I'm a Uni of Kent Student - Ask Me Anything!

Thank u so much for making this post! I'm in year 12 and am looking around at courses and uni's and Kent is definitely really high on my list. I have a couple questions if that is ok? Firstly what course do you do? What is the social life like? How did you find settling in? 💗💗

Hey!
No problem at all
I study History with a Year in Data Analytics and I'm currently in my final year of the course (If you're looking for someone studying the same course as you would like to, you can use our online programme Unibuddy to find a current Kent student and ask them any questions you might have about the course you'd like to study - here's the link - Unibuddy)

I really love the social side of life at Kent, for me it's ideal! As the university is campus based it creates a really nice sense of community and a friendly student-y atmosphere which I really like Also, it makes getting involved in sports clubs, societies, events and on-campus activities really easy as everything is in one place. There's a huge range of sports clubs and societies at Kent and I'd really recommend checking them out as they're a great way to meet new people and try something new. For nearly all of the clubs and societies your first session is free so you can try out as many new things as you like I'll give you the link to the Kent Union website so you can see what is on offer and get a feel for what it's all like - Kent Union.
During my time at Kent I've been a part of the yoga society, 20 minute society (which is no longer running unfortunately), kickboxing and baking society - so I definitely tried a bit of everything and made some really great friends too!
There's also loads to do on campus with friends too outside of clubs and societies. There's an on-campus nightclub, about 5 bars, lots of places to eat, 2 Co-op shops, a cinema, gym and theatre, sometimes it feels like you don't even need to leave!
The town centre is about a 20 minute walk from campus, or a short bus ride. There are 2 other universities (soon to be 3) in Canterbury so nightlife in town has a great student-vibe to it There's also tonnes of shops, bars and restaurants too. The beach is also a short bus ride away and it's been my favourite thing to do in the summer term when I need a break from revising

I found settling into life at Kent much easier than I expected to. In all my time worrying I sort of forgot that everyone else is also in the same position too! I got on really well with my housemates and met lots of new people in the first term of uni, everyone was really friendly and approachable, from my experience, it's a really easy environment to feel relaxed and settled in Joining a sports club/society was definitely a really fun way to meet people and I think it helped me settle in easier as I was doing something I enjoyed with people who shared the same interests First year and uni in general, can largely be what you make it, but I found the environment/support at Kent during my first year was really supportive and exactly what I needed to feel at home! Settling into a new place and new lifestyle can definitely be a bit challenging wherever you go to uni, and I certainly had my days where I felt overwhelmed by it all, but there was so much support on offer that makes all those changes a bit easier to deal with

That was super long! But I hope it helped to answer your questions If there's anything I left out that you'd like to know more about, or if there's anything else you'd like to know, feel free to ask anytime!

thank you so much this is so so helpful and thank you for taking your time to write all this. Kent sounds like a really lovely place from the way you have described it, are there any negatives or things you haven't been as pleased with at all?? also what's the accommodation like at the university, is it well equipped?? And the student union, are they good at organising stuff? 💗💗💗💗

No problem, I'm glad it was helpful!
There have been a few negatives during my time at Kent, but what isn't without its downsides! I have found parking on campus can be quite difficult, especially in the winter or when it's raining. There's obviously a finite amount of spaces and sometimes you might have to park quite far from where you need to be which can be annoying! I've not got my car at uni though, and I have only driven to campus when friends have given me lifts there. But it is far easier (if you don't fancy walking) to get the bus, it stops all over campus and although it can also be busy sometimes, it's much easier To be perfectly, honest that's been the only downside I can really think of right now! Some people find Canterbury as a city to be quite small, but to be honest it's not bothered me! As I mentioned before, there are 3 other universities in Canterbury so despite being a smaller city the student life is still good Also, yo can get into London in less than an hour so it's really well connected if you did want to venture into a larger city

There's a really good choice of accommodation and the university have been refurbishing a lot of it recently too. My favourites are Turing flats (where I stayed), Turing houses, Keynes self-catered and Parkwood houses As far as I am aware all of the self catered accommodation provides kettles, toaster and microwaves so you shouldn't need to bring any of those. When you're deciding on your accommodation you should be able to see on the accommodation website what things are included so you know what you need to bring In Turing flats and some Keynes flats they have double beds too and you can find bedding sizes and all that online You can also get 'starter packs' of stuff like kitchenware and bedding that is delivered to you when you move in too if you would like (I bought all my stuff from wilko but that's just down to personal preference!). You can also do virtual tours of all the accommodation online too which can help to give you an idea of what it all looks like, I'll link it here - Virtual Tours.

