Blog

MY FIRST FEW DAYS AT EXETER UNIVERSITY

ONE “WORD”: ARGH!

Nerve-racking. My first few days in Exeter University literally couldn’t have gone worst.

If you read my previous blog posts, you know how much I desired a good University experience: after living my whole teenage years as an outcast in my high school, I knew I deserved a better treatment and a chance to prove myself. I always know that I was a fun and querky girl.

Too bad that, as soon as I arrived, I realised that I was put in the most unsociable accommodation block ever. I was surrounded by a bunch of people who didn’t like to socialise and who were way too focused on studying during their first year at uni (which didn’t count towards their degree by the way). Moreover, I also had absolutely no one in my corridor! That’s right: while everyone had flatmates and cooked together, I had my own kitchen, bathroom and didn’t even have corridor mates. This was an epic fail start.

Just so you know: I was randomly put in that accommodation because Exeter was not first choice.

I explain below how I dealt with the situation and how I went from someone with zero connections to a happy & fully integrated student.

I hope this video helps you understand the importance of mindset and perseverance. At the end of the day, it is the one who fights for what he/she wants who’s most likely to get the outcome desired.

HOW CAN WE CAN HELP EACH OTHER (ONLINE OPPORTUNITY)

I have done my best to keep this website up-to-date. However, not living in Exeter anymore, this can be a challenge. If you are about to move to Exeter and want to get involved with this blog then please do not hesitate to contact me via my Instagram account. This is a unique opportunity for anyone who would like to get into blogging, influencer marketing or just generally gain some experience for their CV. Again, you can contact me for more details on how this may help you!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR YOU

Over the years I have created many guides and checklist that aim to help you save time. Here are a list of them just in case you might miss out on a few:

1. The Essay Decoder: a resource to help international students understand what is asked in an essay. This resource was given to me by one of Exeter’s top Senior Lecturers.
2. Do’s & Don’ts at University Guide: a resource that gives you 70+ tips about university life. These recommendations range from social life, to love life, to reputation… I wish I had this guide when starting.
3. The Ultimate Packing Checklist for both Catered students and Self-Catered students. A resource that aims to help you save time when preparing yourself for University.
4. My 1st E-Book: a resource that has help me become a boss at Time Management. Moreover, it has also helped me create more time for what I love and get to my goals faster. It is lengthy, however it is arguably the best Time Management piece of research out there.
5. My Before & After CV Transformation: a resource that has collected my CVs for the past 7 years to help you not only craft a great CV, but to also show you that everyone can start mediocre and grow exponentially.
6. How To Land a Job Faster Guide: a resource that aims to give you all of the tips and recommendations I have used during my career. This will help you avoid some common mistakes students do when starting off with their job applications.

MY OBJECTIVE IS AND WILL FOREVER BE TO HELP YOU

To conclude, the aim of this website is to help you have the best fresh start at University and with your career. There is nothing that gives me more happiness and joy but to hear your positive feedback on how helpful my content has been. Contact me if you have any feedback for me!

BEST OF LUCK WITH IT ALL!!!!

ETHNICAL DIVERSITY AT EXETER UNIVERSITY

EXETER & RACISM

As a white girl, it was hard for me to grasp to what extent racism is present in our society, whether it’s conscious or unconscious.

When I first came to Exeter University, a lot of the comments on my YouTube Channel were asking me about diversity at Exeter university. I obviously answered what I had experimented or witnessed: which was nothing really, I didn’t believe Exeter was racist. It is only now that I realize how naive my opinion was.

I mean, what would a white girl like me understand about racism and the experience to be a student of color in a (very white) student community? I luckily had the bon sense to start asking around… Each conversation was an eye opener and I decided to make the few videos below.

Before you watch them, please understand that these are different opinions but all valid. At the end of the day, we cannot understand what other people go through until we actually walk in their shoes… And that is why I encourage all of you to listen to these words with an open heart.

LATIFAH AND HER EXPERIENCE AS A BLACK MUSLIM

In this video, Latifah explains to us how it is to go from London to Exeter University. I do my best to give you the most unbiased and real authenticity through my channel and my work. I hope you will grow to respect this lovely soul the same way I did. Latifah, if you are reading this, thank you for your wisdom and I wish you the bright future you deserve.

NICOLE AND AGATA AND THEIR EXPERIENCE AT EXETER UNI

In these videos, Agata and Nicole give us a piece of their mind. I am so happy to give a platform for these girls to express themselves and give their message to you all. I hope the videos help you find the answers you are looking for.

RIADH’S INTEGRATION

Riadh is from Algeria and started his PhD at Exeter University. He explains his point of view on the whole diversity situation in Exeter and also opens up about starting a PhD.

I wish for the future generations to see beyond skin color and cultural diversities. We are all one, the faster we realize that the faster we will live in a happier reality.

