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TSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > University of Kent

Over 19,000 students currently study at Kent, making it an above average sized university for the UK. The student population is quite mixed, in all senses of the term. The university has more contrasts than other comparable universities founded around the same time (e.g. Warwick, York, UEA…). That begins with the situation of its largest campus, perched on a hill, with stunning views of the cathedral city of Canterbury on a pleasant day.

Among the contrasts is its geographical mix. The biggest and most established campus is at Canterbury, with over 15,000 students. Unlike many other universities, Kent also has several other campuses in Medway (in the historic Chatham dockyard), a part-time centre in Tonbridge, and postgraduate centres in Brussels and Paris. Kent works in partnership with Canterbury College, Mid-Kent College, and K College (formerly South Kent College and West Kent College). Kent also has numerous strong associations, e.g. with IEP Lille. Kent was originally titled University of Kent at Canterbury and is still often referred to as UKC, particularly in relation to its Canterbury campus.

The original campus is one of the universities created during the sixties. Kent, along with other new universities of the time (like Warwick, York, UEA…), was part of a move away from 'red brick' formal departmental structures. Interdisciplinary approaches to scholarship flourished in a relatively small-scale residential atmosphere. This approach still remains. In addition a year spent in Europe is also a feature of many of the Kent’s degree courses.

Some of the other notable features

- A strong European mix. A very high number of continental European students at Canterbury. It is probably the highest concentration of continental European students at any UK university. - Mixed in national origins. Over 10% of students come from outside Europe. No less than 125 different nationalities are currently represented.

- Mixed socially. The university has a policy of “openness”, not just in terms of the cross fertilisation of ideas and geographical outreach, but also in terms of the make-up of the student body. It has a more inclusive student body than other comparable universities founded around the same time (e.g. Warwick, York, UEA…).

- Mix in ages. There are a large number of part-time (over 3,500) and mature students, although this is hard to notice on the Canterbury campus.

- Students with disabilities seem to be better welcomed than at many universities, with extensive special provision.

Kent is currently one of the fastest growing Universities in the UK (along with Warwick and York), partly through acquisitions of other campuses in Kent and partly through Canterbury expansion.

Canterbury campus

The Canterbury campus is nice and compact with accommodation, teaching rooms, sports facilities, library, bars and nightclub etc all within easy reach. There’s a lot of green open space. The campus has a real community atmosphere. The result is breathtaking views of the city which never fail to inspire your whole stay there. The campus is clean, and tidy.

Kent students are in general happy bunnies. The campus also has a large population of rabbits and squirrels, most in evidence at night time! In winter the campus used to be great for snowball fights before global warming came along. Summer is when the campus is at its best. Kent has some of the hottest weather in the country and Kent campus is ideal for barbecues, frisbee, football, etc. When the sun shines, everyone goes out onto the fields. You wouldn’t find that in a city university.

Canterbury is the safest university city (Complete University Guide 2012) - there is excellent security at Kent provided by Campus Watch.

Collegiate system

The collegiate system does not really matter too much in the grand scheme of things, because the whole university community seems to be remarkably close (considering there are around 10,000 students), and you'll soon feel very much a part of things. There are inter-college football games and societies as a small part of the pseudo-collegiate system adopted by UKC, although it is not to be compared with the collegiate system of say, Cambridge.

Indeed UKC cannot be considered collegiate in any true sense - many of the colleges rely on each other, for day-to-day operation. For example, Keynes and Darwin Colleges no longer have dining halls, and so the students resident there are catered by Rutherford and Eliot colleges. Many students are allocated accommodation irrespective of their college, which reduces the ties further.

Of course, life on campus varies. It really depends on which halls you’re in, and what people you meet. Some people leave at weekends, some won't. Some will be around during the holidays, some will be home the afternoon term ends! There's a large contingent of international students who attend UKC, and Canterbury itself has a thriving tourist business.

Academics

Kent describes itself as the "European university". It's part of the Franco-British University of the Transmanche and there's even a campus in Brussels. But no matter how much it gazes continent-wards, it also takes its regional role seriously.

Be careful of league tables and generalisations across the whole of the university. Statistics on Canterbury will look quite different to some of the other constituent colleges. In the world university league tables, Kent is placed in the top 500 world Universities (441st in the world) by the 2007 Quacquerrelli-Symonds / Times Higher Education Supplement (QS-THES) league table. The majority of Kent's subjects appear in the top 20 of the 2011 NSS (including 14 subjects in the top ten).

The best advice is to fully research whether Kent is good in the particular subject you are studying. Some departments are top-notch, such as Law (the award-winning Kent Law Clinic, providing students with experience of law whilst studying), Computing (the Kent IT Clinic provides students with experience of consultancy whilst studying) and English & Drama (much student activity here too). Kent has a fantastic reputation for each of these. All subjects requiring a European or international perspective e.g. the social sciences and languages, are strong given Kent’s international ties.

