Welcome – or welcome back – to Exeter! My name is Magda, and I’m a third and final-year student of Politics and Philosophy with Flexible Combined Honors. My advice for starting or returning to university is always to remember that maintaining a balance of both studying and downtime is crucial for your university experience, but also for your own health and wellbeing. I myself enjoy long walks or morning runs, which have led me to discover new places over time – however, a great way to do this is also through societies of your interest and the socials they often organise. As a final-year student on the Streatham Campus, I have many favourite spots to study and relax, which are accessible at low or no cost, and I will introduce you to my top choices in this article.
For studying, my go-to for off-campus is always one of the many cafés available in Exeter, where I can enjoy a nice cup of coffee, all the while catching up on my lectures and seminar work. My top choice over time has been the vegetarian/ vegan café VegBox, which conveniently offers a student deal of one food item and one drink for £10 during the week. If this isn’t of interest to you, a student discount is also available at any point without the offer. The café is conveniently located by the Quay, which also offers a relaxing element once you're done studying – especially if the weather is great!
Another choice of mine for off-campus, student-friendly spots is the Tiny Tasting Room, located in the heart of Exeter near the Cathedral – the seasonal drinks they offer are always really good, and the place is always quiet and cosy for people to sit down and get some studying done.
Credit: Magdalena Kanecka
For on-campus study spots, when the Library is busy – which happens more often than you think – I often choose the designated study areas in the Peter Chalk building or the Business School Xfi building. Both of these are available to access at no cost, so if you tend to opt for free options or are simply looking for a quiet spot to study in between your lectures, I definitely recommend checking those out!
As I mentioned above, maintaining a balance of studying and relaxing is crucial for your wellbeing. That is why, as well as for study spots, I hope to provide you with some of my favourite ways of relaxing, in many different ways. For example, for more mindful relaxation and a means of calming down from stress, two on-campus spots instantly come to mind: the Reed Hall Gardens, and the hill at the back of East Park student accommodation. Both are great to visit alone or with friends and provide a very good means of physically and metaphorically stepping away from any worries or stress.
Credit: Magdalena Kanecka
For off-campus, besides the Quay, which I already mentioned above, I very often like to relax by moving my body in some way – as a member of the Exeter Cheerleading and Gymnastics Club, I know the importance of this far too well. However, societies and sports clubs aside, one of the most fun things I’ve done to physically relax in Exeter is the iBounce trampolining park! Again, this is an amazing activity to partake in with your friends – they often run promotions for off-peak tickets, so very often, you can find yourself getting a cheaper ticket for the same amount of fun.
One other activity which I was introduced to by my boyfriend was climbing, which I have enjoyed thoroughly and have found fun and distracting in times of stress – in Exeter, we are lucky enough to have the Climbing Hangar just past the Quay, so be sure to give it a visit if you’re looking to try something new!
Exeter is an amazing, student-friendly place where anyone can find something they like in terms of academics and free time. I hope my suggestions are useful and that you decide to give some of them a try! :)
Good luck in your studies this year,
Magdalena Kanecka