Exeter: uni de jour ! Why ? Everyone we know wants it ?

[PaperTyger]

My DD is high achieving and has offers from all she wants but she's thinking of Exeter.,it was the most popular place at her school last year and everyone else I'm chatting to says their DC want it.
We didn't visit but I can see it's in a beautiful place. Any thoughts ?

I hope she goes somewhere she really wants not becsuee it's the fashion.

Apparently those with a full student loan often go for more expensive halls than private school kids (especially boarders), who are used to sharing with others and who would need to rely more on parental payments. I'm definitely not planning to pay extra for DC to have an en-suite as I think he needs to learn to work hard and not be handed everything. Anyway, I think this thread is a bit sad now as surely the vast majority of young people will be happy to make new friends regardless of background and I really can't imagine that they would care too much where they have been to school. I think it's a common question early on but that they quickly move on.

I think there's quite a lot of misunderstanding on here about why students from less privileged backgrounds might find (the idea of) somewhere like Exeter slightly intimidating. It's really not about prejudice - I'm sure most would happily make friends with anyone who was kind and welcoming whatever their backgrounds. It's more about the fact that certain students from very wealthy backgrounds (whether from private schools or not) have a way of looking down on people who are poorer than them. Or have a particular arrogance and sense of entitlement that can be difficult to be around.

Nobody is saying this is the case for all privately educated kids - but it would be naive to think these types of students don't exist. And I think it's fair enough to want to avoid spending three years in a place where these privileged voices are likely to be relatively dominant.

And of course once somewhere (eg Exeter) has a certain reputation for attracting a certain type of student, it is likely to attract more people of that type.

It's a bit grating to read comments suggesting that private school pupils are being discriminated against and that state school pupils need to be more open-minded. I really don't think that reflects what's going on here.

And the suggestions that this is somehow going to be a problem in the workplace don't really ring true. The preference to avoid somewhere with a reputation like Exeter's doesn't mean students can't mix - just that they might prefer to be in an environment that feels more comfortable to them while at university.

No one thinks private school pupils are discriminated against. I haven’t read that into comments.
@indiecisive
The “privileged voices” whatever that means, cannot possibly be “relatively dominant”. How can they be as a small minority? Other students who don’t have any accents, or maybe west country accents, are surely the majority? It’s pure prejudice against anyone perceived as different. Why do you think all privately educated dc have the same accent? Totally bizarre.

However if dc really cannot cope with minority accents (and some international students are very rich!) they perhaps should question why this is? Why do they think like this? Are they prejudiced against rich black people or is it just better off white people? Why are they so bothered when they are in the majority anyway?

I find it grating in this day and age that people cannot put perceived differences to one side and get on with being educated and growing up. It absolutely does mean that if they cannot mix at university they will continue to be judgemental in the workplace. Prejudice doesn’t vanish when you get to work.

One of our DCs had it as his first choice. He was absolutely convinced it was where he wanted to go. The open day was great, it was sunny, it was pretty, it was full of the type of kids he was used to being around so he felt very comfortable. It was basically like school.

Then we went to the offer holder day and sat through the more boring and uninspiring lecture delivered by someone who clearly didn't want to be there and the staff and students they had in the department to answer questions were very stand offish. The day changed his mind completely and he ended up at the opposite end of the country.

Personally I liked it but found the fact that it was a sea of white faces with very little diversity very odd.

At my DC's school they all migrate to Newcastle. There are just some places that are very popular with particular schools.

Cornwall and Devon, for example, are not very diverse. Have you ever been to Cornwall? Exeter tends to reflect the west country.

@indiecisive I agree completely. I remember when I was at uni all those years ago, the ‘posher’ kids didn’t even talk to anyone else, they managed to sniff each other out on day 1 and just ignored everyone else. It could feel quite ‘them and us’ at times - nothing has changed from what I am told from dc at Durham. It’s just the way it is - but it can be very intimidating for the less wealthy kids and I can see why a lot of them wouldn’t want to go somewhere like that.

and if @OhDear111 thinks they don’t all have the same accent, just go into Brandy Melville on the Kings Road and listen to the staff chat in there… never been a more homogeneous bunch of posh girls 😁

It’s where all the poshos went when I was 18.

My Children were at Grammar Schools and so many of their friends went to Exeter . The general consensus was that it was OK for a safe Uni but lacking in diversity.