Kent does very well on measures of “student satisfaction”. While the methodology is often debatable, it does seem to correspond to a reality, with a good balance between having fun and working. Ranked by the Times as having the most “physically attractive” students, for what that is worth (also voted “Fittest” university in 2006 and later by Nuts magazine). Kent scored 88% for oversall student satisfaction in the 2011 NSS.

Kent draws its students from a wide cross-section of society, in the UK, Europe and beyond. UK undergraduate applicants aiming for AAA will often put Kent as insurance, while at the same time, the university – given its leftwing origins of the 1960s (long since diluted, if not gone altogether) – has always been active in increasing participation.

Distinguished alumni

Kent has a number of high profile alumni. It is particularly well represented in radio and television journalism with names like Gavin Esler (Newsnight), Mark Mardell (BBC North America Editor and former European editor), Fi Glover (Presenter of Radio 4's Saturday Live), Shiulie Ghosh (former ITV news presenter), Charlotte Green and Carolyn Quinn (Radio 4 newsreaders). Rosie Boycott, former editor of the independent is also a graduate.

The university has also produced some high-profile authors with David Mitchell and Kazuo Ishiguro both graduates of the school's English department.

But perhaps the most well known alumnus is Alan Davies, actor, comedian and star of QI.

Teaching quality

Most students seem to think the teaching is of a high standard. Courses at Kent have some particularities… generally 1) more flexible than elsewhere, 2) good IT, e.g. with many recorded lectures and 3) a more “European” or international flavour… among the best in the UK.

A year spent in Europe (with far smaller fees, and a living allowance) is also a feature of many of Kent’s degree courses. While often optional, Kent academics say that students who embark on such programmes often achieve better final degree grades.

The library is more than adequate and spacious – especially in comparison to other universities. The computing facilities are excellent – there are over 600 public access machines, many giving 24-hour computer and internet access. The computing department is very strong and that impacts the whole university.

Brussels School of International Studies

The Brussels School of International Studies, founded in 1998, is an affiliate of the University of Kent and grants graduate degrees in International Relations and Law, among other related programs. As the name suggests, it is located in Brussels, Belgium.

University of Kent at Paris

Kent offers 1 year postgraduate courses (humanities subjects) at its campus based at Reid Hall. See http://www.kent.ac.uk/locations/paris/index.html

Chaucer College Canterbury

Chaucer College Canterbury is an independent graduate college for Japanese students, founded in 1992 by Hiroshi Kawashima on the Canterbury campus of the University of Kent in the United Kingdom. It offers courses from Shumei University as well as the University of Kent itself.

Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology

The Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology is a graduate school and institute under the University of Kent, started in 1989 and named in honour of the famous British naturalist Gerald Durrell. It is the first school in the United Kingdom to award degrees and diplomas in the fields of Conservation, Eco-tourism, Biodiversity Management and Ethnobotany. The institute awards diplomas to graduates of the International Training Centre for captive breeding and zoo specialists at the Jersey Zoological Park, founded in 1978 by Gerald Durrell.

Kent Business School

Located on the way to the student village (Parkwood).

Accommodation

Information at http://kenthospitality.kent.ac.uk or http://www.kent.ac.uk/hospitality/staff-student/accommodation/guide.html Kent Hospitality is a private company.

Accommodation for first year students is on campus, and often based in one of the colleges. Each of the four colleges has teaching rooms, living quarters, food areas and a bar. If you are in a certain college it doesn’t mean that you necessarily have your teaching based there or that you can only use your college facilities. If you're in Medway, you'll live in Liberty Quays: http://www.libertyliving.co.uk/residence/Medway/liberty-quays/39/. It only opened a couple of years ago and is about 10 mins from the campus.

"Sharing" at UKC means you share a toilet/shower in the corridor. There are no rooms for 2 individual people at Kent (other than postgraduate families of course).

Catered college "shared" rooms are located in Eliot, Keynes and Rutherford. Colleges are a centre of social and educational activity and each has its own character, although Eliot and Rutherford are very much alike.

There are no 'proper' kitchen facilities in Eliot, Keynes and Rutherford halls apart from a sink, microwave, kettle and tiny fridge. No more than 6-8 bedrooms share these facilities. These offer the most cost-effective accommodation.

Only breakfast is included in "catered" at UKC – other meals are optional. Students get an allowance (currently £1.80) for dinner if no breakfast taken in the morning (closes 0930). You use your student card "KentOne" to take breakfast, and the allowance appears on it if not taken. However if you do not use your allowance, it will not be rolled over to the next day.

The self-catered accommodation is located at Darwin College, Darwin houses; Parkwood (a student village on the edge of campus), and Tyler court (A, B, C). Self catered accommodation has full kitchen facilities – generally 2 large fridge/freezers, sink, cooker + grill, kettle and adequate storage space.

It is more social in the big colleges as you get to see a lot more people. In contrast Tyler Court is quite strict on things like locking corridors. Plus from Elliot, Rutherford and Keynes, you can just walk around everywhere very easily.

