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I've applied to the university of Kent, in fact, it is my firm choice. From what I've heard from all of the students I've spoken to the academics are very responsive- they reply to emails quickly and have a certain time set aside each week to answer student's questions and generally help them out so it seems the teaching quality is great.
As for accommodation, I've booked for Parkwood houses. Parkwood is not as close to campus as say Darwin's College or Tyler court is but it is quite green and very beautiful. Parkwood houses seem like a great idea- you get to know your housemates much better than if you were living in a hall. Also, all accommodation includes £5,000 contents insurance so the rate per week may seem high when compared to some universities but with the insurance included, I think it is a good bargain. From what I hear, although Canterbury is quite rural the cost of living is quite high but if you can budget wisely you can manage just fine.
Kent is only my CF but thought of sharing the little I've learned about the university. Hope it helps you guys
As for accommodation, I've booked for Parkwood houses. Parkwood is not as close to campus as say Darwin's College or Tyler court is but it is quite green and very beautiful. Parkwood houses seem like a great idea- you get to know your housemates much better than if you were living in a hall. Also, all accommodation includes £5,000 contents insurance so the rate per week may seem high when compared to some universities but with the insurance included, I think it is a good bargain. From what I hear, although Canterbury is quite rural the cost of living is quite high but if you can budget wisely you can manage just fine.
Kent is only my CF but thought of sharing the little I've learned about the university. Hope it helps you guys
Original post by sneha.vag
I've applied to the university of Kent, in fact, it is my firm choice. From what I've heard from all of the students I've spoken to the academics are very responsive- they reply to emails quickly and have a certain time set aside each week to answer student's questions and generally help them out so it seems the teaching quality is great.
As for accommodation, I've booked for Parkwood houses. Parkwood is not as close to campus as say Darwin's College or Tyler court is but it is quite green and very beautiful. Parkwood houses seem like a great idea- you get to know your housemates much better than if you were living in a hall. Also, all accommodation includes £5,000 contents insurance so the rate per week may seem high when compared to some universities but with the insurance included, I think it is a good bargain. From what I hear, although Canterbury is quite rural the cost of living is quite high but if you can budget wisely you can manage just fine.
Kent is only my CF but thought of sharing the little I've learned about the university. Hope it helps you guys
As for accommodation, I've booked for Parkwood houses. Parkwood is not as close to campus as say Darwin's College or Tyler court is but it is quite green and very beautiful. Parkwood houses seem like a great idea- you get to know your housemates much better than if you were living in a hall. Also, all accommodation includes £5,000 contents insurance so the rate per week may seem high when compared to some universities but with the insurance included, I think it is a good bargain. From what I hear, although Canterbury is quite rural the cost of living is quite high but if you can budget wisely you can manage just fine.
Kent is only my CF but thought of sharing the little I've learned about the university. Hope it helps you guys
How big are the rooms there? Have you been to them? And what course are you thinking of doing?
Original post by mellie220
What kind of questions did you have? I'm going into my final year at Kent and can pretty much answer anything (apart from stuff about sport at Kent).
1 - What's the social life like in Kent? Is there a variety of reasonably cheap things to do with friends? What about parties?
2 - Do they offer a lot of grants and scholarships?
3 - Is the private accommodation cheap? Have you seen any pet friendly houses/flats for rent? I'd like to get a dog! :P
4 - Any negatives or complaints you'd make about Kent Uni?
5 - What subject did you do? Did you find that people were clique-y or stuck to people doing their classes only?
Thanks!
Original post by fuglycorn
How big are the rooms there? Have you been to them? And what course are you thinking of doing?
Unfortunately, I have not been there so I can't really say. The room size is stated on their accommodation website though. I have applied for Bsc. in Actuarial Science.
Original post by fuglycorn
1 - What's the social life like in Kent? Is there a variety of reasonably cheap things to do with friends? What about parties?
2 - Do they offer a lot of grants and scholarships?
3 - Is the private accommodation cheap? Have you seen any pet friendly houses/flats for rent? I'd like to get a dog! :P
4 - Any negatives or complaints you'd make about Kent Uni?
5 - What subject did you do? Did you find that people were clique-y or stuck to people doing their classes only?
Thanks!
2 - Do they offer a lot of grants and scholarships?
3 - Is the private accommodation cheap? Have you seen any pet friendly houses/flats for rent? I'd like to get a dog! :P
4 - Any negatives or complaints you'd make about Kent Uni?
