As a third year, I now look back on A Level Results Day and that chaotic, emotional blur when I found out I’d actually been accepted into Exeter. I had no idea what was waiting for me – resold club tickets, the uphill struggle that is Forum Hill, and a wardrobe slowly overtaken by white linen.
In just a few short years, I’ve developed a deep emotional bond with Timepiece and a caffeine addiction courtesy of Pret. But if I’m being honest, I’ve come away with nothing but a firm belief that I’ve lived my uni experience to the fullest.
To all the freshers now flooding in armed with a new Longchamp bag and a monologue about “finding themselves on their gap year” — welcome. I’m sure you’ve got burning questions and are currently trying to decode the mysteries of Exeter life: Is the “Exetah” stereotype real? And what even is Batty Bingo?
If this is you, don’t worry — I’ve got you. This is your official survival guide to all the big, small, and slightly ridiculous things that make Exeter… well, Exeter.
A – Academic weapon
To kick things off, we have the ultimate Exeter legend: The academic weapon — the one person we all secretly want to be (and also secretly resent).
There’s always that one student who somehow sits front row in every lecture, colour-codes their notes perfectly, runs three societies, works a part-time job, and still walks into Timepiece looking like they’ve just stepped out of a magazine. They make it look effortless, which is infuriating to the rest of us.
You’ll simultaneously admire and hate them, and spend at least one lecture comparing your own dishevelled notes to theirs.
B – Batty Bingo
Hosted by the legendary Peggy Sue, Batty Bingo is where Exeter’s fancy dress obsession reaches peak chaos.
Each Batty Bingo has a theme – Oktoberfest, Western, superheroes – you name it. I can admit in my past as a fresher I have somehow gone way too hard at Batty Bingo.
Everyone turns up in the most ridiculous outfit and no one bats an eyelid. If you don’t turn up to Batty Bingo looking like an absolute idiot but ready for a night of absolute chaos frankly you’re doing it all wrong.
C – Cavern
Cavern is Exeter’s basement club where indie vibes and questionable dance moves collide in the best possible way. It’s the kind of place you go when you want a night out without the chaos of TP — though chaos somehow finds you anyway.
The music is loud, the ceilings are low, and somehow everyone ends up in a pile of friends on the dance floor by the end of the night.
The main nights to go to cavern are a Tuesday, Friday or a Saturday which is indie night if you’re looking to listen to something else other than Last Friday Night by Katy Perry for the 50th time.
Cavern also hosts live acts and bands weekly, making it the perfect place to discover new music, dance like no one’s watching, and inevitably get someone’s drink spilled on you.
D – Dirty Beats
A staple of Exeter nightlife, Dirty Beats is the go-to club night whether it’s a Thursday at Fever or a Tuesday at Cavern.
Forget your usual pop bangers, Dirty Beats is for anyone ready to embrace House, DnB, or Techno and pretend they actually know what they’re dancing to. Expect a crowd of Fred Again fans in cargo trousers and perfectly fake blonde hair.
E – EGB
EGB is Exeter’s legendary end-of-year celebration where the entire campus all travels to Shobrooke Park. Think silent disco, fairground rides, karaoke tents, live DJs, and dancing on grass that’s probably more mud than lawn: It’s every Exeter student’s favourite day of the year.
Everyone dresses up for the occasion with the girls in cute summer dresses and the boys in every possible variation of a shirt and chinos. It’s the event that marks the end of the uni year and the place where all the campus characters somehow assemble in one place.
By the end of the day, you’re euphorically exhausted, with a collection of memories and a whole camera roll of photos you’ll laugh about for years.
F – Fever
You tell yourself you’ll never go back after first year, and yet somehow, there you are at 2am in Room Two, questioning every life choice that brought you here.
To top it off, Fever sometimes invites “celebrities” to join the chaos — most recently Harrison from Love Island and Gavin from Gavin & Stacey.
Whether it’s a Logic Monday (my personal fresher favourite), Dirty Beats on a Thursday, a Venom Wednesday, or a casual Saturday night bonding with the locals, you’re guaranteed a night you won’t forget. By the end, you’ll already be planning your next “never again” trip back.
G – Gap year
You’ll know who did one before they even tell you — they’re the ones casually dropping stories about Bali, volunteering in remote villages, or “finding themselves” in ways that sound both impressive and slightly unbelievable.
Expect wild anecdotes about quad bikes, hostel mishaps, and unexpected friendships with locals… or occasionally a goat.
They’ll somehow make it sound life-changing, dramatic, and hilarious all at once, and you’ll nod along pretending to take it all in. Listening is mandatory, judging is optional, and secretly plotting your own adventure might just happen anyway.
H – Hijacked
Hijacked is one of Exeter’s summer festivals. It’s a DnB festival held at Double Locks that marks the official start of post-exam freedom.
There’s food trucks, bars, and a large stage blasting drum and bass, house, and everything in between, all under the (hopefully) sunny Exeter sky. It’s the day when everyone digs out their best festival outfits, forgets about deadlines, and pretends Double Locks is Glastonbury.
I – Imperial
Impy is Exeter’s iconic Wetherspoons and in the summer it transforms into the ultimate pub garden spot. It’s where everyone drinks in the sunshine and forgets their degrees and exams exist by third term.
It’s also the spot where most meet and go out with their flatmates for the first time. Expect inevitable drinking games, awkward introductions and asking “what course do you do?” multiple times until the night ends.
J – “Just one drink”
Famously the biggest lie every Exeter student tells themselves. One pint at the pub somehow spirals into a night out at Timepiece, a questionable trip to Vaults, and the mysterious disappearance of your coat, dignity, and any hope of making that 9am seminar.