HOW CAN WE CAN HELP EACH OTHER (ONLINE OPPORTUNITY)

I have done my best to keep this website up-to-date. However, not living in Exeter anymore, this can be a challenge. If you are about to move to Exeter and want to get involved with this blog then please do not hesitate to contact me via this Contact Form or via my Instagram account. This is a unique opportunity for anyone who would like to get into blogging, influencer marketing or just generally gain some experience for their CV. Again, you can contact me for more details on how this may help you!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR YOU

Over the years I have created many guides and checklist that aim to help you save time. Here are a list of them just in case you might miss out on a few:

1. The Essay Decoder: a resource to help international students understand what is asked in an essay. This resource was given to me by one of Exeter’s top Senior Lecturers.
2. Do’s & Don’ts at University Guide: a resource that gives you 70+ tips about university life. These recommendations range from social life, to love life, to reputation… I wish I had this guide when starting.
3. The Ultimate Packing Checklist for both Catered students and Self-Catered students. A resource that aims to help you save time when preparing yourself for University.
4. My 1st E-Book: a resource that has help me become a boss at Time Management. Moreover, it has also helped me create more time for what I love and get to my goals faster. It is lengthy, however it is arguably the best Time Management piece of research out there.
5. The Time Management Actionable Sheets: a summary of my E-Book. These sheets have conserved the absolute essential actions you need to take to make the most out of your time. Do not skip any steps!
6. My Before & After CV Transformation: a resource that has collected my CVs for the past 7 years to help you not only craft a great CV, but to also show you that everyone can start mediocre and grow exponentially.
7. How To Land a Job Faster Guide: a resource that aims to give you all of the tips and recommendations I have used during my career. This will help you avoid some common mistakes students do when starting off with their job applications.

MY OBJECTIVE IS AND WILL FOREVER BE TO HELP YOU

To conclude, the aim of this website is to help you have the best fresh start at University and with your career. There is nothing that gives me more happiness and joy but to hear your positive feedback on how helpful my content has been. Contact me if you have any feedback for me!

BEST OF LUCK WITH IT ALL!!!!

Much affection,

Francesca Michaud

EXETER UNIVERSITY STUDENTS INTERVIEWS

LUCKY YOU..!

It seems like yesterday when I was looking through the internet for some information and interviews about Exeter University student life. At the time (2013), I didn’t find anything. Even today, the choices are limited.

In this blog post, I show you most of the interviews I have been doing of Exeter University‘s students. You can find more if you dig through my other blog posts such as the diversity themed one and if you go explore my YouTube Channel. But for now, please find below a few of my most random interviews.

MIX OF STUDENTS

In the videos below, I go around the Forum, on Streatham Campus, and ask a few questions to the student community. Not a lot of people accepted to be on camera (such a shame!) but the few that accepted made up for it!

These are some of my oldest videos but since I worked with the XTV Society, which is the society dedicated to film makers in Exeter, I managed to have excellent quality in both video and sound.

TIPSY INTERVIEWS

One of my favorite activities is to interview drunk students! They come up with the funniest jokes and the most honest opinion about their student life. The interview of Josh and Sam is by far one of my favorite videos and I wish I did more of these!

Luckily I had enough material that one night to make another video about University Halls. I did not include this in my Accommodation at Exeter University blog post because it was not 100% about accommodation.

FRESHERS WEEK

This was one of my most researched topics back in 2013: I was craving for more information about University and I ended up watching the same 30 seconds of that same lame 2009 video that wasn’t even up to date! Luckily these interviews help you have a better understanding of your expectations.

Finally I have one more different opinion my an international fresher from Belgium who lived in an en-suite studio in Birks Grange. Disclaimer: Carla ended up dropping out from Exeter university therefore if you feel that you agree with her on every single aspects, then maybe do a bit more research about Exeter University before firming it!

I really hope these interviews help you get a better understanding of what is coming up! As you can notice, people have different perceptions and different opinions. I highly recommend you all reflect on your mindset and the kind of vibe and energy you want to bring to your university experience. Mindset is everything: you want to see the positive, it will all be positive, and vice versa.

HOW CAN WE CAN HELP EACH OTHER (ONLINE OPPORTUNITY)

I have done my best to keep this website up-to-date. However, not living in Exeter anymore, this can be a challenge. If you are about to move to Exeter and want to get involved with this blog then please do not hesitate to contact me via my Instagram account. This is a unique opportunity for anyone who would like to get into blogging, influencer marketing or just generally gain some experience for their CV. Again, you can contact me for more details on how this may help you!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR YOU

Over the years I have created many guides and checklist that aim to help you save time. Here are a list of them just in case you might miss out on a few:

1. The Essay Decoder: a resource to help international students understand what is asked in an essay. This resource was given to me by one of Exeter’s top Senior Lecturers.
2. Do’s & Don’ts at University Guide: a resource that gives you 70+ tips about university life. These recommendations range from social life, to love life, to reputation… I wish I had this guide when starting.
3. The Ultimate Packing Checklist for both Catered students and Self-Catered students. A resource that aims to help you save time when preparing yourself for University.
4. My 1st E-Book: a resource that has help me become a boss at Time Management. Moreover, it has also helped me create more time for what I love and get to my goals faster. It is lengthy, however it is arguably the best Time Management piece of research out there.
5. My Before & After CV Transformation: a resource that has collected my CVs for the past 7 years to help you not only craft a great CV, but to also show you that everyone can start mediocre and grow exponentially.
6. How To Land a Job Faster Guide: a resource that aims to give you all of the tips and recommendations I have used during my career. This will help you avoid some common mistakes students do when starting off with their job applications.