5 - What subject did you do? Did you find that people were clique-y or stuck to people doing their classes only?
Thanks!
1 - Social Life at Kent has been a real eye opener - there's so much more to do than just "drink and party" (but, of course, that has been a major part of many of my weeks here
). I guess everyone's experiences will be different but for me, we mainly went out as a whole flat on a weekly basis to Venue, or clubs in town on a Monday or Friday. Usually there would be a few other people from other Darwin flats that would come out with us to so there would be a real nice big mix of people! Nights out ARE cheap, and there are plenty of others things to do once you've spent your student loan - the campus is huge and green, so you can just wander around or spend time outside one of the colleges, Canterbury itself is a lovely place to simply wander around and there is always something interesting going on2 - The grants that I am aware of include the NSP (National Scholarship Programme) which is for students coming from a low-income background, the Academic Scholarship and Sports Scholarships. Best bet is to look here - http://www.kent.ac.uk/scholarships/undergraduate/index.html - and see which one applies to you best
3 - Private accommodation is around the same price as halls, sometimes cheap and sometimes a little more. It depends what type of property you can go for - for example, I'm in my second year now and living in my student house and we each pay £330 per month excl bills, which works out at more or less the same price as my old Darwin room. As for pet friendly, the majority say "no" but if you can find a private landlord then it would be worth asking them. Bear in mind you are coming to Uni and will the added constraint of having a pet to look after be too much? I personally wouldn't recommend it
4 - NONE what-so-ever. The University, for me, is perfect in all aspects. I work for both the Uni as well as the Student's Union, and both have been fantastic and understanding employers. The Uni itself has a great support network, and the academics are very helpful
5 - I study Film at the moment, Single Honours - there is a risk that things can become quite clique-y, as you make friends quickly when you don't know anyone, but my experience is that everyone just wants to get to know everyone. You may find yourself going out with the same friendship group but that is only a positive as you get to know them better.
-------
Hope that answers your questions as a starter. Anything else you want to know about Kent just let me know - I'm Captain of the UKC Korfball Team, as well as a Student Ambassador so hopefully I can give you a good overall view of Kent
Dave
Original post by mellie220
What kind of questions did you have? I'm going into my final year at Kent and can pretty much answer anything (apart from stuff about sport at Kent).
Hey! I have a couple of questions.
1. How is accommodation at Kent? How is Kent Hospitality?
2. What is Parkwood like? What kind of atmosphere can expect there?
3. What are the best (i.e cheapest) places to shop for clothes and groceries in Canterbury?
4. How is the teaching quality at Kent?
Kent is a University that I hope I can apply to as long as I've got the grades.
Canterbury looks gorgeous and every other aspect but I've never been so I'm not sure.
Anyone?
By the way, if you went to Kent what are you looking to study?
Canterbury looks gorgeous and every other aspect but I've never been so I'm not sure.
Anyone?
By the way, if you went to Kent what are you looking to study?
Original post by sneha.vag
Hey! I have a couple of questions.
1. How is accommodation at Kent? How is Kent Hospitality?
2. What is Parkwood like? What kind of atmosphere can expect there?
3. What are the best (i.e cheapest) places to shop for clothes and groceries in Canterbury?
4. How is the teaching quality at Kent?
1. How is accommodation at Kent? How is Kent Hospitality?
2. What is Parkwood like? What kind of atmosphere can expect there?
3. What are the best (i.e cheapest) places to shop for clothes and groceries in Canterbury?
4. How is the teaching quality at Kent?
1 - Quite a big question to answer. Accommodation is lovely, everyone will say what is best about theirs. I lived in Block L3, room 4 in Darwin College last year and had an absolute blast. For me, I preferred living in the flats as it was very social and you end up getting to know people in the other flats quickly so everyone seems to end up getting to know each other. I could probably name 300 of the 400-odd last year Darwin residents! Kent Hospitality are very easy to get along with, never had any problem with the Housekeeper and she was very lovely.
2 - Parwood is huge and a bit of a walk from the main part of campus but it's very nice and feels like a mini-village. Parkwood Essentials, the on-campus shop, closes earlier than the main one in central campus, so some people that I know to have lived there have found that a bit bothersome. But other than that, you're close to the sporting facilities and Woody's.
