Whenever I meet someone new here from the UK, the first five minutes of conversation inevitably involves the question: “Why did you come to Exeter?” To be frank, I always need a moment to pause and think back to the time when I sat in front of my laptop making my UCAS choices.
The first thing that caught my eye about Exeter as an ideal place for studying was the very student-welcoming campus and the tranquil environment that Devon provides. Being a city girl all my life, I would say I was getting a bit tired of the hustle and bustle all day, which is why when I made my decision to study in the UK, unlike many of my other friends, I did not put into considerations into any London universities.
Though I didn’t have the privilege of visiting different universities on open days, I relied on research on Google and Youtube as well as some virtual tours of the campus to get a glimpse of what the campuses look like. I recall being absolutely encapsulated by the photos of Streatham with all the greenery and its trees. As well as with St Luke’s for its closely-knitted academic buildings.
As a person who is always looking for something fun outside of my studies, I also paid attention to the societies that different universities offer. Trust me, I was overwhelmed and thrilled to learn about the number of societies there are at Exeter. That was when I was one step closer to knowing how studying here would definitely not bore me.
Of course, the academic excellence of Exeter was a major part of why I decided to put this as my firm choice too. I did a comparison of different university ranking league tables and was very impressed by the reputation and quality of teaching here. Apart from the general overall comparison between different universities, I put a lot of focus on the course-specific rankings, content and structure as well. I would say I am a people-oriented person, so sitting in lectures all day is definitely not my cup of tea- which is why I find the many small group learning sessions such a nice mode of learning. I had a friend who was studying at Exeter who told me more about the academic guidance and careers support available. This made Exeter stand out from other universities when I was making my decision. And it’s true, it turns out that I have been enjoying my BSc Medical Sciences course so much that I would say I don’t mind not doing the Medicine course that I intended to do!
On top of the the vibes that Exeter gives and the way the course is structured, I also took into consideration the practicalities like finances, travelling and safety when I finalised my choice. Being such a worrisome person, I went on the uni’s student life webpage and the StudentRoom forum to look at general comments about the universities as well as what life is like from a student’s perspective there. I noticed that, in general, travelling, living, shopping and eating in Exeter is fairly affordable in comparison to other busier, student-populated cities like London and Birmingham. Getting around this city doesn’t even require any money, if you’re like me who’s always up for just putting on your walking shoes on and travelling by foot.
So there we go – I guess these are some of the little things that constitute my best decision for studying here! I hope my experience will help some of you when it come to clicking that confirm button on UCAS and of course, see you around campus soon xx -Evlyn