Is Exeter uni’s intake still mostly from the independent sector?

[Bell8484]

And if so is this an issue for those from state/ more diverse backgrounds?

When supporting my child to make decisions I’ll ask whatever pertinent question I like.

Does anybody know how inclusive it is for state pupils and how they get on? How happy state students are?Also how good is student support as regards academic, well being and disability?

Ok thank you.

OP, why do you think Exeter’s intake has ever been ‘mostly from the independent sector’?

It's never been mostly private, but it's still disproportionately private.

My daughter went to Exeter a few years ago and met her boyfriend there. She had been to an independent day school. He had been to a comprehensive.

They were both very happy there (though Covid rather spoiled things) and had a wide range of friends from a variety of different types of school.

My daughter is at Exeter. State educated, we're a middle class family but not the skiing, pony owning kind.

She's met lots of privately educated students whose families are a lot wealthier than us. There are lots from Surrey and she's regarded as a Northerner despite the fact that we live considerably south of Birmingham! I'd say that's the biggest lack of diversity - I've not heard of anyone there living further north than us. Travel time will be a big factor in this. It's a long way, even from the Midlands.

There's also a significant ex-pat contingent from Dubai etc.

She's loving Exeter though and has made lots of friends. It took time but I think that's the same everywhere. The campus is lovely, beautiful part of the world. She's very happy there.

She is quite confident and sociable, will do things out of her comfort zone and isn't bothered what people think of her. Someone less confident from an under privileged environment north of Birmingham and who was bothered about being different might find it more challenging.

Exeter has always attracted a disproportionate number of privately educated and rich students. I went there in 1980 (obviously a long time ago when far fewer people went to university) from an inner London state school and was shocked. I had literally not met people like that before. But, even back then, you do tend to ‘find your tribe’ and I very quickly met lots of more down to earth people and it was great. Best years of my life. Back then the posh kids were called ‘Wellies’ by the rest of us, I don’t know if they still are.

I went to Exeter (almost 15 years ago) from a state school, majority of my close friends there were also from state schools. I didn't apply for the more expensive accommodation so that will have helped filter people to an extent.

There were a decent amount of private school students (maybe a 1/3 if that's what the stats are). To be honest I think they turn into two camps.
-The super posh (toffs as we called them) who sat there with their designer gear and mostly banded together. There weren't many of these.
-Then the more usual private school lot who were happy to mix, good fun and just wanted a uni experience the same as anyone else.

It's good to mix with all sorts and I didn't have any issues, loved my time there and had lots of fun. There was one of our extended friend group who we found out went to Eton after he showed us something on Facebook and we worked it out. He hated Eton and was almost suicidal there at times and keen to forget he even went. He was totally normal (farm boy)

I once brought a guy back in my first year and he left a designer item of clothing at mine that was worth hundreds of pounds. I was a bit shocked at the time!

It's a fun uni and I wouldn't let the posh reputation put you off. It all depends what you are looking for. It's not a big city, so more suited for someone who is happy with a smaller place and feeling more safe etc. We had great nights out and I think of it really fondly.

It's incredible to me that it still seems to be perfectly acceptable to call privately educated kids, names. Or wealthier people, names. Imagine it the other way round. Eg. 'There were loads of poorer kids at uni, we called them the 'cheap shoe crowd'. Beggars belief. And I am comp educated person who held no opinion on where anyone I met went to school. My kids are privately educated lovely people - and i hope they don't face this nasty discrimination at uni.

OP - I would suggest looking through the admissions info on the website or your DC contacting the admissions team with specific questions. We found the website very helpful. The head of admissions did a talk at an open day and she was very friendly and approachable.

Yes worth saying you don't get many northerners due to the location! I had one friend from Birmingham (which I also thought was north 😂) and can't think of many that were further than that.

It wasn't very racially diverse when I went. Loads of Chinese/asian students from abroad. However, sadly not many black students. Not sure if it has improved since.

Of course there are names for poorer communities/certain types. When I was a school would call them chavs or NEDs in Scotland.