3 - For me, I always buy my clothes now from one of the numerous charity shops in town these days. I've picked up a 2-piece suit by Tommy Hilfiger for £10.99, or a Zara Man jacket for £7, or t-shirts for £2. Great bargains. For groceries, ASDA seems the overall best bet but Sainsburys is closer. Why don't you load up a personal weekly shop into a basket online in each of the stores and compare whats cheapest for you?
4 - Have a look at your individual subjects for best info. It's hard to rank the "overall" teaching quality as each department is different. I study Film and I'm very, very, very happy with the teaching quality at the School of Arts
Teaching: Exceptional from what I've seen and heard. Some lecturers can be really boring but thats a matter of opinion. One thing that surprised me quite a bit was how similar it was to college in terms of getting help from the lecturers/seminar leaders there. You get go talk to the lecturer at the end of the lecturer if you didn't understand something and most are friendly enough to help you out, you could visit them in their office if you're struggling to understand something (one to one session), seminar leaders are the most helpful I feel you can ask anything and they'll try to explain it in the best way possible and you can talk to them in their office as well. Whenever I sent an email I got a reply back very fast. Plus if you thought you were struggling with handling the work or finding certain topics different then you could get a mentor who would be a student in their second or third year who'd know exactly what your going through. And if you feel like you are struggling even with certain modules e.g. Statistics theres specialised people who you could get a one to one with (these are really useful I thought but you'll need to book a session if you wanted one).
Then during exam leave especially for the first years theres something called the value programme which is basically having classes with your seminar leaders and they go through most if the everything that has been covered throughout the year. It's just like having extra classes but you've got to sign up for it during the second half of uni (pretty straight forward they'll give you more information about it when you get there).
Accommodation: Generally very expensive. I lived in the Keynes flats and they had really nice rooms and amazing views. The room sizes generally everywhere on campus was good except for the parkwood houses which had the smallest room from what I saw (just about enough room for a single bed and a desk, it seemed a bit squashed but my friend who lived there said that her room was the smallest in the house so I dont know how big the others rooms were). The housekeepers come and clean the bathroom every 2 weeks in the en suite rooms and probably once a week in the shared rooms. All in all I can say the room sizes and hospitality isn't the problem. What the problem was the fire alarm going off EVERY SINGLE WEEK as a drill at 9o'clock (in Keynes different accommodations will have different times and days) in the morning! I don't know why they do that but it was such a pain especially cause on the day the drill happens I didn't start until 12o'clock. I think I managed it better towards the end but at the beginning of term I just wanted to pull my hair out arrr. Saying that when the drill does happen you don't have to get out of bed. They're just testing for the alarm works or not. But still the loud sound is not the ideal way to wake up in the morning (I used to get a mini heart attack everytime it went off).
The cost of living isn't that expensive as I thought. I mean I shopped mainly at the big supermarkets and pound world so thats probably why. But in general I thought it was not too expensive nor too cheap just manageable.
If you want to know anything else just ask
Then during exam leave especially for the first years theres something called the value programme which is basically having classes with your seminar leaders and they go through most if the everything that has been covered throughout the year. It's just like having extra classes but you've got to sign up for it during the second half of uni (pretty straight forward they'll give you more information about it when you get there).
Accommodation: Generally very expensive. I lived in the Keynes flats and they had really nice rooms and amazing views. The room sizes generally everywhere on campus was good except for the parkwood houses which had the smallest room from what I saw (just about enough room for a single bed and a desk, it seemed a bit squashed but my friend who lived there said that her room was the smallest in the house so I dont know how big the others rooms were). The housekeepers come and clean the bathroom every 2 weeks in the en suite rooms and probably once a week in the shared rooms. All in all I can say the room sizes and hospitality isn't the problem. What the problem was the fire alarm going off EVERY SINGLE WEEK as a drill at 9o'clock (in Keynes different accommodations will have different times and days) in the morning! I don't know why they do that but it was such a pain especially cause on the day the drill happens I didn't start until 12o'clock. I think I managed it better towards the end but at the beginning of term I just wanted to pull my hair out arrr. Saying that when the drill does happen you don't have to get out of bed. They're just testing for the alarm works or not. But still the loud sound is not the ideal way to wake up in the morning (I used to get a mini heart attack everytime it went off).
The cost of living isn't that expensive as I thought. I mean I shopped mainly at the big supermarkets and pound world so thats probably why. But in general I thought it was not too expensive nor too cheap just manageable.
