is kent really a bad university?

im a penultimate year studying social sciences with languages. i got a*a*a in 2021 with TAGs but was still very set to come here for uni. i felt I was more of an aab-abb student so my grades felt inflated and didn't want to go somewhere where it would be competitive and overwhelming. i burnt out during a-levels and was horrifically depressed, so I saw 0 appeal in ultra-demanding unis. the only rg I wanted to go to rejected me, so I felt kent was a good fit for me personally, alongside it being one of the few (diverse) unis that lets you take languages ab-initio from gcse level at grade C.
ive had a great experience for the last few years but it’s not for everyone. it’s considered to be a ‘mid/meh’ uni. tsr and reddit cite it to be really mediocre due to it being based in a small town with limited things to do and it doesn't perform so well on rankings so can affect job prospects. canterbury is a very small town tbf but I thought smaller areas and campus unis felt more comfortable to settle into student life, at least for me. many of my friends and other students here seem kind of miserable here, due to how much they hate the town and look forward to leave. I've also had comments from ex-friends/random people that the uni is basically **** and average/nothing noteworthy and I should've gone somewhere with a better reputation. it makes me wonder if I should've gone to a uni in a bigger city like manc, bham, notts? reviews suggest people have more fun there and seem happier.
admittedly it is going through some financial problems right now so that is not helping the reputation.
I've done everything I can to try boost my cv with multiple internships, volunteering opportunities and getting involved with societies. also a year abroad. but it feels like none of that means anything at all. on the surface I'm just seen as an average student?
this stuff really gets me down because its been eating at my self esteem for the last couple of years. my family didn't think this was worth dropping out over in first year, so I continued to stay. i don't know how to cope with these emotions, it makes me feel so miserable. i cant help but feel like I'm judged by others and employers for being at a uni like kent . when applying I had 0 doubts about kent and was so excited to attend. close people like family friends and teachers said it was a great choice. but years on, I'm not sure if is paying off. i feel endless comparison.
I'm also having doubts about my courses' careers prospects. outside of top unis, you can be kinda screwed if you want to get into well-respected jobs due to high competition.
advice is appreciated on how to deal with such thoughts

Hii, so I'm staring at Kent this year and honestly before even starting I kinda know what you mean. It's a decent enough uni, and I didn't like the idea of applying for more prestigious unis because I knew it would be veryy competitive. So trust me you're not alone with feeling the comparison and even a little regretful.
It depends on what career / field you'd like to go into, if you know. Would you ever consider getting a postgrad degree maybe and going somewhere with a higher reputation? If possible you might enjoy it more.
I know exactly how you feel even though I haven't started yet 💔 I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about the uni.

I might have missed it, but what course have you applied for?
I didn't study at Kent, but want to give my experience. I studied at CCCU which is also in Canterbury and can say it was the best decision I ever made. I had offers for Bath, Loughborough and Southampton but ended up rejecting them all and coming here instead. I went in looking at league tables but when I visited them I just knew they weren't for me. I didn't feel comfortable at them and even though we were lower in the league tables, I haven't regretted coming here for a day, and have been here 9 years in total now! League tables are also super weird, there are SO many now out there they help even less than before. For example we are currently number 1 for graduates in employment, but that wouldn't show on a league table...employers check where you degree is from less than you think 🙂
Best advice it just to go to somewhere that you will feel comfortable and somewhere you will be happy to spend your time. Your support network, and universities support teams will be there for you if you need them!