is the Medway campus really that bad?

kiche

hey

Kent has been my number one choice when looking for uni's and finally got my offer! :biggrin:

the problem is i just realized my business course is located in the Medway campus not Canterbury! :s-smilie:

iv'e been reading the reviews in past threads and they are horrible! :/ but they are from a while ago so not so sure if its still as bad? please help! i'm moving all the way from Africa and want to have an awesome uni experience,not a crap one :mad:

thanks! xx

Reply 1

UniKentGrad

Hi there,

I think the Medway Campus gets a lot of stick because it is more of a city campus than a removed University Campus in the style of Canterbury. The Medway Campus has a nice bunch of students and its first year student accommodation is also some of the nicest you can get (everything ensuite, self catered). I think some people have a chip on their shoulder about going to Medway rather than Canterbury and so some people perceive it as being worse compared to Canterbury even though it has a more independent feel to it.

University of Kent

Canterbury

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Reply 2

Wickey312

The renovations at Medway have been vastly improved.. Before, granted there were a few issues with accomodation etc. Now you have Liberty Quays which is near to brand new (at maximum 3 years old), en suite and self catered. The biggest complaint we have at Medway is there is nothing to do.. But it's not correct. There's bluewater shopping centre which is 25 minutes on the train, clubs which you get a free bus service to and local shops.. Whilst it's not the same as canterbury, it's a nice place to be..

Reply 3

University of Kent

Official Rep

Hi Kiche,

We get this question a lot and when I was a student on the Canterbury campus I didn't really know what it was like there, so I wonder how many people who write comments about it actually know what it is like to be a student there. Now I've got more involved with Medway I really like it and the students I know there seem to like it too.

The thing about Medway is it is different to the Canterbury campus, so it really depends what you want as a person, Canterbury is very much a campus university, so you get the whole student experience dished up on a plate and it is very safe and contained. Also it has been established longer and is bigger so naturally there is more set up there.

Medway on the other hand is smaller (a few thousand students) so has a community feel and everyone knows everyone else. It is also a slightly more independent style of living as you are city based. There are plenty of clubs and societies you can join and there is a free campus shuttle that goes every hour until midnight between both campuses, so really you can use the facilities at Canterbury aswell.

Further to this Kent Union have just announced a big shake up and a commitment to improving the student experience at Medway, so it is a great opportunity to be a part of something improving, for example, you could start a new club or society or get involved in how the union run, and I personally would have found that prospect exciting. In terms of nightlife, there are more good clubs in Medway, and UMSA (Universities at Medway Students Association) are really active and always run trips to London, the local clubs, Canterbury etc, check them out on Facebook. Also the sports facilities at Medway are great, they are really new and students get free use of Medway Park each Wednesday.

Someone also mentioned the accommodation at Liberty Quays which is where pretty much all first years live, so you have all your friends on your doorstep.

There are definitely lots of positives about Medway, and I think it gets quite a lot of unfair press! If you wanted to private message us with your email address we can put you in touch with a current Medway student if you wanted? Let us know.

Hope that helps,

Lizzie

Reply 4

charissaamie

Medway isn't that bad, as said previously the accommodation is brand new, and the campus has just as good facilities as those at Canterbury and is much smaller. I find the Canterbury campus too big and chaotic. There is also a free bus service every hour all day between the Medway and Canterbury campus' so even if you prefer Canterbury, you can get there :smile:

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Reply 5

charissaamie

I'm at Medway at the moment, and my husband is at the Canterbury campus by the way :smile:

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Reply 6

Es_la

Hello Kiche,

I am doing business in Medway right now =). I think its fair to say that whether Medway campus is nice, depends what kind of person you are. If you like a night life and party alot then Medway might not be too bad for you. Something is always going on in Liberty Quays. But I find the night life pretty limited as I have moved from a big city to a small town. There are alot disruption in times where I need to sleep/revise. The fire alarm have been going off 7 days in a row about 3 times a night!!! The current security Liberty Quays employ makes no effort to shut people up even if you call them saying its too noisy.

But of course if you are the one that is making the noise, I suppose it won't be bad for you at all :wink:

Medway takes ALOT of getting use to!

If you are looking to save up and earn money then NO, Medway is not the right choice. It is almost impossible to find a job here. I have been looking since day 1. Most people end up working in corner shops/newsagents/takeaways, so as a business student you don't really get the retail experience, which is better for the course. Those that say they have a job either work in London or Bluewaters (one of the biggest shopping malls in the UK, about 20mins journey, if you take the train). Liberty Quays is also known for not giving people their full deposit back and they've recently decided to fine the whole block for the damages done on one floor!

Travel expenses is VERY high, it is the most expensive buses I've ever been on in my life! A day ticket can cost about 5.70, a three stop journey is 1.70! Where I come from, a day ticket is 1.95. So that gives you an idea if you have not lived in the UK before.

We have the EU's longest library, which is interesting in the first few weeks, but then everyone gets bored of it because it takes about 10 mins to walk from one end of the library to the other. The resources in it are not great but enough for your study. There is also the option of reserving a book from the Greenwich library and they delivery it to you to next day. And as another student mentioned, you can always take the free campus shuttle to the Canterbury campus and use their library.

If you don't like Medway, I know that Canterbury do the same course, course content is EXACTLY the same. The only difference is their course does not contain an year in industry and have a higher entry requirement. I am sure its not too late if you do change your mind, just give them a call :redface:

Drop me an email if you wanna ask more questions! Please give it a understandable title so I know you are not a virus =))
[Mod note: Please use private messages to exchange contact details]

(edited 11 years ago)