If you want to know anything else just ask
Original post by poiuytrewq54321
Teaching: Exceptional from what I've seen and heard. Some lecturers can be really boring but thats a matter of opinion. One thing that surprised me quite a bit was how similar it was to college in terms of getting help from the lecturers/seminar leaders there. You get go talk to the lecturer at the end of the lecturer if you didn't understand something and most are friendly enough to help you out, you could visit them in their office if you're struggling to understand something (one to one session), seminar leaders are the most helpful I feel you can ask anything and they'll try to explain it in the best way possible and you can talk to them in their office as well. Whenever I sent an email I got a reply back very fast. Plus if you thought you were struggling with handling the work or finding certain topics different then you could get a mentor who would be a student in their second or third year who'd know exactly what your going through. And if you feel like you are struggling even with certain modules e.g. Statistics theres specialised people who you could get a one to one with (these are really useful I thought but you'll need to book a session if you wanted one).
Then during exam leave especially for the first years theres something called the value programme which is basically having classes with your seminar leaders and they go through most if the everything that has been covered throughout the year. It's just like having extra classes but you've got to sign up for it during the second half of uni (pretty straight forward they'll give you more information about it when you get there).
Accommodation: Generally very expensive. I lived in the Keynes flats and they had really nice rooms and amazing views. The room sizes generally everywhere on campus was good except for the parkwood houses which had the smallest room from what I saw (just about enough room for a single bed and a desk, it seemed a bit squashed but my friend who lived there said that her room was the smallest in the house so I dont know how big the others rooms were). The housekeepers come and clean the bathroom every 2 weeks in the en suite rooms and probably once a week in the shared rooms. All in all I can say the room sizes and hospitality isn't the problem. What the problem was the fire alarm going off EVERY SINGLE WEEK as a drill at 9o'clock (in Keynes different accommodations will have different times and days) in the morning! I don't know why they do that but it was such a pain especially cause on the day the drill happens I didn't start until 12o'clock. I think I managed it better towards the end but at the beginning of term I just wanted to pull my hair out arrr. Saying that when the drill does happen you don't have to get out of bed. They're just testing for the alarm works or not. But still the loud sound is not the ideal way to wake up in the morning (I used to get a mini heart attack everytime it went off).
The cost of living isn't that expensive as I thought. I mean I shopped mainly at the big supermarkets and pound world so thats probably why. But in general I thought it was not too expensive nor too cheap just manageable.
If you want to know anything else just ask
Then during exam leave especially for the first years theres something called the value programme which is basically having classes with your seminar leaders and they go through most if the everything that has been covered throughout the year. It's just like having extra classes but you've got to sign up for it during the second half of uni (pretty straight forward they'll give you more information about it when you get there).
Accommodation: Generally very expensive. I lived in the Keynes flats and they had really nice rooms and amazing views. The room sizes generally everywhere on campus was good except for the parkwood houses which had the smallest room from what I saw (just about enough room for a single bed and a desk, it seemed a bit squashed but my friend who lived there said that her room was the smallest in the house so I dont know how big the others rooms were). The housekeepers come and clean the bathroom every 2 weeks in the en suite rooms and probably once a week in the shared rooms. All in all I can say the room sizes and hospitality isn't the problem. What the problem was the fire alarm going off EVERY SINGLE WEEK as a drill at 9o'clock (in Keynes different accommodations will have different times and days) in the morning! I don't know why they do that but it was such a pain especially cause on the day the drill happens I didn't start until 12o'clock. I think I managed it better towards the end but at the beginning of term I just wanted to pull my hair out arrr. Saying that when the drill does happen you don't have to get out of bed. They're just testing for the alarm works or not. But still the loud sound is not the ideal way to wake up in the morning (I used to get a mini heart attack everytime it went off).
The cost of living isn't that expensive as I thought. I mean I shopped mainly at the big supermarkets and pound world so thats probably why. But in general I thought it was not too expensive nor too cheap just manageable.
If you want to know anything else just ask
Omg! Thank you. That was some REALLY useful info. I am so glad I firmed Kent. If you don't mind me asking what are you/have you been studying at Kent? The most important thing for me is the teaching quality and from what you've told me I can be absolutely sure Kent is the university for me.
Hearing about the drills makes me feel
already but I'll have to learn to get used to it. Are the rooms at Parkwood really the smallest? Oh my! I had a look at the virtual tour and the ones at Parkwood looked pretty big, it was just a misreading on my part, I guess. Honestly, I feel like the accommodation is quite expensive but with the insurance not so much. Does it cost just as much when you have to move out at the end of stage 1? Manageable..hmm. That's a relief! Could you give me a few tips on where to get great bargains from and generally how to mange your money at university? I know there are truck-load of articles on the internet about managing your finance but it would be great to hear from someone who has had significant experience at the university you want to go to.