MY OBJECTIVE IS AND WILL FOREVER BE TO HELP YOU

To conclude, the aim of this website is to help you have the best fresh start at University and with your career. There is nothing that gives me more happiness and joy but to hear your positive feedback on how helpful my content has been. Contact me if you have any feedback for me!

BEST OF LUCK WITH IT ALL!!!!

EXETER UNIVERSITY STREATHAM CAMPUS TOUR

THE FORUM

Exeter University is quite big, has many halls and secret passages. It’s heart is the Forum, one of the most sociable places you could ever be in.

Since it is an extremely popular place, the Forum accommodates many (expensive) bars and cafes for hungry students who spend most of their days either in it’s library or running around from one lecture hall to the other.

In the video below, you will see me go around the forum and comparing the prices of the market and cafes in order for you to have an understanding of what budget you will need if you intend eating every day in the forum (I highly advise against that decision). Here’s why:

If you need more videos like this one check out my Exeter City Center Tour and other Hall tours.

HOW CAN WE CAN HELP EACH OTHER (ONLINE OPPORTUNITY)

I have done my best to keep this website up-to-date. However, not living in Exeter anymore, this can be a challenge. If you are about to move to Exeter and want to get involved with this blog then please do not hesitate to contact me via this Contact Form or via my Instagram account. This is a unique opportunity for anyone who would like to get into blogging, influencer marketing or just generally gain some experience for their CV. Again, you can contact me for more details on how this may help you!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR YOU

Over the years I have created many guides and checklist that aim to help you save time. Here are a list of them just in case you might miss out on a few:

1. The Essay Decoder: a resource to help international students understand what is asked in an essay. This resource was given to me by one of Exeter’s top Senior Lecturers.
2. Do’s & Don’ts at University Guide: a resource that gives you 70+ tips about university life. These recommendations range from social life, to love life, to reputation… I wish I had this guide when starting.
3. The Ultimate Packing Checklist for both Catered students and Self-Catered students. A resource that aims to help you save time when preparing yourself for University.
4. My 1st E-Book: a resource that has help me become a boss at Time Management. Moreover, it has also helped me create more time for what I love and get to my goals faster. It is lengthy, however it is arguably the best Time Management piece of research out there.
5. The Time Management Actionable Sheets: a summary of my E-Book. These sheets have conserved the absolute essential actions you need to take to make the most out of your time. Do not skip any steps!
6. My Before & After CV Transformation: a resource that has collected my CVs for the past 7 years to help you not only craft a great CV, but to also show you that everyone can start mediocre and grow exponentially.
7. How To Land a Job Faster Guide: a resource that aims to give you all of the tips and recommendations I have used during my career. This will help you avoid some common mistakes students do when starting off with their job applications.

MY OBJECTIVE IS AND WILL FOREVER BE TO HELP YOU

To conclude, the aim of this website is to help you have the best fresh start at University and with your career. There is nothing that gives me more happiness and joy but to hear your positive feedback on how helpful my content has been. Contact me if you have any feedback for me!

BEST OF LUCK WITH IT ALL!!!!

Much affection,

Francesca Michaud

EXETER UNIVERSITY COURSES REVIEW

Many of you do not know what course to go for. The good news is that, worst case scenario, you can always transfer to something different. However, it is always better to get it right the first time. I chose Business & Management and I go through it extensively in this blog post. Similarly, I also decided to ask other students about their course and their experience with it.

I hope that the following videos will help you understand further about what you are getting into.

LAW

In this video, Anush gives you a reality check of what it actually means to study law: reading, reading and reading. If there is one thing I have learned by talking to my law friends, it’s that it is very hard to get a first. If you get a 2.1 in law, it is considered as good as a first. Too bad that the employers don’t always understand that.

PPE (Politics, Philosophy and Economics)

PPE is also a very hard degree. However, contrary to other courses, you have less opportunities to mix with other departments. For example: since I did Business & Management, I had the freedom to spend a quarter of my credits on a language course, from the language department. In PPE, most students think that they have more diversity since they have 3 different modules. This is not entirely true as you maxed out the opportunity to work with other departments, such as the language one.

ECONOMICS AND POLITICS

Most of the people that I know who do this course have a huge curiosity for politics and the current affairs. They spend a certain amount of their time catching up on the world’s news and reading the Economist. Accurate enough. This is the much harder version of the Business & Management course.