My dd was really put off by the lack of diversity.
It felt incredibly 'white' and also very much a private school vibe, in her opinion.

@keffotine Yoy keep talking about a tiny minority of students! Who goes to where yoy say if they live in Devon? It’s pure nastiness to keep kicking on a tiny minority. There’s some accents I’m not keen on but I don’t diss the people who have it. Childish.

You do know there are over 7000 international students at Exeter with a large contingent at the Business School?

DC is currently in final year at Exeter. We are based in Cornwall and Exeter Uni has an excellent scholars programme where young people 16-18 are encouraged to apply to their local uni by becoming a scholar and attending regular events over 18 months to deepen their understanding of the subject and university life. In return they are offered a contextual offer.

I do remember dropping DC off to Exeter 3 years ago and thinking that the accommodation looked like a Range Rover dealership! It does have a large number of private school kids, plenty of private school hoodies and chinos floating around but also a large number of SW kids from the local Comps and Grammars. DC has been very happy there, accommodation is expensive (£850-£950 a month for yr 2 and 3), and the teaching has been excellent.

But they are less likely to be attending the open days. I've now been to two open days (two DC) and an offer holder day there. All of them were predominately white potential students. It was really noticeable for us coming from an independent school which is very mixed in terms of ethnicity. You realise something feels a bit unusual and then the realisation kicks in.

@User253853 What did you realise? That you saw a snapshot of possible applicants? That you didn’t see the international students? Maybe be a bit more balanced and don’t accept an open day as reality? If you want significant diversity, you know where to apply though. Why even look at Exeter?

You judge something on one brief visit - surely not?

Err, no. Like most applicants it is judged on research online then an open day visit and then an offer holder day.

I've been three times because two DC went to different open/ offer holder days. Ive also been to a work meeting there ages ago but outside of term time and on their other campus.

Its lovely. In fact it is one of my favourite universities in terms of the environment and I've been to many with a number of children having been through the process and the fact that I work in the sector in a role which requires me to go to lots of different universities. But it is very white to the extent that it's noticeable.

It's certainly a Uni that would not appeal to certain people. It doesn't have much in the way of clubs, nightlife etc as compared to a big city. It's rural and yes takes a while to get to depending on where you originate from. It's like St Andrews and Durham in that respect. It's not a College turned Uni which offers non traditional degrees. It has an entry level. Each place has its own characteristics.

@User253853 So why do you expect all universities to be identical? Some dc might geek out of place at other universities. So what? Just don’t apply. Why keep moaning about somewhere that doesn’t meet requirements? Accept it is what it is and move on.

I can only speak for my dd, but it just wasn't something that was on her radar at all, until it really struck her when she was looking round, how weird it was.
In her case, it was a bit of a late minute opportunity - we'd taken her to 5 others, and then her friend's Mum said she was happy for dd to jump in the car with her and her dd, and she initially went as a day out in truth. Did some research about the course and like the sounds of the course, but felt weirded out by the lack of diversity there.

You are extremely odd.

I am not moaning about it. I'm making an observation.

@User253853 It was barbed observation though, wasn’t it? Laced with a disapproving tone. Your DD was “weirded out” - I think that’s very odd!

Maybe do a little bit of prep? When we went to Exeter, we had to book in. No jumping in a car at the last minute. We planned what dd wanted to see. So what did your dd plan? I thought you had to book more or less everything.

I presume you meant to tag me, not User, there ?

We'd done plenty of prep thanks. About the Universities she had chosen to look round. Then we visited them. As I said quite clearly - it was a last minute 'Do you want to come out for the day?' thing. She knew she probably wouldn't be able to attend some talks, but that was fine (as it happens, they were happy to let her in - they say there are always people that book then don't turn up) but she genuinely was there for the day our with her friend and her friend's Mum.

Not sure why that offends you so much.

Anyone can wander round any campus open day to 'get a feel' for a place / see the facilities. Over all the Universities I've looked at with all of my dc, I've never come across a campus that only allows booked people plus one named guest on site. I've seen whole families trooping round with a prospective student.

Extremely odd

Are you suggesting there is something dodgy going on there to keep some people out?

The entire Southwest is very white so there's bound to be less racial diversity than a London or northern university because the local contingent will be less diverse. Thats hardly the university's fault.