Exeter uni reassurance please!

[seymour]

Hi there, my daughter just got into Exeter uni through clearing but while she liked it when she visited ahead of the application process, she didn’t plump for it as her first choice as she felt it was quite “posh” and wasn’t sure if she would fit in. We are from a big city and she went to a comprehensive. Not trying to cause offence to anyone from a privileged background btw, we very much take every person as we find them, as does my daughter but just wondered if anyone could share their kids’ experiences? Thanks so much.

Yes! There’s a mix of kids there, she’ll find her tribe.
She may feel skint tho!

This is why my DD won’t even visit it.

My son went to Exeter and has come out the other end with a wide range of mates from all different backgrounds. He loved his time there.

Wow, how small minded.

OP the majority of kids at every uni in the UK were educated in state schools. That includes Oxford, Cambridge and Exeter. My comprehensively education Londoner dc loved it.

Not a single uni has more privately educated Dc than state ones. At Exeter it’s around 33%. So the majority are state educated. Not even looking is cutting your nose off to spite your face and obviously enhancing stereotypes. Go for the best for the course. All Dc are perfectly ok if you get to know them. You won’t pick and choose workmates so easily so @Notreallythatbad i think your DD needs to understand that her “tribe”
exists everywhere!

I went there. Comp educated from a medium sized city that posh people generally look down on. It was fine! There are loads of posh people there but vast majority of them are normal people. Of course you get the odd "too good to be here" population but she needs to remember that if that were true they'd be where they felt they deserved to be

Two of the nicest people I know from the most challenging backgrounds - not posh - imaginable went to Exeter. She’ll be fine

Wow, thanks for calling my daughter small minded.

She won’t be dissuaded. She has her own mind and reads and follows lots of fora etc and has made her own decision.

Of course she’s small minded.

That's a shame because the campus is absolutely beautiful. I'm hoping mine chooses there (he's comp educated).

Think you might have a problem there.

DS1 is at Exeter about to do his 4th year. He has really enjoyed his time there. It’s a lovely safe town in a beautiful part of the country. I would say Exeter university isn’t particularly diverse, but DS1 has made friends from all walks of life. He went to a grammar school, but we are not posh at all. DS1 is quite confident though and can hold his own with people from all kinds of backgrounds.

As a mum I have found Exeter a safe place to study and it’s also nice to visit ☺️

Wow, thanks for calling my daughter small minded.

Well it is small minded! She's decided that the majority of Exeter students are privately educated which is a) incorrect (and doesn't bode well for her ability to critically assess) and b) suggests she regards privately educated kids as somehow different. Which when they're staggering up the hill from a night out at one of the four 'spoons I can assure you they're not.

If I remember @boys3 recent data trawl on another thread correctly, 50% of Exeter's undergrad intake is from non-selective state comprehensives, so there will be plenty from a similar educational background and, as others say, the vast majority of students want to mix without reference to that. It is a good uni with some very interesting courses, and has the benefit of a very nice campus. Post Y1 accommodation can be expensive, but that is true of many southern-based universities.

I think it’s a fair enough question.

Exeter is the 8th worst for social
inclusion on the Sunday Times list from 2021. I understand why some students might feel nervous.

My kids are at places in the top three of that list and certainly have seen some exclusion going on. But largely most students are friendly and welcoming so I hope there is a place for everyone.

The 10 worst universities in England and Wales for social inclusion
1 University of Cambridge
2 University of Oxford
3 University of Bristol
4 Royal Agricultural University
5 Imperial College London
6 University of Buckingham
7 Durham University
8 University of Exeter
9 University of Nottingham
10 University of Bath

It was the loveliest campus and location we visited. The town was a perfect uni town and in walking distance. The students there were very welcoming, it was quite white though- that was probably what I noticed more than poshness. Similar to Durham (white and posh contingent but not off puttingly so).

Yes, after coming from London, my child was struck by how ‘white’ Bristol was. It was a real eye-opener.

My most successful (financially, career-wise) friend went there from an inner city comp. She loved it.
Your daughter can learn to mix with people from all walks of life. Privately educated students aren't all closed-rank elitist any more than state-educated students are closed-rank inverted snobs. Most people are just keen to meet others with shared interests.

Notreallythatbad · Today 17:35
This is why my DD won’t even visit it.

Think you might have a problem there.

I agree you might have a problem Notreally. What happens when your dd gets a job? Will she demand HR gives her a list of employees that might be ‘posh’. She sounds very narrow minded.

She will be fine, she will make lots of friends and have a great time. My child went to a 'posh' uni and had a great time. Most of his friends their are privately educated and some very wealthy but that is irrelevant. It's good to have friends from all walks of life.

There might well be other unis that offer the subject that are better then Exeter. However no one should exclude a uni based on erroneous data. I’ve definitely seen Northern Dc refusing to come south to a perceived “posh” area. I don’t feel Londoners have quite the same issues regarding going north. If you look at the list above, only Durham is Northern. Buckingham is a private uni in many ways so an odd inclusion. Many northern unis have small percentages of privately educated DC so it’s definitely north/south and tribal!

I went to a former poly and became friends with a lad who'd been to Eton. I was surprised when I found out because he was down to earth, funny, irreverant, creative and not in the least bit snobbish and I was prejudiced about Old Etonians. He proved me wrong, as did his Old Etonian brother, who I got to know too and who was also lovely. It was a good lesson in not pre-judging people.

OP I'm sure your DD will find people she clicks with regardless of their background.

Thanks so much everyone, very reassuring and as I said, we don’t pre-judge anyone, it was more her own insecurities playing into it J think. And as others pointed out, she noticed it was very white as we live in a very diverse area but that was more of an observation.

She us shall minded. Having an opinion and making her own decision doesn't take away from.thay.
Ruling out an entire university based purely on the fact that there are some 'posh' people there is incredibly small minded and an attitude that won't stand her in good stead in the future.

My ds is at Exeter, his secondary was in special measures for most of the time he was there... He really rates the teaching and the campus is lovely.