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

I will not go through all the details in this section as I have written a huge blog post right here about my course. It goes into a lot of details.

Two years later, I made the video below about what I did right (and wrong) with my University degree. Since I did this 1 year after graduating, it really gives me a bird’s eye view on the situation.

You can also find below a Q&A session with some extra information in it.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

As much as I wanted to give you more information about the IR course, this is the only video I managed to compile. However I can add that my best friend did IR therefore I have witnessed him writing many essays for his course. If essays are not your forte, then IR is probably not the best course for you. Beware though: it’s not because you were bad at essays at school that you will automatically be bad at them in Uni!

MEDICAL SCIENCE

I must say I understood only half of what Gabriel was on about: too many technical words! But I am sure you will get it if medicine is what you are interested in!

HOW CAN WE CAN HELP EACH OTHER (ONLINE OPPORTUNITY)

I have done my best to keep this website up-to-date. However, not living in Exeter anymore, this can be a challenge. If you are about to move to Exeter and want to get involved with this blog then please do not hesitate to contact me via my Instagram account. This is a unique opportunity for anyone who would like to get into blogging, influencer marketing or just generally gain some experience for their CV. Again, you can contact me for more details on how this may help you!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR YOU

Over the years I have created many guides and checklist that aim to help you save time. Here are a list of them just in case you might miss out on a few:

1. The Essay Decoder: a resource to help international students understand what is asked in an essay. This resource was given to me by one of Exeter’s top Senior Lecturers.
2. Do’s & Don’ts at University Guide: a resource that gives you 70+ tips about university life. These recommendations range from social life, to love life, to reputation… I wish I had this guide when starting.
3. The Ultimate Packing Checklist for both Catered students and Self-Catered students. A resource that aims to help you save time when preparing yourself for University.
4. My 1st E-Book: a resource that has help me become a boss at Time Management. Moreover, it has also helped me create more time for what I love and get to my goals faster. It is lengthy, however it is arguably the best Time Management piece of research out there.
5. My Before & After CV Transformation: a resource that has collected my CVs for the past 7 years to help you not only craft a great CV, but to also show you that everyone can start mediocre and grow exponentially.
6. How To Land a Job Faster Guide: a resource that aims to give you all of the tips and recommendations I have used during my career. This will help you avoid some common mistakes students do when starting off with their job applications.

MY OBJECTIVE IS AND WILL FOREVER BE TO HELP YOU

To conclude, the aim of this website is to help you have the best fresh start at University and with your career. There is nothing that gives me more happiness and joy but to hear your positive feedback on how helpful my content has been. Contact me if you have any feedback for me!

BEST OF LUCK WITH IT ALL!!!!

EXETER NIGHTLIFE

SOCIAL LIFE AT ITS FINEST

Nightlife is a very important part of social life during University. Exeter definitely does not have one of the most varied nightlife scenes however it can be extremely fun when you know how to work with what you have.

Before I get into it and show you a few videos, I would like to answer a question I get asked a lot on my Youtube Channel aka “How is life outside of uni? The people? The nightlife?“.

The short answer to this question is: life outside uni is as good as you make it.

To explain better, I need to give you arguments for both possible answers:

EXETER IS BORING

Technically speaking, out of the 10 clubs in Exeter only 5 will be decent enough for you and your taste. After the 6th week you will probably know the playlist of each night club by heart, no matter the week day.

The only thing that can save you is when one of the event brands bring in a DJ. This is only a viable option if you are into house music, drum & bass, garage or jungle music. There isn’t much to visit and the “city center” is basically a street with a mediocre shopping mall attached to it.

This said, with the students coming in every year, the city has been working on more sorts of entertainment options and “city-like activities” in order to fill in the huge craving some people have.

EXETER IS FUN

This is more my opinion. Against popular belief, I think Exeter is the perfect place to live your student life (not grad life).

Yes, it’s not Paris or Hong Kong but there are 20,000 students creating more than 100 communities and gatherings called societies. You can basically decide to try cheerleading one week and the next you can find yourself trying your first ski lesson.

It is crazy how many activities the societies have brought to the game, how many trips are organized each month. Most importantly (to me), there are so many people you can meet. My real issue was not having enough time to meet everyone! I managed to meet 1000 students in the first 2 years at uni! Everyone has a story, and experiences you can learn from… that alone can become an adventure!

THE NIGHTLIFE

Now back to the nightlife: the video below is not 100% up to date (look at the comment section). There are a couple of new clubs that came up but don’t you worry, what you will hear in this video is still accurate and you will get the gist of the remaining clubs I mentioned.

I also interviewed a fresher that gave me her first impressions of the nightlife, so that you could have another and fresher perspective!

