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14th February 2017 Isabella Neil - (2014, English)

Exeter Students make Cohen Quad home

Exeter finalist Isabella Neil (2014, English) moved into Cohen Quad at the start of Hilary term. Here she describes how Exeter's new quad is already making a difference.

Anyone can see that Cohen Quad is a beautiful addition to Exeter College, but unless you get the chance to live here, it is less obvious how great an impact the new building will have on students’ everyday lives.

I remember the panic that ensued during Michaelmas of first year. Having known each other for a matter of weeks, we felt compelled to hastily organise into groups to find houses for our second year as quickly as possible. The extra living space that Cohen Quad offers means an end to Exeter students desperately scrambling to find housing that will “do”: Exonians now have the choice to avoid 52-week rents, hefty deposits and administration fees, and potentially difficult landlords.

Arriving in Cohen Quad, it became immediately clear that all the photos and computer-generated renderings don’t do the building justice and, as a finalist, I can’t imagine a better place to live than Cohen. Having a place to live that also has everything we need – spaces to work, eat, socialise, cook, and relax – less than 10 minutes away from Turl Street is amazing, and makes a huge difference in what is a pretty stressful year!
Everything about Cohen Quad’s design feels well thought through, and the building feels tailor-made to support Exeter’s students and staff. We are just settling in at the moment, but it is clear to see that Cohen is going to be a huge part of college life at Exeter.

The Learning Commons forms the heart of Cohen Quad

Cohen Quad offers study spaces of different types across the site

The entrance of Cohen Quad

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