Sharing really isn't that bad. Everyone (just about) is clean and considerate. So there's hardly any fighting over showers. Plus, it’s a grand cheaper!

When can you move in?

Students can move into accommodation from mid-September. Freshers' week starts on the third week, and term officially starts the following Monday – the fourth week of September. If it is necessary to move in early you'll have to notify the university who will try and allocate you in another room for the duration - although you will be charged for this.

If you're living in any of the colleges, you have to clear out for Christmas and Easter, as these rooms are sometimes rented out to visitors. International students therefore frequently prefer self-catering. If you live in Tyler Court, you are allowed to stay on campus during Christmas and Easter, and the same applies to Parkwood - anywhere else and you have to clear your room at the end of every term.

If you're unhappy with your accommodation there will be an opportunity to change if people are willing by early October. In order to do this you will need to go to the Hospitality Office once you have settled in and ask them to consider you for a swap if any others are willing.

Accommodation policies

If you are thinking about getting your deposit back for the accommodation then think again. In a worst case scenario, you may be forced to clean the whole house (if in Parkwood) by yourself the last couple of days, just to ensure you get your deposit back. You are responsible for cleaning the common area so if you are the last one left you have to clean otherwise everyone loses their deposit. Think what will happen if you live with pigs.

Noise can be an issue… it is similar everywhere and it is to be expected at times. However if you end up any where on central campus, you will inevitably hear from time to time a ballad of drunken singing, yelling, swearing boys and shrieking girls. Rules are in place to prevent loud noise. If there is any trouble, Campus Watch are only a phone call away. The guards have the authority to tell those making the noise to keep quiet. If they refuse, they can face heavy fines.

If you wish to have a TV in your room you have to have a TV licence by law, even if you're in a Parkwood house or Darwin Houses. By law if you have a secure lock on your door it qualifies as a separate tenancy and therefore you need your own TV licence. TV aerial points are available in Parkwood Flats.

Regular cleaning is provided. If you are in halls, your corridor and bathroom facilities will be cleaned every day by a cleaner and your room will be hovered once every 7 to 10 days. If you are in Parkwood or Darwin Houses the system is different and a cleaner only comes in every 7 to 10 days to clean your kitchen. Parkwood flats have the communal areas cleaned each week and your en-suite cleaned every 2 weeks.

Internet charges are included in room prices. All rooms are connected, and Wi-fi on campus is free.

Students with special needs

There are specially adapted study bedrooms for wheelchair users in Rutherford College, all blocks in Tyler Court and in some of the accommodation at Parkwood and the new accommodation in Keynes.

The only circumstances in which you can bring your car to campus would be on the basis that you had a disability which was supported by a letter from a doctor.

Validating accommodation

Once accommodation has been assigned (i.e. towards the end of summer), it can be validated on http://www.kent.ac.uk/hospitality/

• Look to the left in the blue box called "accommodation" and click on the link called "accept and offer of accommodation".

• From here do not try to log in straight away; look above the login box to see the following instruction: “If you do not have a Accommodation Login account, you can register for one by clicking here”.
• Click on the hyperlink on the word "here".

• From there fill in the registering information making sure that the user name and password you pick and in a lower case and have no numbers or symbols in them.

• This should then take you to a page which will show you what accommodation you have received.

• If for whatever reason it says there is a problem with conflicting data or an error try a different user name and password and if that still doesn’t work phone 01227 766660 and tell them your having a problem login in and they'll fix it for you.

Eliot College

Eliot College is the longest established college, named after the famous poet. From the dining hall windows there is a magnificent view of the Cathedral, which is spectacular at night.

Eliot College is centrally located and catered. Over 200 basic and mostly small college rooms of approx 12 square metres (7 rooms per corridor). Each room has a basin. And 8 sockets!! Each corridor has a shared bathroom, shower and incredibly small cupboard which is amusingly described as a kitchen (it has a power point and two gas rings). There are now fridges since the "kitchen" was refurbushed but the 2-ring stove has now been removed and replaced with a microwave, but with discounts in rutherford dining hall you don't miss having a stove.

Some rooms have an excellent view looking down the hill onto the city and the cathedral. The windows are massive - and one piece of advice is never to mess about near it when open.

It's nice and warm in the rooms. Furnishings are reasonable; although I'm sure the curtains and blanket are the original ones from when the university first opened. You get clean sheets once a week...if you can be bothered to change your bedclothes that often.

Washing facilities, if you can't take it home to mummy is in the basement. If you can find it! Eliot College is a maze. There is a small shop in the entrance and it sells the essentials. There are also photocopying facilities in the Porters Lodge. A short walk across the walkways is a new set of shops. Beware though it is very expensive!

The major advantage is that Eliot at the centre of the campus. Excellent for rolling out of bed in the morning to a lecture. Sometimes it's in Eliot and that's just downstairs. The library is a 2 minutes walk, as is the Computer Centre etc. There's a computer centre and library in Eliot too.

