Exeter uni open day fully booked…

[Fruitflylady]

Would we be daft to turn up anyway for a general look around?
We’re visiting family nearby anyway so wouldn’t be going out of our way. I’m guessing we wouldn’t get into any of the talk etc but we could get a feel for the place at least. Are there staff ‘policing’ entry dues anyone know?

@TizerorFizz they had the shuttles for St Luke's campus - I had emailed admissions to ask where to park and they clearly said shuttles every 20 minutes leaving train/Streatham/St Luke's but in fact it was every 40 minutes to St zLukes only. Nice ambassador said 'oh it's just a ten minutes walk'. Maybe if you're an 18 year old speed walker! The ambassadors were numerous and very helpful and even when we were one of the last leaving the Human Science buildings they stood up and cheerily greeted us even though it was near the end of their exhausting day. I know they are paid but still have a good impression.
No I wasn't surprised about the PS, and as I said we had been told at an 'applying to uni' talk at the school that PS's were not always considered, I think that as so many kids are agonising over them just now having it said straight out was an unpleasant reality check to some. Like 'we don't care about you as a person'.
The room the talks were in was big - easily sit over 50 people. True I wouldn't have thought Anthropology a popular subject, and dd said fewer in that than sociology. I know about the tier system, and the Sociology guy did say they'd look at the PS for a tie or if a grade had been missed etc - but agree it seems they need bums on seats! They also emphasised that there was no problem with accommodating all first years in halls, which goes to show how accommodation is becoming an increasing factor when choosing between that level (Bath, Bristol, Exeter etc). My daughter has three A stars already so it will be reassuring to get some offers while waiting hopefully for Cambridge.
I sat outside the Forum near the security stand and they had a system set up to (voluntarily) keep track of people on campus only (so not in town - not sure how that works) with an app, also had personal alarms etc. I haven't seen a security stand at any other open day and it looked like parents were keen to speak to them.
The walk up to campus was marred by the amount of alcohol bottles and beer cans on several walls and near benches.

@mondaytosunday interesting posts thank you. Dd is also interested in social anthropology so your DD’s take on the talk is disappointing (we haven’t mad me it there yet). Might pm you if that’s ok?

Sure @Dazed656. I didn't attend the talk myself, and I am surprised at her take on it. Whether that was down to the subject or the speaker though - I don't know.
She is applying for Sociology or possibly Sociology and Social Policy elsewhere, and Human, Social and Political Science at Cambridge (where the PS accounts for a lot, therefore the disappointment that it doesn't count at all at Exeter). Exeter does an Anthropology and Sociology degree so was checking it out, but she is leaning towards Sociology and Politics now (we didn't have the foresight to book a Politics talk though)!

They also emphasised that there was no problem with accommodating all first years in halls, which goes to show how accommodation is becoming an increasing factor when choosing between that level (Bath, Bristol, Exeter etc).

They only guarantee accommodation for the first year if you firm which is an important point.

@mondaytosunday Its very odd about transport. We saw numerous St Luke’s buses which were half empty. They don’t seem to realise most want Streatham.

I think regarding PS it’s a case of trading the selection criteria. It’s not the same everywhere and I don’t think anthropology is over subscribed in many unis.

I get that @Rollergirl11 but interesting they mentioned it specifically in the talk - in fact she said 'I think we have more rooms than students'!

When I visited Exeter with one of my DC a couple of years ago they were building more accommodation blocks. One of the few unis to take responsibility for the increasing number of students - look at Bristol in comparison where some poor first year might end up in 'Newport Village' which is located in another country! And the students are bussed in and out

@Bigfatsquirrel Most in Bristol are accommodated. It’s insurance and change of plan students who get caught. You can always defer.

For anyone going to the next open day and wondering about travel, we did the park and ride and then got the normal Stagecoach UNI route bus to and from the Streatham campus, all worked well. Did not fancy the long walk, open days are exhausting enough as it is! We too found the student ambassadors to be friendly and helpful, and felt there was generally a welcoming, if well-heeled, vibe. Sun probably helped with the positive impression.

There were also too many families that had brought dogs! Why bring a dog to a very crowded event, on a hot day? And then someone has to be outside with it instead of looking at the facilities/subject talks. Odd.

@TizerorFizz hmmm not sure that's the case according to my current Bristol student (I think yours were there a while ago, or have I got you mixed up with someone else??). In his words "it's shit for them". He was lucky enough to get his first choice accommodation but knows many that didn't and then given the expansion of the Uni accommodation had not really kept up and it was a problem pre covid too.

I wasn’t referring to when DD was there. It’s the case now that most get accommodation in Bristol. Loads (thousand? hundreds?) are not elsewhere. Circumstances matter. Timely applications matter and insurance students always have the biggest issues. They always did. Few unis guarantee insurance students. We know that! There’s been a huge amount of student building in Bristol and many other unis have problems which don’t improve in 2nd year. If Exeter has lots of accommodation (at what price?) and lower offers, they don’t have enough students firming.