HOW CAN WE CAN HELP EACH OTHER (ONLINE OPPORTUNITY)

I have done my best to keep this website up-to-date. However, not living in Exeter anymore, this can be a challenge. If you are about to move to Exeter and want to get involved with this blog then please do not hesitate to contact me via my Instagram account. This is a unique opportunity for anyone who would like to get into blogging, influencer marketing or just generally gain some experience for their CV. Again, you can contact me for more details on how this may help you!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR YOU

Over the years I have created many guides and checklist that aim to help you save time. Here are a list of them just in case you might miss out on a few:

1. The Essay Decoder: a resource to help international students understand what is asked in an essay. This resource was given to me by one of Exeter’s top Senior Lecturers.
2. Do’s & Don’ts at University Guide: a resource that gives you 70+ tips about university life. These recommendations range from social life, to love life, to reputation… I wish I had this guide when starting.
3. The Ultimate Packing Checklist for both Catered students and Self-Catered students. A resource that aims to help you save time when preparing yourself for University.
4. My 1st E-Book: a resource that has help me become a boss at Time Management. Moreover, it has also helped me create more time for what I love and get to my goals faster. It is lengthy, however it is arguably the best Time Management piece of research out there.
5. My Before & After CV Transformation: a resource that has collected my CVs for the past 7 years to help you not only craft a great CV, but to also show you that everyone can start mediocre and grow exponentially.
6. How To Land a Job Faster Guide: a resource that aims to give you all of the tips and recommendations I have used during my career. This will help you avoid some common mistakes students do when starting off with their job applications.

MY OBJECTIVE IS AND WILL FOREVER BE TO HELP YOU

To conclude, the aim of this website is to help you have the best fresh start at University and with your career. There is nothing that gives me more happiness and joy but to hear your positive feedback on how helpful my content has been. Contact me if you have any feedback for me!

BEST OF LUCK WITH IT ALL!!!!

EXETER CITY CENTER TOUR

BETTER THAN NOTHING 😀

Exeter City Center is really just one street: High Street.

By going up and down High Street you will find multiple bars, pubs and even clubs. From there, you can also find smaller streets that lead to other venues, shopping malls and even the Cathedral. Although this is far from an exhaustive city tour, it gives a good idea of what to expect from Exeter City and I am sure that once you familiarize yourself with this part of town, the rest will be much easier to explore!

The video below is quite old, but the streets haven’t changed. I know it will be useful to some of you.

HOW CAN WE CAN HELP EACH OTHER (ONLINE OPPORTUNITY)

I have done my best to keep this website up-to-date. However, not living in Exeter anymore, this can be a challenge. If you are about to move to Exeter and want to get involved with this blog then please do not hesitate to contact me via my Instagram account. This is a unique opportunity for anyone who would like to get into blogging, influencer marketing or just generally gain some experience for their CV. Again, you can contact me for more details on how this may help you!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR YOU

Over the years I have created many guides and checklist that aim to help you save time. Here are a list of them just in case you might miss out on a few:

1. The Essay Decoder: a resource to help international students understand what is asked in an essay. This resource was given to me by one of Exeter’s top Senior Lecturers.
2. Do’s & Don’ts at University Guide: a resource that gives you 70+ tips about university life. These recommendations range from social life, to love life, to reputation… I wish I had this guide when starting.
3. The Ultimate Packing Checklist for both Catered students and Self-Catered students. A resource that aims to help you save time when preparing yourself for University.
4. My 1st E-Book: a resource that has help me become a boss at Time Management. Moreover, it has also helped me create more time for what I love and get to my goals faster. It is lengthy, however it is arguably the best Time Management piece of research out there.
5. My Before & After CV Transformation: a resource that has collected my CVs for the past 7 years to help you not only craft a great CV, but to also show you that everyone can start mediocre and grow exponentially.
6. How To Land a Job Faster Guide: a resource that aims to give you all of the tips and recommendations I have used during my career. This will help you avoid some common mistakes students do when starting off with their job applications.

MY OBJECTIVE IS AND WILL FOREVER BE TO HELP YOU

To conclude, the aim of this website is to help you have the best fresh start at University and with your career. There is nothing that gives me more happiness and joy but to hear your positive feedback on how helpful my content has been. Contact me if you have any feedback for me!

BEST OF LUCK WITH IT ALL!!!!

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT COURSE AT EXETER UNIVERSITY

My Business and Management Degree Course at Exeter University went surprisingly well! However there was a lot of information that I just didn’t know when I started or even applied to it. Hopefully this blog post will help you and have all the information you are looking for!

Schedule

Firstly, my course doesn’t have many hours a week. For instance, during my fourth year, I only had between 10 and 12h a week, depending on the week. It’s crazy to compare that to back in the day, when I was in high-school, and had 8h a day of lectures…

Why do I feel that this is great? For someone who did not know what to do with my life, having those spear hours was golden. It is great for studying if you haven’t understood a lecture. Moreover, it is great for your I personal projects. The more time you spend on discovering and pursuing your passions, the more accurately you will choose your career. This would not be possible if we’d chose medicine or law, for example. 