Drawbacks are that the walls are very thin and the cleaner comes in and cleans your sink etc even if you are still in bed (as with Rutherford). You can also guarantee that the fire alarm goes off every other week at about 4am! Though Darwin can have several alarms in a day so it's not that bad really.

It's also really easy to make friends as you are in corridors and there are about 500 people in Eliot to choose from.

Becket Court

Becket Court is affiliated with Eliot and is near to Eliot College. It has 103 modern en suite small bedrooms, comfortably furnished to a good standard.

Becket Court boasts large en-suite rooms with oodles of storage space. The only disadvantage is that you have to go over to Eliot (a short 20 second walk, but in the winter OH how the wind blows across campus, remember to pack lots of warm clothes) to go the bar or get to the vending machines.

Beware, Eliot and Rutherford both have test fire alarms one morning a week (you might mistake it for a real alarm though it stops after about the 3rd ring, then repeats). Eliot at 8:15 on Tuesdays, Rutherford- Wednesdays.

Rutherford college

Rutherford College was named after the scientist who developed the nuclear theory of the atom. It was felt that he was a particularly appropriate namesake given the University's original desire to break down the boundaries between disciplines.

The basic design of the college is to a large extent a mirror of Eliot College, and was inspired by Louis Kahn's design for a residential block at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. The need to have three hundred study-bedrooms and several large areas for distinctive use, such as teaching, and a dining hall plus kitchens, led to the adoption of a section design with the college divided into several square blocks, each containing a distinctive interior space with study bedrooms along all four walls.

Rutherford College is centrally located and catered. Over 300 basic single rooms (up to12 sq m) in main college building, each with own sink. Over 50 are large (12-15 sq m), 10 are extra large (over 15 sq m). Typically arranged in corridors of 7. Though some corridors have 4. Rooms have recently been refurbished. Some single en suite rooms that have been specially adapted for disabled users. Each floor has one toilet and two showers, plenty for the 7 living on the corridor. your find that people get up at different times, so there’s never a wait for either.

The Standard rooms are of a similar/the same size to Eliot though the ceilings are slightly lower in Rutherford which might make the rooms seem a little smaller.

The kitchens at Rutherford are non-existent: you are given a microwave, fridge and kettle. But it is liveable, and although the canteen food isn’t amazing its nice going to dinner with a large group of mates every night. If you do not like canteen food, you may live mainly on pot noodles and bread, unless you persuade a friend in self-catered let you use their kitchen.

There's no living room, but again you work round it- You end up all hanging out in one of the rooms on your corridor. Or going to the bar or the dining room.

The college bar is simply named Rutherford Bar. Which is different to the other bars as it's fairly quiet in the evenings, which means you can still talk to the people you're planning on going out with. Is also officially the cheapest place on campus to get a drink (Pint of Carlsburg.)

Because of all of these reasons Rutherford is considered across campus as, simply put, better than Eliot College.

Keynes College

Keynes College is named after the leading 20th century economist - John Maynard Keynes. Keynes College is the third oldest college of the University of Kent. It was established in 1968. Keynes is notable for having a much clearer separation between the residential and non-residential areas than the other three colleges, with the teaching rooms and old dining hall concentrated at the front and east of the college. Keynes College offers over 160 en-suite bedrooms. Fairly central. Catered. The uni has just built 490 new self-catered en suite rooms as part of an extension to Keynes.

Has a good common room which is cool for watching TV. Keynes also are the proud owners of a newly refurbished study room near the psychology department with a small but open library service and moveable wall for the facility of group work.

They also have a pond complete with ducks.

Darwin College

Charles Darwin had strong connections to the historic county of Kent, having lived in Down House at Downe.

There are two types of accomodation in Darwin, Darwin flats and Darwin houses.

Darwin flats have a somewhat strange layout; they are on four floors with outside staircases to access the different floors. A kitchen is shared between two flats, and you will have to walk either up or down a staircase to get to it. Flats are shared between five people, and there is a bathroom in each flat. As the kitchen is shared by two flats, there will be ten people to a kitchen.

Darwin houses are often skimmed over as there aren't as many of them as say, Parkwood houses, and so could probably be referred to as the 'forgotten accomodation'.

Darwin is self catered with newly fitted kitchens from 2007, and like all other accommodation, internet connections in every room. It is fairly central, if located at the edge of campus (opposite end to The Venue, however fairly near to Tyler Court.)

Darwin flats are situated in the same building as 'Origins', which holds a popular Indie night and serves spanish/mexican food. It has a nice friendly atmosphere and is good to chill out in with its pool tables and modern interior.

Parkwood

Parkwood is self-catered. A 10-minute walk on the edge of campus, near playing fields. Residents often find a good community atmosphere here.

Parkwood is not a "college" of it's own. So everyone who lives in Parkwood gets assigned to a college which is either Darwin, Eliot, Rutherford or more likely Keynes.