@mondaytosunday I think I said pretty early on this thread that people seem to see Exeter as a family day out. Lots of younger DC, Grandparents and dogs! Lots with picnics. We found food outlets ran out of food so maybe the picnicers knew a thing or two! I don’t understand why it is like this but maybe parkland has something to do with it? You don’t see dogs with families at city Unis.

There's only a couple of hundred Bristol students at Newport. They started to use it post COVID when there was not enough accommodation for the increased numbers. It's now offered as a low cost option as it is much cheaper than Bristol. As far as I know noone is forced to go there, and I think it is only insurance people who are offered it, unless you actually choose it as a low cost option.

There's another thread running on accommodation clearing/ insurance. Bath have had real issues this year (and a couple of years ago Bristol sent some students to Bath before the Newport "village" option was offered). York have shuttled kids over to Hull. Many places haven't got their numbers right re: undergraduate numbers (£££) and facilities. Uni students have had a raw deal for the past few years (strikes, covid lockdown, strikes, marking boycott).

I would add that second and third year accommodation is also a challenge in many Uni cities - expensive and often poor quality. A relative works in student lettings - the "season" is about to kick off for securing properties for next September. How ridiculous is that.

I think the accommodation issue has become way more of an issue in the last few years. Partly caused by unis over recruiting and not keeping up with accommodation demands for freshers, and in subsequent years landlords preferring to make money from Airbnb rentals rather than students, especially in tourist hotspots. The number of private student halls has exploded with companies like Student Roost, Unite etc cleaning up. Even they can’t keep up with demand in some cities.

And good point about the cost of accommodation @ Exeter - it’s pretty eye watering. Compared to Plymouth down the road which is much more reasonable.

Surely it was because of inflated A level grades and too many DC qualifying in the last few years? Cutting back student numbers is definitely needed with a big push for apprenticeships and fast track Diploma courses. But then everyone would complain about that. Every uni has got more accommodation. Once the cap on numbers was lifted in 2013 it was open season everywhere! It’s still the case the majority get a hall though.

Plymouth isn’t Exeter is it! Not comparable for many students. Also landlords can do what they want with their businesses. Like every other business.

Bristol started sending students to Wales pre covid. They (and many other unis) have not kept their facilities or duty of care up as they've increased student recruitment. Read some of the other threads on here about student experiences in the past few years. Manchester students have staged a rent strike in protest at the quality of some accommodation

The student experience from when the strikes started in 2018 plus covid, plus more strikes, plus marking boycotts means when Bristol students are sent to accommodation in another country, 30 miles from other freshers (even if there are 300 of them) is all pretty shit (and at the point they find this out they've declined their other options)

So Exeter saying they have enough accommodation on campus seems like a plus (I do not have a DC at Exeter btw !) Maybe they've realised this is a selling point and that's why it got mentioned in a talk.

Regardless it seems unis are going through some issues at the moment with strikes, needing more international students to balance the books, pressure on contextual vs non contextual places. I wish there were more apprenticeships available. Seems harder to get one of those vs a place at a top 10 Uni !

And I agree - it's annoying people see Uni open days as a family day out with the dog !

We found Bristol so much easier on their open day than Exeter. DD liked it and went there. Somehow it didn’t feel like a family day out there. Far fewer earnest parents

That's hardly the university's fault!

The walk up to campus was marred by the amount of alcohol bottles and beer cans on several walls and near benches.

It's the start of term and most universities have just finished Freshers' Week, which is typically a heavy-drinking few weeks. It's pretty typical for any university town; in mine, I really don't go out in town on certain nights for the first few weeks of term, because groups of undergraduates en masse and drunk can be quite unpleasant to navigate sometimes. They calm down after a few weeks, when we hit them with essay deadlines ...

We went on an ordinary day and booked a student tour at the welcome desk. It was easy to wander around and get a general vibe of the place.

@FarEast It slightly is. There should be some indication it’s a day for prospective student not a picnic in the park. I think it does give an indication as to whether you think you might gel with the other prospective students who are looking round. Bristol felt a lot more grown up to DD.

DD has now written Exeter off her list. Added Edinburgh (distance though!). Head said why apply (she was meeting with her to send UCAS in for Cambridge) if she doesn't want to go there?
Bath, Durham, now maybe Edinburgh...

@mondaytosunday yes we did go, thanks for asking. DH dropped us on one of the roads running round campus, so it was easy for us. We picked up a guide book from the welcome stall. We were asked to show a QR code, which we obviously didn’t have, but they gave us a bag and book anyway.
It was crowded in the same way that other uni open days have been, so nothing unusual there. We didn’t bother with the subject talk as the department was open and set up with helpful student volunteers who were happy to take us through everything and answer questions.
That together with a general wander round was enough for DS. He really liked it and it’s now top of his list.
We walked into town afterwards to meet the rest of the family (crazy busy there…difficult to get a table anywhere to eat!). The walk wasn’t very long either, so another plus.