Again, thanks for posting
I hope the questions are not too many.Original post by UKCDaveC
1 - Quite a big question to answer. Accommodation is lovely, everyone will say what is best about theirs. I lived in Block L3, room 4 in Darwin College last year and had an absolute blast. For me, I preferred living in the flats as it was very social and you end up getting to know people in the other flats quickly so everyone seems to end up getting to know each other. I could probably name 300 of the 400-odd last year Darwin residents! Kent Hospitality are very easy to get along with, never had any problem with the Housekeeper and she was very lovely.
2 - Parwood is huge and a bit of a walk from the main part of campus but it's very nice and feels like a mini-village. Parkwood Essentials, the on-campus shop, closes earlier than the main one in central campus, so some people that I know to have lived there have found that a bit bothersome. But other than that, you're close to the sporting facilities and Woody's.
3 - For me, I always buy my clothes now from one of the numerous charity shops in town these days. I've picked up a 2-piece suit by Tommy Hilfiger for £10.99, or a Zara Man jacket for £7, or t-shirts for £2. Great bargains. For groceries, ASDA seems the overall best bet but Sainsburys is closer. Why don't you load up a personal weekly shop into a basket online in each of the stores and compare whats cheapest for you?
4 - Have a look at your individual subjects for best info. It's hard to rank the "overall" teaching quality as each department is different. I study Film and I'm very, very, very happy with the teaching quality at the School of Arts
2 - Parwood is huge and a bit of a walk from the main part of campus but it's very nice and feels like a mini-village. Parkwood Essentials, the on-campus shop, closes earlier than the main one in central campus, so some people that I know to have lived there have found that a bit bothersome. But other than that, you're close to the sporting facilities and Woody's.
3 - For me, I always buy my clothes now from one of the numerous charity shops in town these days. I've picked up a 2-piece suit by Tommy Hilfiger for £10.99, or a Zara Man jacket for £7, or t-shirts for £2. Great bargains. For groceries, ASDA seems the overall best bet but Sainsburys is closer. Why don't you load up a personal weekly shop into a basket online in each of the stores and compare whats cheapest for you?
4 - Have a look at your individual subjects for best info. It's hard to rank the "overall" teaching quality as each department is different. I study Film and I'm very, very, very happy with the teaching quality at the School of Arts
1. I never thought of that, to be honest. The deadline for accommodation application is the 31st of July so I think I'll review my options and take into the account what you just said because I know for sure, I would love to get to know so many people and make tonnes of friends.
2. That's great! I would love to join a sports society or something. If that's the case, I'll have to do less mindless shopping and plan out the timing as well as the items i would like to buy or may be find alternative shops to buy from. I heard Essentials is quite costly. Is that true?
3. Those are absolutely great bargains. Thanks! I'll be sure to look for some good charity shops in Canterbury. Yes, fantastic idea. I will do that pronto and see which supermarket offers the best deals.
4. I have applied for Actuarial Science, I don't think you would know much about how the actuarial science courses are taught. Film seems very interesting btw.
Thank you for the info. It was so useful. It is different reading about Canterbury ( more specially the University of Kent) and talking to a student there. Glad you answered my questions
Original post by sneha.vag
1. I never thought of that, to be honest. The deadline for accommodation application is the 31st of July so I think I'll review my options and take into the account what you just said because I know for sure, I would love to get to know so many people and make tonnes of friends.
2. That's great! I would love to join a sports society or something. If that's the case, I'll have to do less mindless shopping and plan out the timing as well as the items i would like to buy or may be find alternative shops to buy from. I heard Essentials is quite costly. Is that true?
3. Those are absolutely great bargains. Thanks! I'll be sure to look for some good charity shops in Canterbury. Yes, fantastic idea. I will do that pronto and see which supermarket offers the best deals.
4. I have applied for Actuarial Science, I don't think you would know much about how the actuarial science courses are taught. Film seems very interesting btw.
Thank you for the info. It was so useful. It is different reading about Canterbury ( more specially the University of Kent) and talking to a student there. Glad you answered my questions
2. That's great! I would love to join a sports society or something. If that's the case, I'll have to do less mindless shopping and plan out the timing as well as the items i would like to buy or may be find alternative shops to buy from. I heard Essentials is quite costly. Is that true?