Kemsdale / Stock / Nickle / Bossenden Court are the newest accommodation in Parkwood, and are referred to as 'Parkwood Flats'. They are ensuite, with up to 6 people sharing a kitchen. The rooms are big and the kitchen sizes vary depending on the flat's position.

All other Parkwood accommodation is known as the 'Parkwood Houses', comprising of various courts around a large wooded area. All regular and superior Parkwood houses are shared between 4 and 6 and within the building there are 2 bathrooms. In Purchas and Lypeatt Courts only, the rooms also have their own sinks. The houses are all different numbers so you're all in different houses. They are usually mixed but can be either. Since Kent has more female than male students, it is more likely you'll have an all-girl house rather than an all male. Usually the sex preferences is cited on accommodation forms. Accommodation may be labelled single or mixed sex. However it makes little or no difference because people don’t pay attention. You can be in an all girl's house by choice - and yet they all can have some random blokes living with them. Also these are meant to be non smoking – not always respected!

The accommodation in Ellenden was built in the middle 1990s. It was refurbished a couple of years a go. so the accommodation but its all rather white and clean. There is a shower room upstairs and downstairs with the upstairs shower room containing a toilet and a separate toilet room downstairs. There is also a cloakroom and a kitchen/dinning area. It’s in the middle of the Parkwood area. Ellenden Court is classed as “superior”.

The community environment that you get in Parkwood is very good. The brand new facilities are second to none. Woody's is also only a short walk away from even the furthest flats.

A lot of people do ride bikes from Parkwood (quite a fight over bike parking), although the cycle paths are frustratingly used by people walking. There are no special need for bikes if in the other on campus accommodation.

The walk to and from Parkwood is through woodland, it is well lit at night if you go along the path by the sports centre, however if you go round by the road there aren't as many street lights. In this respect the walk via the sports centre is quite safe as it is used by most people and you rarely find it empty.

Parkwood En-suites Upsides: -The newest accommodation. -There are less people, about 5-6 share a kitchen/flat. -These are in the Parkwood student village, so it's quiet but sociable. -Cheaper than Tyler. -Bossenden/Nickle over look the playing fields.

Downsides: -Friends are often too lazy to walk 'all the way to Parkwood' so make sure you either make friends in Parkwood or you'll be getting fit walking back every night. -The walk through the woods to get to Parkwood is scary at about 3am, but you can walk along the main road instead. You can also get security to walk you back (they're friendly little – sometimes big - guys who have to walk in the cold/rain/snow just to get students home!). -It can sometimes be a bit of an effort to walk the 15 minutes onto campus if you have a 9am lecture deep in the bowels of Rutherford in the middle of winter when it's raining.

Tyler Court

Tyler Court (near and associated with Rutherford College) offers 340 en-suite bedrooms. Self-catered. The dearest accommodation. Fairly central (near Eliot College). Everything is painted a psychologically-damaging shade of industrial magnolia. More importantly, there's no real communal area to speak of in the buildings. If you don't get on with the people you share a kitchen with, then you're looking at a situation where you live with 200 people, none of whom you know. It should be added however ! that each flat is seperated by a fire door, which within the first day of freshers week will be opened up and you will have the chance to socialise with three flats rather than 1. However on each floor there is a 4th flat which is seperated from the rest. Tyler is one of the most popular places to live on campus, albeit the most expensive, but from everyone I spoke to, it was definitely worth it.

Tyler Court B&C

Upsides: -Share a huge kitchen with about 7-8 other people, 2 fridges, 2 cookers -The bedrooms are huge and you get a very decent sized en-suite. -Looks like a hotel; each floor has 8-9 bedrooms. -Good location for the whole campus

Downsides: -It's very expensive -over £5000 for the year!

Tyler Court A

Upsides: -It's a lot cheaper than B&C. -It's still en-suite, but the rooms are smaller. -It's sociable because there are so many people around, and anyone can use anyone’s kitchen so friends can join you. -Good location for pretty much everywhere.

Downsides: - Seen as the poor Tyler’s -The corridors interlink, so there's about 16 people down you're separated part of the corridor, but there's about 3 times that on one floor. -It gets noisy a lot of the time. The windows in Tyler A, when closed, are about as useful as sticking a piece of paper across the window frame when it comes to blocking out noise. -The rooms are a lot smaller than B&C, and it's noticeable. -Security of belongings is an issue here.

Virginia Woolf College

Self-catering flats and studios for postgraduates. New in 2008. New Seminar rooms and a lecture theatre with a capacity of 500+ to match that of Keynes.

UKC Facilities

The laundrettes avaliable on each residence are provided by an off-site company. They are open 7 days a week 7-10, except Tyler court which is open from 7-11. Eliot college contains its own on site shop, open 8-3 weekdays, it sells sandwiches, snacks and drinks. There are two 24-hour launderettes in parkwood - one for the exclusive use of those residing in the flats, and one at the back of Woodys which is for everyone else in Parkwood.

