How is the uni in terms of nightlife?
There are 5 bars on campus - Origins, Woody's, Mungo's, The K Bar and Rutherford. There is also a nightclub on campus called The Venue which comprises two other bars - The Lighthouse and The Balcony. The nightlife on campus is ok, there are things like karaoke and school disco going on during the week, also a comedy night and a quiz night. Anything arranged by the SU is usually overpriced and crap though...such as the freshers ball and the recent xmas ball. In town (Canterbury) there are a few Wetherspoons and about 360 other pubs...most of them full of old men though - there are a few nice ones near the high street such as The Cherry Tree and The Hobgoblin. There are two clubs in town - Chicago's and The Works. Chicago's is really expensive but there is live music there a couple of times a week. The Works has student nights on Monday and Wednesdays but I wouldn't say it's a particularly good club. All in all, the nightlife is what you make it...if you meet a nice group of people then you make your own fun anyway!
How organised are the CS department and how do you find the course generally?
I'd say the department is pretty organised, they keep you up to date with your marks, assessments and attendance via the UKC student portal, which is updated pretty regularly. I don't particularly like the first year of the course really, some of the modules are really boring - such as Information Systems and Foundations of Computing...but I guess that's just 'cause I don't really like maths, and I've done most of the stuff in Information Systems before. We are also doing a business unit till xmas called Managers and Organisations which is reasonably interesting but not really related to the course, which is a bit strange.
What would you say the work load is like?
Lectures and seminars are 12 hours per week in the first term, apparently it goes up to something stupid like 22 hours in the second term...that might be just a rumour though. The workload is fine really, although for some reason we won't have any work for a while and then we'll get a load all at once which is irritating. Most of the work is submitted online but essays have to handed in to reception.
How much free time do you see yourself having?
I have 1 day off per week pretty much, most evenings I spend working but can usually go out at least 3 nights a week - including weekends.
What are the living costs like?
My accommodation costs £65 a week, self-catered. On top of that you have to pay something like £100 a year for a network connection in your bedroom. I spend about £15 a week on food...and if I go out a couple of nights a week I spend £30-£40...but I don't really drink that much so others might spend a lot more.
What sort of industry links is there and does the uni help you find placements and such?
I'd say this is probably the best thing about the computing department at kent...in your 3rd year you can choose to go on a work placement. Kent has good links with Sun Microsystems in California - I think about 25 students from Kent go and work there every year. The careers department is always sending emails about summer vacation work placements as well, and I've heard that if you want careers advice then they're pretty good at that too.
A lot of people on their placement years get very good jobs in well known companies like Microsoft and Intel.
What subjects did you take at A-level?
I did a BTEC ND in Computing, plus Music Technology and English A-levels.