Don't know anything about Kent, but I went round Nottingham yesterday and it seems like they ease you into uni life rather than chuck you in at the deep end. It seemed like an advanced private school; house monitor lists, everything regulated and lots of rich kids, which could either be an advantage or a disadvantage depending on your viewpoint. My friend's sister goes there- second-year, lives in the city- and she's had her laptop stolen as well as a lot of her friends', and they trawled through the entire place to find the keys to a car outside. Nottingham does have problems with druggies and it's the 'murder capital of the UK'. Not saying it's unmanageable, but it's definitely not the safe option.