Private sector

In their second and third years the majority of students live off campus in privately rented accommodation. You won’t have any trouble finding a house – but do think carefully about who you’re moving in with and how far away from campus it is. It is bad enough having to go to lectures and the library without having to face a really long walk to get there. Rent isn’t particularly cheap in Canterbury so you might be advised to hunt around first – I got my house through word of mouth so it’s a good idea to chat to 2nd and 3rd years that might be moving. Also try easyroommate.com and Gumtree for house shares. Stand fast, the letting agents are crooks, it's that simple, so the rents are high, and you have to really push for what needs doing. Be polite, but don't trust them.

The large number of students in Canterbury leads many to believe that there are not enough properties to go round, when in fact there is a surplus of rented accommodation. Although we would advise you against leaving your search for accommodation until the last minute, neither would we advise you to rush out and sign up for the first place you see. Take your time and make sure that you have found a place that is, among other things, affordable, in good condition and in the right location. You also need to be confident that, come September, you will still be on speaking terms with the people you are planning to share with! For more, see http://kent-editor.oncampus.net/pages/advice/housing/

Kent Discussions

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Facilities

Libraries

The library itself is quite large, containing over 1.3 million books, periodicals and journals. It is a very relaxing place to be and excellent if you need to finish your essay. Library soon to be refurbished and updated with £50,000,000 going into it in the next few years.

IT and computing

Internet is installed in all the rooms there is also a large library with several computer rooms, serving up to 100 people, these do get very busy though,

Sports

Sporting facilities at Kent are excellent. There are two multi purpose halls, squash courts, cricket nets, a climbing wall, outside tennis and netball courts, playing fields, an artificial football pitch, a multi use sandy pitch and a volleyball court. This is along with the well equipped gym. There's also a new, olympic standard leisure centre in Medway called Medway Park.

Membership costs £114 a year (Canterbury campus). If you're in Medway, you can get a leisure pass to a number of local leisure centres, including Medway Park. It costs £149 for 12 months or £99 for 6.

In addition to this, in the last year the university has opened a new sports pavilion, with brand new changing facilities for the astroturf/3G pitches, as well as a balcony bar and seating area overlooking the playing fields, making it perfect for watching the university sports teams in action.

Welfare

The welfare at the university is run by a welfare sabbatical officer, elected every year to provide the best possible serivces. Currently there is focus on housing, student safety, recycling, involvement and community relations. The welfare sabbatical works closely with the student support services and accommodation ensuring that if you have a problem there is someone to turn to.

Healthcare

The University has its own medical centre and nursing service on the Canterbury campus. It also has a pharmacy next door.

Shops

There are a few shops on campus:

Blackwells bookshop, who operate a buy-back scheme on used textbooks which is very useful.

Essentials (one on main campus and one in Parkwood)

Extras - off licence.

UNIque - which sells university merchandise such as hoodies and tshirts.

Eating & Dining

Kent Hospitality run the food in the colleges (Keynes & Rutherford), as well as the little shops in each college, and the pubs (this includes Darwin's excellent bar).

The Student's Union used to own Woody’s, and the campus shop, but now they also own The Venue (a nightclub) and The Attic (a live music venue and bar situated above The Venue). The Venue is a typical student club. Small, but full of booze. Not too much trouble, less than in the clubs in Canterbury.

College breakfasts are typically from 7:30am till 9:30am on weekdays and 9am till 2pm on weekends. You get 5 items (which works out as quite a lot), any more you have to pay for. There’s sausages, fried and scrambled egg, hash browns, beans, bacon, fried bread etc Then there’s healthy stuff like cereal, and fruit and yogurts. You also get a hot drink and a cold drink free.

You can eat at any of the colleges, even if on a meal deal. It's worth dragging yourself out of bed for. The food quality varies. The meals work out really cheap with the KentOne card.

Rutherford canteen dinners often have fried chicken/chips/potato wedges, veggies and salad etc. In addition there is also a changing menu e.g. chicken Kievs! Sometimes you will get a really nice meal! For just a meal it’s about £3.95.

Mungos - has undergone a total makeover. Serves, burgers, chips (the regulars) as well as yummy deserts like waffles with maple syrup and banana splits. It has become the new 'Venue' on a friday night. The bar and various other bits change colour. Quite stylish.

Rutherford Bar - the more classy (and expensive) establishment.

Dolche Vita - is based in Keynes college, and serves Italian food and paninis etc. It also caters for students living in the new 'Bed and Bistro' accommodation block in Keynes college.

Gulbenkian Cafe - is the cafe at the campus cinema and theatre, and also serves food. Under private management. Pricey.

Origins Bar - in Darwin College, is a tex-mex restaurant serving burgers, nachos, chicken fajitas etc. The bar is also open late on Tuesday nights for 'Ruby Tuesdays', an indie night with various drinks promotions.