Its not l acceptable in a business environment no but at 18? Of course you had nicknames for certain groups of people!

The toffs went around in their jack wills gilets and matching designed gear. They had a look which they owned. They weren't offended. (Also this was before Georgina Toffolo so not a reference to her)

My DD went there a few years ago and was surprised by how many people were from private schools. That said, she is state school educated and did not find it a problem. So, just from one person’s experience: high percentage of private school students - yes but inclusive - also yes.
She was in a residential block where everyone bonded very well. Obviously a lot of this is down to luck and personalities rather than just backgrounds.

With two students at Exeter I can confirm their well-being support is excellent.
Im not going into personal details about my kids but they are made aware of how to get support and Exeter follow through with that. Including phoning me.

Support for disabilities is excellent offered without favour….obviously
Additional Academic support is always there, you only have to ask.

There is a wide choice of clubs to suit everyone

Tutors marking work are not going to be aware of what school pupils attended. They are all there as equals and treated as such. Everyone has equal support and potential to thrive

My sons at Uni now haven’t mentioned any name calling
Everyones just gets along.
Thank goodness they don’t have to put up with that

My DD’s experience echoes the above post by @BrownTroutBluesAgain . She received excellent academic support. I was amazed by how much feedback and guidance she received.
She also had an amazing quality of life whilst she was there, despite being affected by the lockdown years.

Hi thankyou, this is encouraging info.

Ok thankyou

We live in the south west and most of DD’s friends have Exeter as first or second Choice. They’re all state school. It’s an impressive uni (I recently did a post grad there) and lovely city.

I can guarantee there will still be a name for certain groups. Your son won't have told you it, the same reason I didn't speak to me parents about it. It wasn't interesting or relevant. It wasn't name calling - you didn't go up to people and call them names. It was a nickname for groups like 'jocks' & 'nerds' from the US films.

Still relatively high. We have one young friend who that was a problem for. They couldn't get on with the v posh people in their first year flat, dropped out and are now at a uni that's less private-sector skewed and thriving.
However, you can be unlucky with the people you live with for all sorts of different reasons, so I'm not sure I'd let the private/state thing sway me if I liked the city and the course.

I don't think any University has "mostly" ex independent school students - given the relative numbers that would be difficult to achieve even if they wanted to. But yes, some Universities have a higher percentage of privately educated students than you would expect by chance and I believe Exeter is one of them. I doubt very much that it is the University that favours a particular type of student - more likely the other way round. The reasons will be complex, tradition, cost, subjects offered, geography, longstanding between particular schools and particular Universities may mean that some places are more attractive to some students etc. For example, a lot of pupils from my DC's former (state) school go to Newcastle. It isn't our nearest University but it's an easy journey, the school has a year 12 trip to the open day every year and the University staff come to the school careers fair, most of the 6th formers know at least one friend or relation who have been there so it's familar, easy to get information on and so on. Not really surprising that the tradition continues. Even going to the open day at somewhere like Exeter would mean a 2 day trip and several hundred pounds expenditure for families from here, they're unlikely to know anyone with first hand experience, so unless they want to do a specific course only offered or particularly highly regarded there I doubt it would even be on the radar of most of the 6th formers around here. I think a lot of those kind of connections develop naturally and there's nothing sinister about it.
Universities are big places and most are pretty diverse. I'd think that most people could "find their tribe" at most places though different Universities do have slightly different cultures depending on things like what they are most well regarded for, where they are and if they appeal to particular types of people. But it doesn't mean you have to fit the stereotype to be happy. One of my DC's friends is absolutely the most unsporty person you could imagine, but is still loving Loughborough for example.

Just asked both of mine on WhatsApp the responces were

🤣🤣🤣
and
??? What the???

Maybe Gen Z are different - I have no idea. But it's not really relevant or the point of this thread.

Its not really an issue (then or now)

Thank you for writing this. The point that so many people miss is that most “rich” people (however you define that) send their children to state schools.