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.

I went to Exeter and loved it. Stunning situation and easy to get into the countryside/coast as well as a walk into the city. DS’s best friend is going there - from a south London comp. He knows several others (some privately educated). Coming from London pretty much anywhere will look less diverse - a student I know at Sheffield commented on how white it was.

I’m sure your DD will have an amazing time there. DS didn’t apply as the course he wanted is taught in Falmouth and that was not what he wanted.

@seymour oh fab.
As you would with every uni, encourage her to be open minded and meet people from all walk of life, not just those like her. As an adult, I now have friends from loads of different backgrounds, some from uni, some from work etc.

Yes apologies to the OP. Hadn’t fully appreciated your DC is going there, rather than still in decision mode. No offence taken I hope.

FWIW, it is worth noting state educated students are perfectly capable in and of themselves of being affluent, well heeled , well spoken, and privileged. The private state dichotomy is not that binary. The social inclusion data breaks all of the down a bit more finely.

Well, quite @Piggywaspushed I am such a product. Both my parents boarded at the top public schools in the country; as a result, we were sent to the local "bog standard comp." I had little in common with the people I went to school with - it was only when I got to my university (full of public school products) that I realised I wasn't a weirdo (well never entirely not a weirdo ]

https://thetab.com/uk/2022/09/16/these-are-the-universities-with-the-most-private-school-students-2022-273947

Not sure what data you were looking at but that doesn’t support it.

Work is a necessity. University is (within bounds) a choice. It’s perfectly legitimate to select one based on maximising your chances of meeting people you have the most in common with. A lot of poshos interests and experiences are or have been facilitated by greater financial resources. They (and their parents on MN) often don’t realise this and see themselves as “normal”.

Why are you lumping independent with grammar.Grammar schools are state schools!! Durham has the highest oercent of indie on your spreadsheet, and that is in the North

and an international airport

Have you used Exeter Airport @Mikimoto ?

Whilst it may have a few summer charter flights to Europe and scheduled flights to Dublin and Belfast, it's hardly what you can classify as an international airport.

The advantages of this though are that it takes less than 10 minutes from the plane landing to get through the airport to the bus stop where, if you time it right, you'll be in the town centre in under 30 minutes

Your daughter will have agreat time OP.
The campus (with its beautiful grounds) is near 'The Imperial' wetherspoons pub that has a lovely glass orangery & huge outside garden area with tables.
Exeter is a city but not a huge one, it's just the right size with shops, pubs, cafes, street food etc.
15 minute walk down to the quay where you can kayak. Pubs, cafes & craft shops there too....
Good bus routes & train stations too. Within 20 mins on a train you can visit other towns such as Exmouth, Dawlish, Teignmouth etc.

@seymour tell her to join Exeter's 93% club if she is struggling to fit in. DD is in the Edinburgh one. They give you a sticker for your laptop so others can recognise you.

My DD found having a part time term time job was useful when the uni bubble too much (no discussions about skiing trips or Christmas in the Caribbean amongst McDs staff).

Comprehensive school is always billed facilitating kids to get on with everyone, so I don’t know why anyone would be intimidated by a bunch of private school kids?

@curaçao for the simple reason that points makes prizes, points in this instance being primarily A level/ IB results. Grammar schools whilst state schools are academically selective. And there aren’t that many of them. Maybe 5% at most of sixth formers are at a grammar, more like 16/17% at indie sixth forms. They have a disproportionate representation, in many cases more so than indies. The table could be sorted by any of the columns. The individual figures for standard state, state selective (grammars) and indies are all shown.

Durham I quite agree is in the North, but taking a very simple geographic north - midlands- south cut for England, the majority on that table are not in the North. Which isn’t really any great surprise.

@Mirabai And why be intimidated? It’s just ridiculous to think all privately educated Dc are the same and have the same holidays! Why are kids so wary of others? I do think it’s self esteem and confidence. They will need a certain amount for employment though so it’s worth having a go but if you see yourself as part of the McD crowd, that’s ok but don’t complain about others who want something different.

@Notreallythatbad thank you but no offence taken. I appreciate the input!

@SandyIrving ha, I think she will be finding a part-time job. Thank you. For transparency, although my family are working class, I was first to go to uni etc, we are considered middle class (it’s just we live in a bit of a rough area in a small house because prices are extortionate! 😀) My daughter can get on with anyone, as I said in my OP, we don’t pre-judge anyone. Take as you find! I think she is more worried that others might pre-judge her (I think a lot of this is coming from her overall disappointment at not landing her first choice).

Sorry, it was late, St Andrews had already been mentioned but I forgot about Dundee and admit that UHI isn't really on my radar. I thing it will probably all go over that poster's head anyway though if she thinks Newcastle University is on a par with OB!!

Thanks to all the other lovely posters who have bigged up Exeter!

Exeter has a lovely campus, is a short walk into town, has lots of sports and outdoor opportunities, and is academically sound. There are far more state educated students there than privately educated, but enough private school kids there that she can spot them in the wild, so to speak, if she is secretly curious. (They are as normal, diverse and boring as everyone else when you get to know them!)

I know several DC from comps there that are loving it, as well as one DC from private school, also loving it.

@EmpressoftheMundane exactly! I’m sure they will also be able to spot my DD in the wild in her tracky bottoms calling everyone “bro”! 😀

@Piggywaspushed said ‘FWIW, it is worth noting state educated students are perfectly capable in and of themselves of being affluent, well heeled , well spoken, and privileged. The private state dichotomy is not that binary. The social inclusion data breaks all of the down a bit more finely’.

I would add that it can go the other way too, lots of children from working class or immigrant families ‘done good’ at private schools in and around London. My daughter is one, most of our family live on council estates and DH and I are the only university educated ones (both also grew up on council estates, I had a single mum and his dad grew up in care). DD was in state education until 11 as we’re about 20% of her school friends. It’s far from all Eton out there and I’m sure there are some nice lads who go to Eton too.

I am looking forward to spending the odd weekend in Exeter having read this thread. Any recommendations for cheap hotels gratefully received.

seymour tell her to join Exeter's 93% club if she is struggling to fit in. DD is in the Edinburgh one. They give you a sticker for your laptop so others can recognise you.

No wonder privately educated people want to keep themselves to themselves if it’s made that clear they’re disliked. What happens if a student in the 93% club is caught being friendly to a posho? Do they have their sticker removed and are boycotted by the others in the club?
What about overseas students? Since they have to pay substantially more fees presumably they’re pretty posh. How do the British students know which foreign students to avoid - or do they avoid all of them?

Problem with keyboard warrioring is that you read things into posts that literally aren’t there, as this example shows.

Where does it say anyone is disliked? Like wearing a private school hoody or whatever it’s just an identifier to show people that don’t know you where you were schooled. Who said anything about excluding anyone else?

Google the 93% club. It exists to help people like the OPs daughter who might be feel worried about going to a uni where they are in the minority. Members like my DD have plenty of privately educated friends (in my DDs case her boyfriend and best uni friend).

A sticker on your laptop indicating state school proud shouldn't be interpretated as anything against those privately educated. Surely no one would object to something that attempts to widen diversity at some unis.

Google the 93% club. It exists to help people like the OPs daughter who might be feel worried about going to a uni where they are in the minority.

Are there more privately educated students than state educated students at Exeter?