Woody's - is a pub and sports bar in Parkwood, which serves good food, screens live sport most days, and has a popular pub quiz on a Sunday night.

Vista Vista - is the balcony bar overlooking the sports fields, and is a great place to sit with a drink and support the university's sports teams in their weekly fixtures.

Create cafe is near the shops and the library and serves sweet and savoury pancakes, jacket spuds/paninis/wraps etc.

Good Chinese takeaway place near Westgate called Chop Chop or Super Noodles- yummy! There are large portions and a nice price for students. You can get something like sweet and sour chicken for about £5. What more can you ask for! There’s an al you can eat Chinese in Canterbury

Banks

There are 2 banks on campus - Barclays and Natwest. There are also various cashpoints across the campus and thanks to popular demand from the students there is now also one in Parkwood.

Transport

Buses run from the campus to town on a regular service, taking around 10-15 minutes. A day bus pass only costs £2.50

Careers service

The uni offers a jobshop to help find yourself a job. For more help with finding a job whilst you're studying at UKC, see 'Part Time Jobs'

Part-time jobs

The student's union has its very own 'jobshop' helping students to find work whilst they are at university. Details are published on their website job website as to what jobs there currently are. It is run by a team of advisors helping students in finding employment to help with money issues. It is advisable that if you are planning to look for part time work in the shops on campus whilst at UKC, you should try and get previous experience in the retail sector. The jobshop opens up job vacancies in the Co-Ops on campus and the bars/The Venue however the jobs are vastly oversubscribed and last September the applicant to job ratio was around 20:1. Since Canterbury does not have a massive shopping centre or even a supermarket within easy access of UKC students, jobs down in the town are hard to come by because you're not only competing against current UKC students, you're competing against the teenagers/unemployed who live in Canterbury, CCCU students and when the new Arts university opens you'll probably be competing against them too. If you have your heart set on getting a job in Canterbury, be prepared to apply for many.

Religious facilities

There is a chapel in Eliot College on the Canterbury campus. The uni has an annual carol service for staff and students and regular Sunday services. There's a chaplain at Medway who can provide info on place to worship in the Medway area.

Social

Bars, pubs and clubs

CANTERBURY CAMPUS

The Venue on campus is open three nights a week, with different genres of music on different nights, and as such attendance varies per night. Currently, Wednesday night is a general club night often run by one of the university sports teams who will have had a fixture that day; Friday night is run by YEAH!, and has a variety of different music genres; and Saturday nights are Soap, who have a wide range of themed nights.

There are 5 bars on campus - Mungos (in Eliot college), K-Bar (Keynes college), Rutherford Bar (Rutherfod college), Origins (Darwin college) and Woodys (in Parkwood).

Woodys has a kind of pub atmosphere and has a pub/beer garden outside.

And on a Friday night Mungos has an in house DJ open until 1AM with reduced drinks and free entry, in what they call Magic Mungos.

A termly event called Massive Mungos takes place in the Eiot hall, and is widely popular.

The Gulbenkian Cinema shows a mixture of new releases and arthouse films, and has a generous discount on student tickets. In addition the theatre attracts a great range of productions and performances, and is a regular venue for stand up comedians.

Events

Kent runs an annual ArtsFest day, including a mix of drama and music venues around the campus, finishing with a fireworks display.

The uni also hosts a wide range of open lectures, given by public figures and newly appointed professors.

Kent also sees the usual 5th November bonfire displays and the 31st sees a wide range of halloween activities.

Keynes JCC (Junior College Committee) also holds an annual music festival in the respective college, with more than 1400 students attending every year and running since the university was built.

Keynestock is also held every year around early June. This a day where bands play on stage at Keynes college. It £5 to get in or cheaper if you live in Keynes.

Clubs and societies

The student's union fund a wide variety of societies, ranging from religious societies to sports societies. New ones are constantly being formed, and a full list can be found here Society list

If none of those interest you, you can set up your own society, the following tells you how to go about it: Setting up a new soc . However with such a wide variety of socieities already set up you will probably have a lot of things to join anyways.

Societies include: - Sci Fi Soc - Anime Soc - First Aid Soc - Equestrian Soc - Pirate Soc - Friends of the Animals Soc and many more...

The university also has an active student newspaper, named Inquire, which was founded in 1975. Considering it is run by full time students, it is incredibly professional.

Medway Campus

Located near the old Dockside, there are several clubs and pubs located nearby. You basically have a choice of either Chatham or Gillingham for your clubbing needs.

In Chatham, you have several options. The Manor Club is situated on New Road, and is generally considered to be not too bad. It has two rooms (allegedly 'indie' and 'metal', but more like dance music and indie-rock). The main room/indie room is large, with two sets of podiums, a large dancefloor and small stage. The 'metal room is smaller, with a smaller bar and dancefloor. Lots of younger people from local schools tend to go here, most of the people there will be about 16. Alternatively, you could go to Tap n Tin, which is just down the road, under the bridge. There are still several underage people there, but they tend to be a few months shy of 18, rather than a few years.