Somehow, between rounds, questionable dance moves in top top, and arguing over the next drink, the night takes on a life of its own—and by the time you stumble home, you’re already planning the next time you go out for “just one drink.”
K – Kebab shop confessions
Because no Exeter night out is complete without spilling your deepest secrets over cheesy chips on Sidwell Street. Here is where lifelong friendships are formed and by the time you leave you’ve usually formed a best friend for life and a brand new inside joke. Alternatively, you’ve created a story that you and your friend will take to the grave.
L – Longchamp bags
If there’s one thing that screams “Exetah,” it’s the Longchamp bag. You’ll spot them everywhere mainly draped over the arms of students strutting up Forum Hill like it’s a catwalk.
Practical? Sure. A personality trait? Absolutely. Whether it’s stuffed with a laptop, lecture notes, or just a lip gloss and false sense of productivity, the Longchamp is less of an accessory and more of an identity.
M – Move
Arguably, Exeter’s only proper DnB club. Located on the Quay, Move regularly hosts events with top artists. So If you’re a fan of a ‘dutty’ tune, this is the place you absolutely cannot miss.
N – North Face puffer jacket
It’s the unofficial Exeter student uniform, and when the North Face puffers come out, you know winter has arrived. Practical, stylish, and indispensable, it keeps you warm while somehow making you look vaguely put-together. You’ll wear it everywhere, all the time, and it will probably outlast most of your other possessions.
O – Overheard
Exeter’s infamous Facebook group is basically the ultimate window into Exeter student life. It’s the place to catch up on what you weren’t meant to know, laugh at other people’s questionable decisions, and maybe post your own for maximum attention. Everyone reads it, few admit it, and it’s endlessly entertaining.
Need a last-minute TP ticket, want to sell your barely-used lecture notes, or just fancy reading someone’s very public existential crisis? Overheard has it all.
P – Pret
The perfect pick-me-up after surviving even just an hour on campus. The lunchtime queue rush is a battle in itself where iced lattes are lifelines, and students scramble to grab any form of caffeine that will keep them alive for their next seminar. By second term, everyone will know your usual order and about your caffeine addiction too.
Q – Quay
The ultimate sunny-day spot. Paddleboarding, walks along the quay to Double Locks in third term, and pretending you’re in a lifestyle vlog. It’s always there for when you say you need to do a wholesome activity or most likely when you feel you need to “reconnect with nature”.
R – Races
Definitely a rite of passage for any Exetah student. Betting is serious business here as you’ll either walk away with a win or mourn the loss of a week’s savings to your new gambling addiction. It’s also the perfect time to fully embrace the Exeter stereotype in all its glory.
S – Sport socials
The one night a week where it’s socially acceptable to wear a bin bag, down a pint of milk, and still call it “team bonding.” Wednesday is the best day of the week for most as sports team takes TP by storm.
This is where teammates and societies truly bond for life, chants are perfected and of course, what happens at the social… stays at the social.
T – Timepiece
You all knew this was coming. TP the beating heart of Exeter nightlife. From spending your trust fund on Venoms to dancing at Top Top, stacking it down TP stairs, and braving tiki fires, TP quickly becomes your second home.
Wednesdays are mandatory if you’re part of a sports team. If you don’t wake up on Thursday regretting last night’s mullet-rugby man or ended up with the very guy your friends will lecture you about all morning, then you’ve done TP wrong.
Pricy? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely. Every chaotic, unforgettable night is pure Exeter Uni life.
U – Unit One
All we can really say is… RIP, Unit One. You freshers would have thrived at Cheesy Tuesdays.
V – Varsity
Varsity hosted at Sandy Park Stadium, is the ultimate outing for rugby fans — and for those “hubby hunting” among the uni’s seemingly endless supply of rugby boys. Exeter’s top rugby team goes head-to-head with other great uni teams across the UK, and this October, they’re taking on rivals Durham.
Teammates, societies, and entire flats descend on the matches with chants perfected and an enthusiasm that’s borderline terrifying. Between cheering, socialising, and celebrating wins (or drowning losses in TP), it’s one of the rare times the whole campus comes together for pure, unfiltered Exeter madness.
My advice? Wear anything and everything green but whatever you do, don’t wear purple.
W – White linen trousers
A real Exetah staple. Summer at Exeter isn’t complete without the inevitable white linen trousers. You tell yourself you’ll never get a pair… and then, somehow, you’re spotted walking up forum hill wearing them with a Longchamp bag perfectly matched. It’s a canon event so we simply can’t interfere. They’re less of a clothing item and more of a statement: I go to Exeter, and I’m proud of it.
X – Xmas markets
Exeter’s Christmas Markets at the Cathedral is the perfect excuse to wander, eat and get in the Christmas spirit. Twinkling lights, mulled wine, and festive snacks abound, it’s impossible not to get caught up in the holiday chaos with friends. From quirky gifts to overpriced hot chocolates, wandering around while pretending your uni life is straight out of a cosy Christmas movie is basically mandatory.
Y – Yapping in the law library
The law library sees all, hears all, and definitely knows who’s up to what. It’s less about studying and more about discussing awkward Forum Hill encounters, Saturday night debriefs, and the latest flatmate drama. You tell yourself you’re just there to work, but three hours later you’ve only written the title… and simultaneously feel like Exeter’s own gossip girl.
Z – ZZZZs: Snoozing those 8am lectures
After three nights out in a row, two Pret runs, and one identity crisis – trust me, you’ve earned it.
