every UK university which our black dc deal with as best they can. There have been incidents at various top unis but some universities particularly stand out for its nastiness and 'Exeter' is one of the worst in and out of the university.

Racism at Penryn campus

6 separate hate crimes targeted at Asian students

I'd like readers to read this next article in particular because it highlights the type of low level racism that black students face at university that people don't really pay attention to or get told just 'lighten up' as opposed to full on attacks that can't ignored.

Experiences of racism in UK universities

Exeter had a delightful racist Law society as recently as 2018 that was eventually disbanded.

Work is being done to address the issues at Exeter, lots of committees, talks etc etc but how effective this all is is anyone's guess, but probably not in time for my DC.
What is Exeter doing about it?

You read on here parents worried about how 'happy' their dc will be at xyz university...and they are white!, well imagine if you had to add, 'will someone attack my dc for their colour to the conundrum'? would people want to be their friend? will they be subject to racial slurs and laughed off? we all want our dc to go to university and enjoy themselves, make new friends, date and just thrive. Why are our black dc not allowed this?

Why are we forced to opt for a university lower than their abilities just to be safe?
I am angry and frustrated that we have very bright black dc who through no fault of their own are scared into not choosing any top university they wish and hope to thrive there because of some racist, entitled white dc who think they don't belong there and when I read threads like this about how all your white dc are having a blast! it grates even more. That's not your fault as individuals but I'm hoping you see why it's so frustrating.

One of my DDs best friends is at Exeter and is black. She is very happy there. Going to ask if she’s found it racist, hate to think that.

Just asked my daughter and she says one of her Asian friends there has said he has experienced racism and that have been some problems. Not good to hear.

I would genuinely like to hear from any black student who has been there in the last 2 yrs to get a feel for whether things are changing.

The racism issue is worrying. What about religious minority groups - Muslims, Jews etc?

There are lots of London based students at Exeter. There are lots from independent schools. All of these students will be very used to ethnic minority classmates and students. They are used to a diverse population.

My DD boarded and there were girls from diverse racial backgrounds and at university she was friends with people from everywhere and many who were non white British. That was Bristol. There appeared to be respect for each other.

I think universities often have clubs for minorities who wish to stay in contact with each other. One of DDs flat mates was keen on the Chinese student club. That didn’t mean she had concerns about how she was treated by others. It just meant she wanted to see other Chinese students and chat over a meal. Other groups might be Christian based, Jewish, black lawyers etc.

The West Country is a whiter area than many. It is offensive to think a black person cannot be trusted and it’s not acceptable. It is a hidden form of racism. Thinking they are not qualified in good jobs results in black barristers being shown where the public gallery is. It’s a racism assumption and lazy. People who think like this find it difficult to accept black people as equals or that they might be highly qualified. Isolating yourself in Cornwall is no excuse.

I really think that most students from most backgrounds are not racist. A few will have been brought up to think black people are not safe and don’t have the intelligence to question it. Don’t forget the worst problems will always be amplified in the news but most dc will be happy. However black faces at an Exeter open day are not as common as they should be I suspect. But students must be brave and go to the best university!

It’s also naive to think universities don’t represent the country as a whole. So there will be some people with questionable views, even from the largely middle classes who go to Exeter. I’ve no doubt Muslims might be under represented but that could be a geographic issue. Again it’s fairly white in the West Country and Penryn attracts surfing/beach types!

Also if Streatham is AAA for Business but Penryn is AAB, employers might question if AAB was good enough for Streatham. Penryn is easier to get into and is seen as less demanding - the courses look the same but they are not as evidenced above.

@presentingpercy Please do not think I was excusing his comments. I was utterly horrified, but this was c. 20 years ago and he was in his 50s so perhaps a generational problem, though it still is awful.

I read the links Rege posted. So not only in Exeter then but in other universities there are racist incidents (which is obviously not acceptable). But only Exeter has been singled out as ‘racist’. I would like to understand why as my son is seriously considering it but we have not managed to visit the university or the area. Is it because the area is predominantly white and thus it is assumed more ‘racist’ (if so that’s very prejudiced surely).

When there are racist incidents and thoughts in society, universities are not immune from despicable people. Students will have been influenced by parents and their upbringing. Of course these individuals don’t just concentrate at Exeter. They can go anywhere and do. It’s whether it’s gets into the media is what counts snd everyday casual racism doesn’t.

Also if Streatham is AAA for Business but Penryn is AAB, employers might question if AAB was good enough for Streatham. Penryn is easier to get into and is seen as less demanding - the courses look the same but they are not as evidenced above.

It's an Exeter degree. The campus is irrelevant. It's not referenced in any degree paperwork. Employers will neither know nor care about entry requirements once someone has a degree.