Hey! It’s Evie here, a newly graduated History and Politics student based at Penryn Campus. In this strange yet exciting period of change, as I leave university and figure out what’s next, I’ve been reflecting on my time here in Penryn and the things that have made my student experience so good. Getting a degree is often full of ups and downs (with a handful of mistakes made and lessons learned along the way) but I can genuinely look back at it all and be grateful for where all of that growth has got me. I’m already looking back at my three years spent in Penryn with nostalgia, so today I’ll be going through some of my favourite memories. If you’re starting university soon or wondering what life on the Cornwall campus can be like, this blog will give you some things to look forward to!
Favourite days out
If you’ve read any of my previous blogs, it will come as no surprise that some of my fondest memories involve exploring the beautiful Cornish coast that I was lucky enough to live so close to while studying. There are so many gorgeous little towns and sections of the South West Coast Path that you can access on public transport from Penryn Campus, making for some lovely days out. Some of my favourites include:
St Ives
My personal favourite as this was my first introduction to Cornwall as a child, and probably the reason I ended up deciding to go to a university campus in Cornwall. I visited St Ives many times throughout the three years, but a particularly memorable occasion was the solo day trip I took myself on a couple of months into first year. I’d spent a lot of time socialising as much as possible during Welcome Week and was happy to be able to explore with the friends I made, but I also like my alone time and find that doing things by myself is a good confidence boost. Going on a nice easy train journey to have a wander around the pretty streets of St Ives, sit in a cosy coffee shop and eat a pasty on the beach was the perfect way to pause and check in with how I was feeling. Starting university and moving away from home means a lot of changes take place in a short amount of time, and it’s often very busy at first, which is helpful for settling in but does mean things can take a while to process. Remembering to prioritise some relaxed time for yourself is definitely helpful as you get further into the term, and picking such a scenic destination for that is a bonus! I look back at that day very fondly.
I also enjoyed visiting St Ives when family and friends came to visit, and with my boyfriend who I actually met in Welcome Week! My final visits in third year really felt like full circle moments, and I’m sure I’ll feel just the same when I come back in a few years on holiday.
Lizard Point
I recently went on a camping trip near Lizard which was something I’d been wanting to do since I got to Falmouth. My boyfriend and I got the bus with our tent and sleeping bags and then walked along the coast path for a while to get to a lovely family run campsite. We had pizzas from the food van they had on site overlooking the sea, and spent a day walking to Lizard Point, which is the furthest south you can get on the UK mainland and has beautiful views. There’s a lot of wildlife nearby and we even spotted a seal (or a seal shaped rock)! I can’t imagine when else I would have got the chance to do something like this just on a little weekend trip, so I’m really glad I made the most of living in Cornwall to have these experiences while at university.
Newquay
Last summer I visited Newquay on a particularly sunny day with a friend I made on a campus tour in Welcome Week. We visited a café that had delicious matcha and smoothie bowls (an essential because our friendship was basically built on exploring the different coffee shops Falmouth has to offer) and had a look around the shops. We also walked around the Gannel Estuary and explored the various beautiful beaches. It was my first time in Newquay and I was very impressed by how much there was to see and do, in the sun it truly felt like being on holiday. The harbour had some of the clearest turquoise water I’ve ever seen, and we found a nice quiet place to swim near a rowing boat. There are certain days in Cornwall that feel so special and different to being anywhere else in the UK and this was definitely one of them.
Academic highlights
Although I might get distracted by how exciting it was to live by the sea, my History and Politics degree was in fact the reason I came to the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus. The focus on sustainability and range of modules offered in areas I was interested in were big pull factors for me making the course my firm choice, and (amongst some other nice surprises) were absolutely the things that I enjoyed most about studying it…
Environmental Humanities
A lot of the modules I was able to select as part of my course overlapped with the Environmental Humanities course, which I was very happy about. This meant I got to tailor my degree to fit my interest in sustainability whilst still focusing on it from a History and Politics perspective. The flexibility of the course and the potential to add proficiencies in areas like law or languages meant everyone was able to find modules that linked to something they were particularly passionate about and branch out from more traditional modules if they wanted to. For me, getting to study an introductory module to Environmental Humanities – which included a three-night fieldtrip to Penzance – was a particular highlight. This involved working in various creative ways to engage with environmental issues and consider the natural world from new perspectives and really broadened my ways of thinking as I progressed into second and third year. It was also just a lot of fun!
I continued this focus throughout my degree, with various modules being available on both the History and Politics sides which linked both subjects together and connected the academic theory to relevant and topical issues.