In Gillingham, you have the choice of Preach or Blues Rock Café. I don't know much about Preach, but it has rather a chavvy reputation. It's situated right next to the High Street. Blues Rock Café, or just Blues, is located next to Priestfield football Stadium. It's more like a bar than a club, with a lot of sofas and tables set out, and a small dancefloor. Definitely the more civilised of the Medway nightclubs. It's more a place to hang out and chat, with dancing as an addition, than an actually club to dance.

Rochester offers you Amadeus or Casino Rooms. Casino Rooms are next to the High Street carpark. Amadeus is probably your best bet for a night out. It is a lot more lively than the other clubs and has regular guests, like Signature from Britain's Got Talent, and some celebrities. There is a chavvy element, but it's easy to ignore it really. Friday entry is free before eleven and drinks are £1, rising to £1.70 after 11. Saturday again is free entry before eleven, but drinks are £2.20 all night;

Student union

The University of Kent is proud to run one of the best and most successful unions in the country. Kent Union runs several of the campus cafes and bars, and also 'The Venue', a nightclub which has won a national 'Best Bar None' award. Being a member of Kent Union gives you access to loads of free and subsidised services, and also means that you get the support and representation you deserve whilst studying.

Student Officers: Each academic year, five students are elected by you to take responsibility for the running of Kent Union. These 'Student Officers' take leave during their studies (or directly after) for a year and guide Kent Union to ensure it meets the needs of its students. Each officer also has an individual role in which they support, represent, campaign and organise events for students.

The five officer roles are: President, Student Activities, Education, Welfare and Sports.

Kent Union also has 11 part time officer positions, 1 RAG president and 5 site presidents.

Student Officers work within guidelines established by all students through referenda and their work is overseen by a larger group of students called Union Council.

Any student can stand for election to become an Officer, and elections are held every March.

Union Council:

Union Council meets every three weeks on Thursdays at 6pm in the Senate Building and functions as the Union's 'parliament', in that all of the members represent a particular group. Whether it's students from a particular site or college, or a particular department or a group with specific representation needs (e.g. Women's officer and Students with Disabilities).

Any student can attend and speak at Union Council, but you must be elected to a particular position to have a vote.

Union Council agrees and sets policy throughout the year and monitors the Union's day-to-day operations and finances.

Council consists of the following full members:

The Union Chair The 5 Sabbatical Officers The Part-Time Representative Officers The Site Presidents (JCC Presidents) + the Vice President from each site committee. 4 Education Assembly Reps 1 Rep from Sports Council +1 from Societies Federation Ten ordinary members

www.kentunion.co.uk

Environment

Lively, safe, friendly, fun... the safest area for students in all of the UK, backed up by statistics that it has the lowest crime rate.

Architecture

The architecture at UKC is a mixed bag, with the very modern (Woolf College) to the 'retro' stylings (Eliot/Rutherford). Eliot and Rutherford accommodation is often accused of being old, unfriendly and 'prison like', with a slightly claustrophobic feel. However the community spirit and friendships formed in these colleges often surpass the exterior outlook.

Local area

Canterbury is a beautiful city. The campus is about twenty minutes walk away from the centre of the town of Canterbury. The buildings and architecture are wonderful; the city is centred round the glorious cathedral (where you get to prance around in a gown and hat at the end of your course). There were also some really nice parks and gardens (particularly the ones by the river) – great for relaxing with a picnic and a few beers in the summer.

Content wise Canterbury has a lot of shops for it's size, with fashion shops ranging from H+M to Jane Norman, souvenir shops from post card shops to a Swarovzki crystal shop, books shops, fast food restaurants, cafes and pubs. There are two Wetherspoons and at least four pubs/clubs in the shopping area.

One drawback is the fact Canterbury gets completely over run by tourists in the summer – dodging packs of roaming French school children becomes a necessary skill.

It's a 55m train ride to London, or a two hour trip by coach (nearly half the price of the train). So if you get bored, you can always saunter up to London. Or else go south, to Calais. It is a 25 minute drive to the Eurotunnel train shuttle. It's not far, and makes for a fun day or 2-day trip from around £40 return and up for a car and as many you can fit inside. It’s in an ideal location to get to France for cheap beer and fags (not that students would want to partake of such sin). However parking in Canterbury is a nightmare (students are not supplied with a parking pass unless they have a proven medical reason), and you need to be 26+ to rent a car.

Applying to Kent

Thinking of applying to University of Kent? Why not read some Personal Statements which were used for applying here?

Other Kent Articles

Why not read these other University of Kent Articles?

Links

• Our University of Kent Discussion Forum
• University of Kent Homepage
• A-Z of Universities
• Accommodation
• Students Union
• Community life
• Kent Music Society
• Keynes JCC
• Eliot JCC
• CSR (Canterbury Student Radio)
• inQuire (student newspaper)