Business is the only degree that is recognized as a good degree but for half of the input/studying you do. Economics students in Exeter are secretly jealous of the disproportionate amount of work and hours we have in comparison to them. Business is basically so flexible and so vague you can get into, and do, whatever you want. Here is my timetable in 2nd year. My 4th year looked the same. I mean… wow. This was my definition of paradise at the time.

Content

Secondly, some people change from the Business course to the Economics one because they don’t find the course challenging enough. If you are one of those really hard working people and you feel like you really want to be challenged then maybe Business is not for you.

People who have no clue about what they want to do, usually end up in business. This enables them to spend their time on projects and exploring industries. You get to decide what to do with your time and, the degree being not that hard either.

Moreover, some people forget that you can choose Economics modules even though you study Business! If you want to do economics, just take all the modules of economics. Worst case scenario, you can easily sneak into other student’s lectures.

The Teaching Quality

Since it’s Exeter University, the teaching can be of really high quality. For instance, my Strategic Management module has a lecturer who is successful in the real world. He is also very eloquent and he makes you want to study, which is an accomplishment, especially with me.

But there are also some lecturers who really don’t get it: they are so monotonous and they speak with the same low energy all the time. By the 10th minute you just want to sleep. I can’t predict how your teaching will be because maybe you will chose different modules, or maybe professors will change. In general I would say that we have really good teachers, except if you want to major in Digital Marketing after first year.

My Mandatory Modules

In my final year we had two mandatory modules:

• Strategic Management
• and Finance for Managers.

Strategic Management

Strategic Management is 30 credits. For those who do not understand what a credit is please refer to this blog post! I personally loved Strategic Management and I don’t ever say that about modules. Strategic Management is very practical: there is a link between what we are learning and the real world. Usually, most of the things you learn at uni is theoretical and I am personally very practical.

Finance for Managers

Finance for managers is 15 credits. It is full of maths and you do need to do the work in advance or at least make sure that you do not slack. I went through the course, I went through the lectures and the professor was fabulous. This is definitely not a module you just go through last minute. It takes practice on a weekly basis and I can’t stress enough how much tutorials are essential! They ended up being the basis of my exam. 

My Optional Modules

The optional modules are modules you choose based on what you like. This was quite difficult for me in first and second year because I had no clue of what I wanted to do with my life. In 4th year I understood myself better. You will see that the number of optional modules you can choose increases as the years go by. This happens because the University knows that you are a bit more clueless at the beginning. I chose the following modules during my 4th year:

• Design Management and Marketing
• Digital Marketing
• Psychological Aspects of Consumption
• Spanish Beginners Fast Track

Design Management and Marketing

I chose Design Management because it was a new module so it brings novelty to the Business School. It also sounded more creative than the usual boring stuff I was used to. I wanted to try it out and I wanted to be one of the first people who actually experimented that course. Also, when you go on a new course they tend to go easy on the marks: since I was in my fourth year, I needed to be smart about these kind of hacks.

In hindsight it was a very interesting module, not as creative as I hoped though. It was more about the design of buildings and interior rather than other things. But we had to do group work and come up with a logo for the University of Exeter. This made the course more exciting and practical!

This is a video we showed in the presentation of the module (he loved it)!

Digital Marketing

I was so excited for this module! Digital Marketing was my thing you know? Especially after being promoted to Social Media Manager during my year abroad. I was convinced that it was going to be my cup of tea … but hell no! It was a disaster: the lecturer was not trained in Marketing at all. She studied Feminism and actually hated social media! She spent her time moaning about how bad social media is and feeding us her conspiracy theories. Whether I agreed or not with them isn’t the issue. The issue was that I signed up for a digital marketing lesson, and wasn’t taught anything about it. I tend to be vocal about my opinions. The results? 50% in my exam. Boom. What a joke. Big disappointment. [fyi: Her Name Starts With An A ;)]

Psychological Aspects of Consumption

My third module was Psychological Aspects of Consumption. There were a lot of theories that I thought were quite interesting about how humans think, how they react to certain stimulus… However the lecturer was very interested in the psychology of children. In short, it was not as interesting for me who had no interest in his subject of research. But it was a decent experience.

Spanish

Finally, I chose a 30 credit module which is Spanish. Every year, I always chose a 30 credit module in languages:

• in first year it was Chinese Beginners
• in second year it was Chinese Intermediate 1
• in fourth year I should have gone in Chinese Intermediate 2 but I didn’t. I wanted to work smart, get higher marks for my final degree and learn an easier language. And I was just like “Why don’t you just be smart and go and do Spanish?” as I’m Italian, Spanish should be easy peasy.

Not only I got into Spanish: I got into the beginners level! For me, this was a huge opportunity to boost my marks incredibly. That choice was debatable: some people would think “why learn something that you already know” what a waste of money and what a waste of a degree. Hopefully this video helps you understand why:

I needed to be super smart in order to get a good degree. Yes, paying to learn is the aim, but also graduating with high marks is demanded in the real world. And I didn’t want to get a 2.2 otherwise my whole degree would become worthless. Back in the day, I was on the verge of getting that therefore I needed all the odds to be on my side.

