I'm a postgraduate student at the University of Kent - Ask me anything!

Hi!

Coming to Kent in September 2023 or looking to apply for next year?

I'm a current PhD Psychology student who also did my MSc in Organisational and Business Psychology here in 2022. You can ask me anything, for instance:
- About the university itself
- Applying for a Masters/PhD
- Scholarships
- Postgraduate life
- School of Psychology/Kent Business School specifically

I'm also from the area, so if you have any questions about Kent/Canterbury in general, I'm happy to help!

Natalie :smile:

- University of Kent Student Rep

Reply 1

04MR17

Volunteer Section Leader, Clearing and Applications Advisor

Best and worst thing about your course? :holmes:

Reply 2

University of Kent

Official Rep

Original post by 04MR17

Best and worst thing about your course? :holmes:

Hi @04MR17

Thanks for your question :biggrin:

I'd say the best thing about PhD Psychology is the freedom to be able to research whatever you want to. I also love the independence and freedom to plan my own research and being able to work more collaboratively with lecturers than in undergraduate study. If I had to choose a bad thing, I would say it can be hard to plan your time and work to your own deadlines on a PhD course.

If you have any other questions let me know!

Natalie :smile:

- University of Kent Student Rep

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 3

sarahviv

Hi! I'm starting MSc Forensic Psychology in September and I was wondering what the jump in stats is like from undergraduate to masters level? My previous uni used SPSS and not R so I'm a little nervous about being behind!
Is there anything I could be doing aside from general reading and brushing up on stats between now and next month?
What did your week generally look like at Masters level? Trying to get a job on the side but not sure how the weeks are generally structured!
Thanks

Reply 4

sarahviv

One more question, sorry! Are societies and the union more aimed towards undergraduates or are they welcoming to postgraduates as well? I didn't join any in my undergrad and it seems like a good opportunity to try them out this year

Reply 5

University of Kent

Official Rep

Original post by sarahviv

Hi @sarahviv :thumbsup:

So in terms of stats, it is quite different using R compared to SPSS however, I was the same, and I think the majority will also be in a similar boat where they haven't used it before/have used SPSS instead! They do start fairly slowly so you learn the basics of how to use it first. As of the last few years there is one 2-hour computing workshop every week for R (I assume this will be the same this year!), so you have lots of time in workshops to get to grips with it and there are PhD students who float around in those sessions to help/answer questions! There is also a help section on R studio when you do use it too :smile:

I would say you don't really need to do anything between now and then as they do start from the basics as most people won't have used it before, but if you did want to, you could maybe research some 'R Studio basics' on Youtube/downloading R and R studio and just having a play yourself to get a bit familiar with it if you wanted a headstart? But again I don't think you need to by any means!

In terms of what your week will look like; I did the MSc in Organisational & Business Psychology so slightly different, but I can advise what mine was like/what others who did other MSc Psychology courses were like in 2022. I had a part time job at the same time as my masters, and was generally only at uni 3 days a week (for a few hours a day), so I found there was a lot of time to do my work/have a job alongside lectures and seminars! Again, I can't 100% for certain say yours will be the same, but since Masters courses do tend to be more focused on individual learning rather than taught content, it will likely be not as contact-heavy as your undergraduate and so you should be able to have a job alongside if you want to! You'll just have to wait to see what your timetable looks like I guess!

If you have any other questions, definitely let me know!

Natalie :smile:

- University of Kent Student Rep

Reply 6

University of Kent

Official Rep

Original post by sarahviv

Hi @sarahviv - no worries!!

I would say there is generally more undergrads in the societies (just as there are more undergrad than postgrad students overall) but they are definitely welcoming to postgraduate students if you find one you want to join! I wasn't in any during my MSc personally, but a couple of my friends on my course joined societies (one did swimming & one was a member of the film society) and they both loved it! So I would say they're definitely welcoming of postgrad students!