3. Those are absolutely great bargains. Thanks! I'll be sure to look for some good charity shops in Canterbury. Yes, fantastic idea. I will do that pronto and see which supermarket offers the best deals.
4. I have applied for Actuarial Science, I don't think you would know much about how the actuarial science courses are taught. Film seems very interesting btw.
Thank you for the info. It was so useful. It is different reading about Canterbury ( more specially the University of Kent) and talking to a student there. Glad you answered my questions
Happy to help at any time, and more than happy to be someone to help ease you into Uni life here at Kent (as part of my Student Ambassador work, I give campus tours to prospective students, and would be more than happy to show you around when you arrive!).
I am inclined to agree that Essentials IS slightly more expensive than other places, but you have to take into account the convenience of it being on campus. And for things like milk, eggs and bread it's actually very well priced. Fresh produce such as potatoes, bananas and apples are quite costly but this is not the fault of the Union "hiking up pricing", it's down to the franchise supplier setting price limits (in this case, the co-operative group).
RE teaching at the SMSAS (School of Maths, Stats and Act. Science), check the information here - http://www.kent.ac.uk/smsas/undergraduate/programmes/N323-BSc-ActSci.html?tab=teaching-and-assessment
Sport is a huge part of Kent life and you should definitely consider something - there's a huge range of opportunities here at Kent, with so much available ranging from Women's Rugby and Football to Ultimate Frisbee and Equestrian sports. There really is something for everyone - in Welcome Week, Kent Union have a freshers fair and more or less every sport and society will have a stall so it's worthwhile going there and checking out whats on offer and finding something that you will enjoy
Original post by UKCDaveC
Hope that info helps Let me know if you want any more. I'm a Student Ambassador for the University, as well as Student Staff for Kent Union and Captain the UKC Korfball team. Just finished 1st Year
Let me know if you want any more. I'm a Student Ambassador for the University, as well as Student Staff for Kent Union and Captain the UKC Korfball team. Just finished 1st Year Wow! That is a lot
How did you manage to run for all those positions?Original post by sneha.vag
Wow! That is a lot How did you manage to run for all those positions?
How did you manage to run for all those positions?It's hard to manage sometimes, and I'm also Social Secretary for the sports team as well haha, and running for Mature Students Officer for the Union next year as well. I love helping people, I find it like a form of therapy for myself. If I can help someone, or make someone smile every day, I feel happy myself!
It's also great getting involved in everything you possibly can at Uni. Before I came, I was definitely a "no" or "maybe" man. Now I just say "yes" to everything I can think of, unless its illegal or dangerous, because you never know who you might meet or what doors it could open up!
Original post by sneha.vag
Unfortunately, I have not been there so I can't really say. The room size is stated on their accommodation website though. I have applied for Bsc. in Actuarial Science.
I've just finished my first year of Actuarial at Kent, so any questions let me know!
I stayed in the Parkwood 5-bed houses. Room sizes vary a LOT in these houses. If you get Room E, you will have the smallest room and its likely that the end of your bed will prevent your warbrobe from opening more than two inches. I had Room D, which is noticeably bigger than all the others - in fact it was a huge room, far bigger than the one I had at home. Quality of the houses vary, mine was lovely, however I was in a house with all international students and they kept themselves to themselves - I never knew their names, and the first conversation I had with one of them was in the last week. But its really easy to make friends in other houses and courts.
Living in Canterbury didn't seem too expensive. Would recommend getting the bus pass in first term (£160) for the full year. Food shopping I managed on £25 per fortnight, with a big (£80) shop in September and February. I didn't go out too many times, but spent under £15 when I did. Trains into London are from £21 including travelcard, so not too bad, can get better deals if you book early.
Off campus accommodation is pricey compared to other areas. I will be paying £425 a month all bills included for a double room about 10 minutes walk from campus in a nice location - you can get a lot cheaper but getting to uni would be difficult. I was limited in the areas I could go live in as I needed to be close to West Rail station, campus and where I work.
Any questions, feel free to ask!
Original post by sneha.vag
Omg! Thank you. That was some REALLY useful info. I am so glad I firmed Kent. If you don't mind me asking what are you/have you been studying at Kent? The most important thing for me is the teaching quality and from what you've told me I can be absolutely sure Kent is the university for me.