Thoughts

There are a few things I wish I knew about Business and Management. Before I dive into this session, here is a video I made about my tips for revision.

https://youtu.be/fTLk_y0bouI

Regrets. I Wish That I…

1. connected more with my course mates. Business and Management is a huge course with huge networking opportunities. Most people will end up in companies you may want to join later on. Consequently, I strongly advise you to make sure they see you as someone who is trustworthy. You never know who can open doors for you in the future… and who can close some.
2. connected more with my lecturers. These professors are huge experts in their fields and could be really good mentors. References and free consulting sessions comes out of a good relationship.
3. learned more about Time Management. I could’ve done so much more during my University days.
4. went to my lectures. Not for the content, but for the lack of structure of my days. I used to go to bed very late (8am) and wake up in the afternoon (5pm)…
5. went to the employability events my University was organizing. There were loads of networking opportunities with potential employers and opportunities to train for future application processes (mock interviews, mock assessment centers…). These types of opportunities are now inaccessible.

Tricks! I Am Proud Of…

1. finding a way to mix my Business degree with another department (aka the Language facility). I ended up graduating with Mandarin Chinese on my degree and the Chinese courses enabled me to dodge some seriously boring business lectures.
2. doing a year in industry. I grew so much as a person and it helped me start a very good career as I started applying for jobs before other people. This gave me an advantage over my 3rd year friends because I knew better how to come across to the employer through interviews and assessment centers.
3. getting my “party-animal self” out of my system in first year. During my first 2 years I focused on fun and my social life more than my degree. This was contrary to some of my friends who decided to be responsible since day one and ended up regretting not going out much in their last year. They ended up going out too much during their final year and as a consequence ended up having my same degree, for a more boring and stressful university experience.
4. getting the Exeter Award and Exeter Leadership Award. It sounds fancy but anyone could actually get it, it was beyond ridiculously easy. It shows to the employers that you try hard and makes your CV a bit shinier than the other ones.
5. choosing my modules by looking at the type of examination. Your exams come in different formats (essays, multiple questions, group work, presentation, case studies…). You need to figure out early on what type of examination you do best and then choose modules that have the same type of exam.

Below you can find a Q&A video where I answer other related questions.

Conclusion

All in all, I loved Business & Management because it gave me the time to actually do what I want to do in life. It gave me the time to reflect on what I love to do and gave me opportunities to try practical projects. I applied for jobs for my Year in Industry and knew what to expect from the application process. I worked on my CV, I started a Youtube Channel, I trended on Instagram, I directed a “pilot” for a wannabe TV- series etc. My course allowed me to really do introspection and ask myself what do you want to do Francesca? So I could work at it in order to shine.

Business and Management at Exeter University is the most open course ever: if you want more marketing you can; you want to study a language, you can; you want more finance modules, you have them. If you are going to study this course, be excited because this is the start of you discovering yourself.

How Can We Help Each Other (Online Opportunity)

I have done my best to keep this website up-to-date. However, not living in Exeter anymore, this can be a challenge. If you are about to move to Exeter and want to get involved with this blog then please do not hesitate to contact me via my Instagram account. This is a unique opportunity for anyone who would like to get into blogging, influencer marketing or just generally gain some experience for their CV. Again, you can contact me for more details on how this may help you!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR YOU

Over the years I have created many guides and checklist that aim to help you save time. Here are a list of them just in case you might miss out on a few:

1. The Essay Decoder: a resource to help international students understand what is asked in an essay. This resource was given to me by one of Exeter’s top Senior Lecturers.
2. Do’s & Don’ts at University Guide: a resource that gives you 70+ tips about university life. These recommendations range from social life, to love life, to reputation… I wish I had this guide when starting.
3. The Ultimate Packing Checklist for both Catered students and Self-Catered students. A resource that aims to help you save time when preparing yourself for University.
4. My 1st E-Book: a resource that has help me become a boss at Time Management. Moreover, it has also helped me create more time for what I love and get to my goals faster. It is lengthy, however it is arguably the best Time Management piece of research out there.
5. My Before & After CV Transformation: a resource that has collected my CVs for the past 7 years to help you not only craft a great CV, but to also show you that everyone can start mediocre and grow exponentially.
6. How To Land a Job Faster Guide: a resource that aims to give you all of the tips and recommendations I have used during my career. This will help you avoid some common mistakes students do when starting off with their job applications.

MY OBJECTIVE IS AND WILL FOREVER BE TO HELP YOU

To conclude, the aim of this website is to help you have the best fresh start at University and with your career. There is nothing that gives me more happiness and joy but to hear your positive feedback on how helpful my content has been. Contact me if you have any feedback for me!

BEST OF LUCK WITH IT ALL!!!!