The student union have been really great during my time at Kent. They organise the Summer Ball each year and Freshers Ball which are two really great events to go to especially in your first year They also manage all of the sports clubs and societies and help students set up new ones as well. I've found them to be really helpful and supportive while I've been at Kent, and they even have a Student Advice centre which you can pop into if you have any worries or questions and they recently set up a food bank for struggling students which I try and donate to when I can! The union definitely have a lot to offer in supporting students.

Hope this helped to answer your questions

thank you so so much this is so helpful and Kent sounds like a great university, I love the sound of every aspect of it. Thank you again for answering my questions, it means a lot 💗

Hi

Hi everyone,

As the title suggests, I'm a current student at the University of Kent and wanted to share my experience to help anyone looking to study at Kent I know these are tricky and uncertain times and I want to offer some reassurance and support so that you feel you can still make an informed decision on your university offers.

Also, if you're more interested in what the campus and accommodation is like, you can do virtual tours of our Canterbury and Medway campuses!
Virtual Tours

Ask me anything about Kent

Hi everyone,

As the title suggests, I'm a current student at the University of Kent and wanted to share my experience to help anyone looking to study at Kent I know these are tricky and uncertain times and I want to offer some reassurance and support so that you feel you can still make an informed decision on your university offers.

Also, if you're more interested in what the campus and accommodation is like, you can do virtual tours of our Canterbury and Medway campuses!
Virtual Tours

Ask me anything about Kent

Hey, how are you ? I just put kent down as my firm choice to study psychology last night so I’m very excited ! I had a few questions, if you don’t mind answering some ! Which accommodation would you recommend that is most social? Are there opportunities for people from other courses to mix a lot or do you tend to stick around with the same people in your course? And finally, do you need to pay to be part of the societies/clubs and if so, is it expensive? like do you need a membership or is it a pay-as-you-go? Thanks so much, I know there are so many questions, I’m sorry !!!

Hey!
I'm doing good thank you, how're you? I'm so pleased to hear you've put Kent as your first choice! More than happy to answer any questions! I'll answer them in order
The most social accommodation on campus from my experience is probably Parkwood houses. They are formatted into courts so you can easily mix with and meet people from all the houses around you too! Also, Parkwood is a little bit further from the centre of campus (it's only like a 2 minute walk though, dont' worry!) so it gives it a real sense of community there too which makes it more social Also, Parkwood also has a new student hub in it called Woodys with a pub, lots of social spaces and a roof terrace which is super easy to get to from all the Parkwood accommodation. That said, all self-catered accommodations (Keynes, Turing, some of Tyler Court) are really social as you have more space to hang out with flatmates than in the catered accommodation, but Parkwood has the reputation for being most social

When it comes to mixing with people, its anyone can easily mix with anyone! To be honest, I have spent most of the time hanging out with friends who I met from societies or events than those I met on my course. Everyone really mixes with everyone and there's loads of opportunities to meet people from your course, or who happen to live near you or like the same things as you It's a really friendly environment which is why it can be easy to meet lots of new people!

You do have to pay to be a part of a sports club or society, but it's really not expensive at all! There's quite a range price wise, like you can join some for just £5 for the whole year! If you wanted to find out more about pricing though, check out the Kent Union website, each society/sports club has an information page which includes pricing Kent Union. If the pricing isn't on there, you can usually find contact details for the committee who will be happy to help you out!

I hope that this helped to answer everything! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask anytime, this is exactly what I'm here for!