Here is the list of societies/clubs at Kent you can get involved in, if you want to have a look through: https://kentunion.co.uk/activities

Natalie :smile:

- University of Kent Student Rep

Reply 7

Anonymous #1

Original post by University of Kent

Hi!
Coming to Kent in September 2023 or looking to apply for next year?
I'm a current PhD Psychology student who also did my MSc in Organisational and Business Psychology here in 2022. You can ask me anything, for instance:
- About the university itself
- Applying for a Masters/PhD
- Scholarships
- Postgraduate life
- School of Psychology/Kent Business School specifically
I'm also from the area, so if you have any questions about Kent/Canterbury in general, I'm happy to help!
Natalie :smile:

- University of Kent Student Rep

Hi. How long does CAS take for it to be issued?
Which is the best broadband in CT2?

Reply 8

Anonymous #2

Original post by University of Kent

Hi!
Coming to Kent in September 2023 or looking to apply for next year?
I'm a current PhD Psychology student who also did my MSc in Organisational and Business Psychology here in 2022. You can ask me anything, for instance:
- About the university itself
- Applying for a Masters/PhD
- Scholarships
- Postgraduate life
- School of Psychology/Kent Business School specifically
I'm also from the area, so if you have any questions about Kent/Canterbury in general, I'm happy to help!
Natalie :smile:

- University of Kent Student Rep

Hi, what kind of work experience did you undertake before applying for the MSc in Organisational and Business Psychology?

Reply 9

Anonymous #3

Original post by University of Kent

Hi!
Coming to Kent in September 2023 or looking to apply for next year?
I'm a current PhD Psychology student who also did my MSc in Organisational and Business Psychology here in 2022. You can ask me anything, for instance:
- About the university itself
- Applying for a Masters/PhD
- Scholarships
- Postgraduate life
- School of Psychology/Kent Business School specifically
I'm also from the area, so if you have any questions about Kent/Canterbury in general, I'm happy to help!
Natalie :smile:

- University of Kent Student Rep

hi!

I am currently studying in my last year of clinical psychology, however im struggling to find any work experience for me to start looking for work once I've completed my course. are there any places that you would recommend. I have been trying to find places but I do not have any previous work experience that relates to the field of study, and any experience I can show is all done through online courses, so I do not know if that will be sufficient enough.

Reply 10

Liv2025

Original post by University of Kent

Hi!
Coming to Kent in September 2023 or looking to apply for next year?
I'm a current PhD Psychology student who also did my MSc in Organisational and Business Psychology here in 2022. You can ask me anything, for instance:
- About the university itself
- Applying for a Masters/PhD
- Scholarships
- Postgraduate life
- School of Psychology/Kent Business School specifically
I'm also from the area, so if you have any questions about Kent/Canterbury in general, I'm happy to help!
Natalie :smile:

- University of Kent Student Rep

Hi!
i'm thinking of applying for 2025 study and was wondering what the student life was ike both in and out of the university campus. Are tehre good clubs and bars nearby? And is there a student bar that the majority of people go to?
Thanks you!

Reply 11

University of Kent

Official Rep

Hey guys,

I hope you're all keeping well.

Unfortunately, Natalie has now left as an ambassador and is purely focusing on her studies.
I'll try to get answers for those of you who have a more niche question, whilst answering those with more general questions.

Very sorry for the inconvenience, but let's wish her good luck for the future! 😀

Warm regards,

David 🙂
University of Kent Student Rep

Reply 12

University of Kent

Official Rep

Original post by Liv2025

Hey @Liv2025,

I hope you're keeping well. 🙂

So you'll find a lot of restaurants, cafes, and bars in campus itself - due to it being a bit away from the city as well as also being the places where meal plan accommodation students can go for food. There is one quite popular nightclub on campus called The Venue, and you'll often see people queueing outside from 10pm on Wednesdays and Weekends, especially on Freshers Week and after exams! As for a student bar, I'd say it's a bit dependent on where you are on campus, as KBar is more popular if you happen to be in the centre, whilst Woody's is more popular if you or some friends are out in ParkWood, and Gulbenkian moreso if closer to Woolfe/Darwin.
There are also plenty of bars and pubs in the city itself though, and many students also go out there for a change of pace as well. You'll be content with the amount of choice you have there, as there'll be practically a bar/resturant on every main street! There are also nightclubs in Canterbury itself, but not one that I could point out where most people go unfortunately.

Basically, don't worry - the main point is that there are clubs, bars, restaurants, and cafes both in campus and in the city! It just depends on what your mood is for the night.

Hope this helps. 🙂

Warm regards,

David 🙂
University of Kent Student Rep