Exeter Open Day

[Eeepsh]

What did people think?

DS seemed to like it - course talk inspired him, liked the green campus, good sports facilities. Not sure about the hills! And concerned at how expensive the accommodation is (and I guess will be more for 2025).

It's the first one he has seen so nothing to compare to atm.

We try to do that at my place (for the reasons given by PPs) and parents protest - sometimes quite nastily. I'm not used to being spoken to like some applicants' parents have spoken to me.

@YourPithyLilacSheep, as a bit of a morale boost, I would say my DC reported staff and students, without fail, went out of their way to welcome and assist - and, let's remember, nearly always on a Saturday. The informal chats were a big help and the best bits. So please stick at it!

Parents attending can be a real positive: sounding board, extra pair of eyes and ears, signalling commitment and involvement to DC etc. Many, based on comments here, seem to get the balance right and give some breathing space to DC to get the most out of Open Days on their own terms, and that is as it should be.

Interestingly, my DC also attended some group guided tours on a solo basis outside Open Days. They were always the only student to ask questions and parents asking questions seemed to inhibit their own DC from speaking up. So I think it is important to have sessions that are applicant only, at Open Days; not everyone has the time or resources to make it to Offer Days too.

@Billybadgers
My DDs went to boarding school so I doubt they meet your criteria regarding diversity but didn’t go to, or want Exeter. At their school it was seen as a continuation of boarding school. Exeter doesn’t have much going for it in many ways and my DDs wanted a broader life. They had done the boarding campus bit! If you want diversity look at bigger city unis. Eg Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester etc. Exeter is a cosy choice!

I cannot believe they are still allowing parents into subject talks! When DD1 went there on an open day, in 2009, parents were asked to leave to allow students in! Make the talks purely for students!!! It’s then understood. Parents do not need to be at everything.

My bad. Having scoured the booklet I can now see that students were scheduled to do a few 45 min talks about accommodation, societies, sports and living in Exeter.

The last session was 14:15.

I just feel that student wellbeing was less embedded in the day. We went to the sports talk, which did 15 minutes of waffle and then wanted to focus on Elite Sport.

DD likes the Uni. I just felt that they could do better. Maybe they don't need to.

What Uni says 8 of the top 10 unis with most diversity are in London. Only Manchester Met and Open are in the top 10. I probably would have guessed that and no doubt overseas and London based students make up quite high proportions.

They discussed wellbeing etc in the student talks and they also talked about it in the subject lecture we went to. They also talked about student life in that as well.
I actually thought it was going to be way busier than it was as had heard anecdotally that it was manic.
We didn't do a tour so just wandered around and looked at the things DD was interested in- the theatre etc.
But totally agree on the lack of ethnic diversity! Although students I know there say it's far more diverse, socially and ethnically that it appears from the open days.

Exeter doesn’t have much going for it in many ways

For those of you new to these university boards, just ignore most of what @TizerorFizz comes out with. Her views of universities are based on her children's experiences of at least 10 years ago

Also- I know lots of London DCs who like Exeter, Bath etc as they don't need to go to cities like Birmingham and Manchester. They live in a massive city so it's nice to experience something else at Uni.

DS not at all keen - is back up choice, but now debating whether it ought to be.

My daughter is just finishing her first year and loves it even though she was originally keen on a big city. There is no shortage of socialising (the opposite) for those who want it, loads of societies and this term a vast amount of beach time. She's also had to call on student support and they were very good. Apparently the academic side is good as well (!).

@lastdayatschool I clearly said I was amazed to hear Exeter was still having issues with parents piling in!! Are you always so rude and dismissive? How nasty of you. I would like to suggest everyone ignores your post which is ludicrous and personal in the context of my post. Are you having fun following me?

I wasn’t talking about where London students went in general. I was looking at the universities with the most diverse range of students to explain to a poster who was looking for that, where these unis might be. Not Exeter. Where larger numbers of students are international or live in the uni city you usually find greater diversity.

Exeter is clearly a uni that appeals to many but it’s a campus in a small city. There are far more diverse and buzzing cities, if that’s what you want. If you don’t, Exeter suits many.

Im amazed any DC in 2024 doesn’t know Porsche make 4x4s or DCs wear rugby shirts for leisure. When was this observation made?

@TizerorFizz I found your comment of Exeter doesn’t have much going for it in many ways particularly dismissive, and, for those of us who have children studying and enjoying life there, patently untrue.

@lastdayatschool I meant the city! It doesn’t have a great music venue for example. Football is EFL1. It is the opposite of buzzy. Do try and understand my comments were also in the context of diversity. The uni has one of the highest number of privately educated dc and is fairly genteel as far as unis go. It’s seen as the giant boarding school on the hill. Of course students like it. Why would they not? They chose it. Doesn’t make it right for everyone though and the pp had reservations.

As an almost-local I have to say the Northcott Theatre is a fantastic venue and a real asset to the university campus. I've been there many times for theatre, comedy, music and dance (most recently an amazing contemporary performance by the Motionhouse group); because of the layout there isn't really a bad seat in the house (no pillars/circle/balcony). Also, in defence of Exeter City FC (PP mentioned that they're EFL1)... both my sons have season tickets, and they LOVE going to games. In my experience it's an easily accessible stadium with decent ticket availability and a great atmosphere, and because it's so small you feel really close to the action. Nice pasties and pies at half time as well!

I went to the open day on Friday with DD, and in both (related) course talks they mentioned the proximity of Exmouth and easy beach access. One student ambassador talked quite a bit about wellbeing; apparently they have access to free counselling, and the wait time for an appointment is just 3 days. Also the SU seem to have a large number of societies (one talk said 250, the other said 300+). DD most entertained by the existence of a 'Hide and Seek' society... even more so by the fact that they apparently got banned from the library😁

@PerpetualOptimist whilst I agree that Exeter is a small city, the surrounding area is not all prosperous. Not all areas of the S of England are wealthy. House prices are high but incomes are low in this area.

Like @ArtfulPuss I live nearby and have done for 25+ years although I don't particularly like SW England. The Northcott might have some interesting things on but it's a pain to park at and PPs are correct in that there is no venue for decent music. Exeter Cathedral holds concerts and I have performed in there many times, but it is still a church as opposed to a purpose-built music venue - parking is a nightmare and I avoid it like the plague. The city has grown massively in the last 25 years but the infrastructure has remained the same. Student numbers have increased and there is quite a lot of opposition to new student accommodation from locals who are priced out of rentals by wealthy students. Public transport links are poor, especially once out of the city centre and whenever there is heavy rain, the 2 train lines into Exeter from the SE (Waterloo and Bristol/Paddington) flood.