Hey!
I'm doing good thank you, how're you? I'm so pleased to hear you've put Kent as your first choice! More than happy to answer any questions! I'll answer them in order
The most social accommodation on campus from my experience is probably Parkwood houses. They are formatted into courts so you can easily mix with and meet people from all the houses around you too! Also, Parkwood is a little bit further from the centre of campus (it's only like a 2 minute walk though, dont' worry!) so it gives it a real sense of community there too which makes it more social Also, Parkwood also has a new student hub in it called Woodys with a pub, lots of social spaces and a roof terrace which is super easy to get to from all the Parkwood accommodation. That said, all self-catered accommodations (Keynes, Turing, some of Tyler Court) are really social as you have more space to hang out with flatmates than in the catered accommodation, but Parkwood has the reputation for being most social

When it comes to mixing with people, its anyone can easily mix with anyone! To be honest, I have spent most of the time hanging out with friends who I met from societies or events than those I met on my course. Everyone really mixes with everyone and there's loads of opportunities to meet people from your course, or who happen to live near you or like the same things as you It's a really friendly environment which is why it can be easy to meet lots of new people!

You do have to pay to be a part of a sports club or society, but it's really not expensive at all! There's quite a range price wise, like you can join some for just £5 for the whole year! If you wanted to find out more about pricing though, check out the Kent Union website, each society/sports club has an information page which includes pricing Kent Union. If the pricing isn't on there, you can usually find contact details for the committee who will be happy to help you out!

I hope that this helped to answer everything! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask anytime, this is exactly what I'm here for!

Thank so much, this has helped a lot! Would you say I should (apart from Turing and Keynes) go for Tyler A court flats as my 3rd preference or park wood houses as my 3rd preference? Thanks !!

Sorry, one more thing! For the park wood houses, there’s an option for a 5 bed or 6 bed house without the en-suite option. Which would be better? How many people would share one bathroom/shower ? Thanks !!

Hello I was wondering how likely is it on getting your first choice on accommodation. I really liked the look of Turing College and it's not too far from where my course is situated at. Can I also ask what was fresher's week like?

Hey!

It's honestly so hard to say about how likely it is you'll get your first choice of accommodation! It entirely depends on the year and how many people apply for each accommodation. I know that the majority of people usually get their first or second choice, but again this really depends on the year! The accommodation office really do consider what everyone puts as their first choice though. I really hope that you get Turing!
Also, if it's location you're thinking of when it comes to accommodation, honestly everything is close to everything on campus! Also, just because your course is mostly situated in one building, you may still have classes in other buildings too

Freshers week is a lot of fun and there's lots going on! During my fresher's week we had a barbeque for everyone in my accommodation so we could all get some food and have the chance to meet people living near us There were also some orientation activities for my course, which was really nice to meet some people on my course before lectures started. There's also the fresher's fayre where you can get loads of freebies and sign up to taster sessions at sports clubs and societies (don't worry if you don't get to see everything though, the societies and sports clubs have really active Facebook pages where you can sign up to tasters as well). There's also lots of events on at The Venue, the on-campus nightclub, and at the bars on campus too I went out a couple of times during Freshers week to Venue, but my flat and I mostly hung out together or had little kitchen gatherings with people we had met or who lived nearby
It's a really social week, but it can be as calm or as busy as you want it to be Also, Freshers week is just the beginning, some of my favourite times and nights out at university have been during the term!

Hi everyone,

As the title suggests, I'm a current student at the University of Kent and wanted to share my experience to help anyone looking to study at Kent I know these are tricky and uncertain times and I want to offer some reassurance and support so that you feel you can still make an informed decision on your university offers.

Also, if you're more interested in what the campus and accommodation is like, you can do virtual tours of our Canterbury and Medway campuses!
Virtual Tours

Ask me anything about Kent

Hello, I am currently looking at accommodation for Kent to start uni this year as a Medway student but I really like what the Canterbury campuses have to offer. I know that there’s a bus shuttle that can take you from Canterbury to Medway but is there any specific accommodation that is nearer to the bus shuttle to make the commute less long or does it not matter which accommodation I decide to stay at?