The Canterbury campus, characterized by its beautiful green spaces and views over the city, has plenty of excellent facilities for students to use. From places to study to social spaces, here are a few of my favourite facilities as a final year student living at the Canterbury campus.
Places to eat and drink
On campus, there are two Co-op’s located in Park Wood student village and in the centre of campus, which are great for a quick food shop or picking up the essentials. If you don’t fancy cooking, there’s a range of cafes, restaurants and bars on campus, all serving delicious food and drinks. My favourite place to grab a bite to eat is Mungo’s, based in Eliot college. Mungo’s is known for its American diner style food, and they serve great burgers and milkshake’s. Woody’s is a lively bar in Park Wood and one of my favourite places to go for a drink with friends in the evening. They have regular quiz and karaoke nights, which are great fun!
Places to socialise with friends
Canterbury campus has its own nightclub, The Venue, which is open Wednesday to Saturday. The Venue offers plenty of club nights and events, with a line-up of awesome DJ’s throughout the year. For quieter evenings, I like to visit The Gulbenkian – a theatre and independent cinema on campus. Be sure to visit their website to check out the range of films, shows and performances on offer. There’s also a café located in the Gulbenkian, serving food and drinks for you to enjoy before or after a show.
Places to stay active
If you like keeping fit and staying active, the Kent Sports Centre includes a gym, climbing wall, sports halls and squash courts. Open from 7am, I like to head down to the gym before my lectures and seminars start for the day, however it’s open until 10pm if you prefer an evening session. There’s also a wide range of sports clubs that you can get involved with.
Places to study
Located in the heart of central campus, the Templeman Library is open 24 hours a day, and is my favourite place to study on campus. The building is spread across three floors, where you’ll be able to find a number of study spaces, including group study rooms to work with your peers, silent study zones and plenty of books and resources across a broad range of subjects. When you need a break from studying, the Library Café offers a brilliant range of drinks (most importantly – coffee!) as well as snacks and sandwiches, with great vegetarian and vegan options.
Overall, I’ve found Kent to be a great place to live and study, with lots of fantastic facilities that add to the overall student experience.
This blog post was written by Kent student Minetou Mbodje