ACCOMMODATION AT EXETER UNIVERSITY

Exeter University is known to be a beautiful campus. By attracting thousands of students every year, it is only natural that accommodation becomes one of the biggest topic of conversation before arriving to university.

I therefore decided to create a blog post fully dedicated to Exeter University’s accommodation halls of residence for incoming freshers. But before I start getting into it, let me give you a little bit of context.

Background knowledge

There are two types of accommodation settings in Exeter:

• Halls
• Student houses

This post will be dedicated to halls as almost every newbie gets into them during their first year at Exeter University. However, do bare in mind that only freshers (or master students) are allowed to be living in halls: after your first year, you are asked to live in houses (in the city). Unfortunately that means that you must start looking for student houses during your first year. Moreover, at the University of Exeter, most students signed their 2nd year housing contract as early as October! This can be very stressful, especially for students (like me) that needed more time to connect with others and build real friendships.

Room Tours

Let’s get right into it! There is nothing more helpful than room tours. That is why I made a bunch of them for some of the halls in Exeter University. I hope the next videos will help you have a clearer vision of what you are getting into.

Birks Grange Village – STUDIO ACCOMMODATION

This was my first year accommodation back in the day. I loved it because, since I was extremely sociable 24/7, I needed some alone time and privacy when I came back home. Also I hate sharing bathrooms and kitchen rules.

Since students living in studios have no flatmates, this accommodation is great for extraverted people. They will be able to socialise and make friends regardless, and enjoy their privacy when a break is necessary. This is also great for students who like quiet environments. However if you are super introverted, this accommodation could disable you from getting out of your comfort zone and be more sociable. So bear that in mind!

Lafrowda

Lafrowda is one of the most popular halls. It is extremely international and has a very central location as you are right next to the Business School, 5 minutes away from the forum, a less than 10 minutes from the center.

I have included here some freshers talking about Lafrowda and accommodation:

Holland Hall

Holland Hall is the most beautiful hall with the most stunning view. It is quite expensive and it’

s a catered hall. If you hate cooking and love views, you can come right here. However do keep in mind that during holidays you need to empty your room, which is not at all ideal for international people!

I have included a couple of interviews as well:

Rowe House

Rowe House was basically the Old Lafrowda back in the day. It has the same great location as Lafrowda but the buildings are not new therefore can look a little bit uglier. However it has a lovely little community.

I made a second video to show you another point of view of this hall just in case you are interested in many points of view.

Northfield

Northfield is not on campus. It doesn’t have a great location and was not one of my favorites. As a matter of fact, I never went there (ever) except for when I made this video! The people tend to be more quiet and it can be quite boring.

There are obviously many other major room tours that I need to do such as Birks Grange Catered, Lopez, Penny C and off campus halls too… But generally speaking they all look pretty much the same so do not worry if your hall is not represented. These room tours will definitely give you a rough idea of what to expect!

Please Note The Following

No matter where you end up it doesn’t matter, you will always have the possibility to make the most out of your time in university regardless of the halls you are staying. Societies are a true savior, therefore make sure you join a few! 

HOW CAN WE CAN HELP EACH OTHER (ONLINE OPPORTUNITY)

I have done my best to keep this website up-to-date. However, not living in Exeter anymore, this can be a challenge. If you are about to move to Exeter and want to get involved with this blog then please do not hesitate to contact me via my Instagram account. This is a unique opportunity for anyone who would like to get into blogging, influencer marketing or just generally gain some experience for their CV. Again, you can contact me for more details on how this may help you!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR YOU

Over the years I have created many guides and checklist that aim to help you save time. Here are a list of them just in case you might miss out on a few:

1. The Essay Decoder: a resource to help international students understand what is asked in an essay. This resource was given to me by one of Exeter’s top Senior Lecturers.
2. Do’s & Don’ts at University Guide: a resource that gives you 70+ tips about university life. These recommendations range from social life, to love life, to reputation… I wish I had this guide when starting.
3. The Ultimate Packing Checklist for both Catered students and Self-Catered students. A resource that aims to help you save time when preparing yourself for University.
4. My 1st E-Book: a resource that has help me become a boss at Time Management. Moreover, it has also helped me create more time for what I love and get to my goals faster. It is lengthy, however it is arguably the best Time Management piece of research out there.
5. My Before & After CV Transformation: a resource that has collected my CVs for the past 7 years to help you not only craft a great CV, but to also show you that everyone can start mediocre and grow exponentially.
6. How To Land a Job Faster Guide: a resource that aims to give you all of the tips and recommendations I have used during my career. This will help you avoid some common mistakes students do when starting off with their job applications.

MY OBJECTIVE IS AND WILL FOREVER BE TO HELP YOU

To conclude, the aim of this website is to help you have the best fresh start at University and with your career. There is nothing that gives me more happiness and joy but to hear your positive feedback on how helpful my content has been. Contact me if you have any feedback for me!

BEST OF LUCK WITH IT ALL!!!!