Lectures and seminars
It may sound obvious, but now I’m back living day to day life without the chance to go and sit in a room and listen to an expert talk about a topic I’m really interested in, I’ve realised just how much I enjoyed my lectures. Having a gap year before coming to university did make me particularly appreciative of the teaching hours from the start, but the more the years went on and the more niche and related to my interests the topics became, I really started to love going to lectures and find out things I would never have otherwise known. All of my lecturers were so passionate and engaging that I was often surprised by how invested I could get in things I wouldn’t have thought would be my cup of tea. For example, at school I was not a fan of science at all, but the History of Science ended up being one of my favourite areas and the foundation of my dissertation. Keeping an open mind and trying out a wide range of subject areas is definitely worthwhile, the variety is what makes it so good. I was able to take modules focusing on regions across the globe with a huge range of topics.
The same goes for getting to talk about these topics in small group seminars. I can’t emphasise enough how different seminar discussions are from the conversations in a secondary school classroom (or at least at mine) – everyone is genuinely so interested in the content once they’ve picked that subject at degree level that it’s a lot more enjoyable talking about it! I really grew to love and appreciate learning in a way that I hadn’t before.
Nature Networks
I recently got to go on a course organised by the Career Zone, called Nature Networks. This involved two weekends of learning about rewilding and nature recovery at a farm in Devon, with hands on experiences like osprey nest building and setting camera traps. I even got to feed a lamb from a bottle! It was really great to be able to join this course as a humanities student, as I was able to connect some of the theoretical knowledge I’ve gained around sustainability to real life practices and hear from students on more scientific courses as well as different employers in the sector. Having more exposure to networking and the chance to think more about how I can use the skills I’ve gained in my degree to start a career in something I’m passionate about was a good end to my time at university. Plus, I’d never say no to camping with a view of a river winding through rolling hills.
Friendships
The people you meet and friends you make are another huge part of university life. I really pushed myself to be sociable when I first moved to university which I’m so glad about because a lot of my friends from Welcome Week are still good friends today. It was so nice to graduate alongside people who’ve been on the whole journey with me.
Having said that, you make friends in all kinds of random ways at university. I’ve got friends from my job at the coffee shops on campus, through friends of friends and Facebook housing group chats. One of my closest friends was in a group project I had to do in the first term of first year. Another was one of the original people I found on Instagram before moving in! There are so many different ways to meet people. Some you’ll have a nice time with but may not see again, and others will become your future housemates.
It all works out – I’ve ended up surrounded by lovely, kind people who I can’t wait to go and visit now we’ve moved away. There are so many nice memories with friends to look back on over the three years. From going to the beach for a sea swim every Sunday in first year, to coffee shop study dates during our final assignments. Pottery painting, having people over to watch Gilmore Girls every Wednesday in my second year house, and trying out the local pub quizzes all stand out as nice cosy activities to look back on. There’s a lot to do in Falmouth whether it’s having beach barbecues and swimming in summer or going to Christmas light switch on events in the colder months. Getting to spend time with new friends in such a nice environment is such an important part of university life and I’ll miss every bit of it.
Personal highlights
Finally, I have to mention how much growth you experience over your three years away from home getting your degree. This looks different for everyone, but the life experience you gain by living alone and dealing with the more intense academic moments means you will change and progress more than it feels. Some personal highlights for me include being a lead tenant and taking responsibility for talking to landlords, paying bills and solving problems that came up in student housing. Taking time to prioritise cooking healthy meals (most of the time) was another big win. I’m also pleased with my time-management skills as I was able to work part-time throughout my degree and still focus on my coursework enough to keep up with others.
Underscoring all of that is perseverance and determination, which are two skills I’ve definitely developed and used while at university, and I’m sure will continue to benefit me in the future. Student life can be difficult at times, I had some big ups and downs in first and second year, but I managed to push through them and get to a point of really enjoying everything about studying in Penryn by third year. Sometimes, this can look like a quiet night in to rest and reset, a phone call with someone from home or a late night in the library just getting stuff done. Other times, it might be reaching out for help and support. In second year, I was struggling with both academic and social life due to my anxiety getting worse, so I reached out to University of Exeter student support services. With the help they provided I was able to get through that harder period and ended the year feeling much happier, and in my final year I felt more comfortable to push myself out of my comfort zone again. I worked really hard in that last year so that I’d know I tried my best and despite all the ups and downs, I actually managed to get a first! Definitely a highlight, but whatever the result I was just happy to have got through it all, and I actually went for a celebratory pizza the day before getting my results back so I could focus on the work I’d put in rather than the grades. University can be challenging, but it is so rewarding to look back, knowing how hard you tried, and see what you’ve achieved.
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These are of course many other highlights from what feels like a huge chapter of my life, but I hope sharing some of my favourite memories gives you something to get excited about, and perhaps makes you appreciate what you’ve got a little bit more while you’re living it. Have the best time!