Hi @Peachy80 would love to! So, Exeter was billed as the most beautiful campus in the UK - I can see where it got that reputation, it was beautiful, even in the hail and wind! We stopped at one accommodation hall and the view of the countryside and hills and fields was beautiful and some of the buildings are very attractive.
We started at St Luke's campus which is where the medics are mostly taught. Popped into the Waitrose over the road for a takeaway coffee and croissant first, and impressed by the friendliness of the staff. I didn't have my own reusable cup so couldn't get a free coffee so asked if I coud buy one, but the woman let me have it for free as a 'treat' so that set the morning up nicely!
We went to the medicine talk and the Associate Clinical Director of Medicine spoke well about the course. Then a student spoke about her time there and then the admissions woman said a few words. What stood out to me was that whilst they talked quite a but about student wellbeing and support, I didn't get the sense that they are big on WP. Whilst they do have a lower score required for contextual students, there wasn't a contextual student giving the talk (I think there has been for all the other med schools we went to) and it was just a vibe they gave off. Myy DD told me she had heard that Exeter was full of students from Surrey (we are from Surrey!) and I did get that vibe while I was there too. I got a bit of a private school feel, but that could be unfair.
What was interesting though is that the Associate Clinical Director said that all students will train as HCAs and do a stint as one (can't remember if it was 3 or 4 weeks) and that it would allow students to join the NHS bank for shifts if they wanted to earn some money. So that could appeal to students who would otherwise find med school unaffordable.
They have changed their course slightly and students will go to the Penryn campus in Cornwall for years 3 and 4, or years 4 and 5 or year 5 only. They also talked about a spiral curriculum so you revisit topics over and over during the 5 years so that they really stick n your mind - but I thought this was quite common in lots of integrated courses, though I am no expert!
We went and looked at the Rowancroft accommodation which is the big accommodation near St Lukes, abut 5 min walk away. We looked at an ensuite room and it was really noice, as was the kitchen area, which was large considering only 6 shared it, though possibly that was because it was a flat with an accessible room so the kitchen needed to be big enough to accommodate a wheelchair. They prioritise St Luke's students for Rowancroft so you'd likely be housed with other medics and healthcare students. DD was quite excited by the idea of being on campus with friends as two of hers like Exeter and want to study Sports Science and Neuroscience, bith of which are taught at St Lukes. Rowancroft is self-ctered which DD was less thrilled about, as she'd love to be in a catered hall, but it doesn;t seem feasible for medicine as the catered halls over at Stratham campus are shorter contract lengths than the medics first year timetable so you'd need to find alternative accommodation for some of the time and move out over Christmas and Easter which doesn't sound fun.
We got a shuttle over to the Stratham campus which is probably a half hour walk away (we didn't attempt it as short on time) but through the town. It was odd that when we walked into the Forum and asked student helpers where we could get some hot food, they only suggested the 'kitchen' but we later found out that the Ram Bar upstairs need food too. The 'kitchen' was hugely disorganised, drinks had to be bought somewhere separate to food and the wait was ages, like they're not used to having that many people - I suppose if you are a student there you know the set-up, but it was very frustrating for us not in the know.
We did a campus tour and it was just walking round and having the main buildings points out to us, it felt less relevant given most of the med stuff is over at St Luke's. At the end of the tour we walked past The Ram Bar, and it didn't even get a mention! There didn't seem to be any mention of social events etc, just club-based things. I was at Manchester and we had 80's nights in the Academy which was every Tuesday night. There was always things going on and maybe times have changed but I just wondered where they go for a drink and a dance and meet others. I dragged DD into the Ram Bar after and ordered a pint, for old times sake (she had a frappicino from Starbucks which cost more than my pint!). But given DD isn't that interested in partying and drinking (yet - or maybe never will be like I was) this may not be an issue.
DD loved it though and it is her favourite after Nottingham (we're not sure she will apply to Nottingham due to GCSE results) she is still unfortunately influenced by the RG label and what her friends think, but I am ignoring all that for now and once she has her UCAT we will see where that takes us. We are starting to think about Keele though, and wondering whether my DH will tolerate another weekend of us going away to go and see that one in November. We have ARU booked for November 22 but DD isn't too keen on it, so still undecided as to whether we'll go and see it.
How was Manchester? It's not really been on our radar as I just feel it won't suit DD. I studied Maths and Philosophy there 30 years ago and was a bit overwhlemed by how big it was, coming from a small school and a small town. So it just feel like the sort of place DD would thrive, hence I have no real idea about the med course or entry requirements.