Hearing about the drills makes me feel already but I'll have to learn to get used to it. Are the rooms at Parkwood really the smallest? Oh my! I had a look at the virtual tour and the ones at Parkwood looked pretty big, it was just a misreading on my part, I guess. Honestly, I feel like the accommodation is quite expensive but with the insurance not so much. Does it cost just as much when you have to move out at the end of stage 1?
Manageable..hmm. That's a relief! Could you give me a few tips on where to get great bargains from and generally how to mange your money at university? I know there are truck-load of articles on the internet about managing your finance but it would be great to hear from someone who has had significant experience at the university you want to go to.
Again, thanks for posting I hope the questions are not too many.
Hearing about the drills makes me feel
already but I'll have to learn to get used to it. Are the rooms at Parkwood really the smallest? Oh my! I had a look at the virtual tour and the ones at Parkwood looked pretty big, it was just a misreading on my part, I guess. Honestly, I feel like the accommodation is quite expensive but with the insurance not so much. Does it cost just as much when you have to move out at the end of stage 1? Manageable..hmm. That's a relief! Could you give me a few tips on where to get great bargains from and generally how to mange your money at university? I know there are truck-load of articles on the internet about managing your finance but it would be great to hear from someone who has had significant experience at the university you want to go to.
Again, thanks for posting
I hope the questions are not too many.Not a problem ask away
I've been studying Accounting and Finance with a year in industry. What are you going to be studying?
Yeah they can be really annoying but what I did was I used to put my alarm just before the fire alarm goes off so that I didn't have a mini heart attack! If you still can't take it then I'd suggest to get some ear plugs and wear it specifically on the day the fire alarm is gonna go off.
And not all Parkwood accommodation is small. In fact the flats are spacious and if you're living in a house then most of them would be reasonable sizes. I think my friend was quite unlucky that she got the smallest room in the house. I'm sure you'll manage though whatever size room you get. Btw where are you planning on staying?
I don't know how you are planning on doing your weekly shopping but most people go into town as its cheaper than buying things from essentials. If you are planning on travelling by bus quite frequently then I suggest you buy the year bus pass which I think will cost you around £160 (usually costs £240 after the deadline to get your discount ends). As I remember this is only useful if you are planning on going into town more than twice a week. If you only want to go once then I'd suggest not to get it cause it'll cost you around £120 in total for the year just paying for a day pass (£2.70) every week you go. Saving you 60 odd quid.
Buying books: Most of the books that I bought were a waste of money and I hardly even used some of them. Most if not all of the lecturers will suggest which are the core reading books but just because they tell you that doesn't mean you'll need to buy it. I'd suggest you go to the library have a look at the book maybe scan read a few pages and then order it from Amazon if you think its useful (DO NOT buy it from the book store on campus, its way too expensive!). Otherwise you can do what my friend did and borrow the book from the library and keep renewing it, you can renew one book 10 times online then you can take it back and get it again etc etc And also have a look at the online library page some of the books are in e-book so you could use that instead. I'd just suggest only buy it if you think you are gonna use it, do your research before you buy the book and then find the cheapest one. Also have have a look in the library and see how many copies they have, if they have quite a few then you might as well use that. That'll save you a heap of cash cause most of the books are over £30!
They'll be so many student offers going around especially at the societies fair from discount on books to offers on take outs. Just collect everything and then have a look at whats useful to you. If you are planning on buying take outs e.g pizza you may be able to save money by getting everyone together either with the friends you make or with your flatmates, that way you can split the cost whilst you enjoy the food.
Oh and beware of people stealing your food it happened to quite a few of my friends. One of my friend bought her own mini fridge and placed it in her room (the only problem with that is the housing staff will take it away if you don't hide it when they come around). If you experience it then I wouldn't say buy your own fridge but maybe you could put non fridge items in your room instead. Theres not much you can do about people stealing milk other than to talk to your flatmates and just tell them that if they want something just ask. But its something you'll just have to live with I'm afraid.
And about storage at the end of the year. You can place your belongings in storage theres so many you'll be spoilt for choice. It'll cost you around £100 to store it for 3 odd months during the summer. I'm sure there must be other cheaper places but I left it till the last minute to look for mines. And if you need help to transport your belongings theres this really nice van guy who will help you that (I thought he was better than a taxi who wouldn't have helped bring my things down from 6 flights of stairs). So storage really isn't a problem.
Sorry its a bit long!
(edited 10 years ago)
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