Christopher is in his final year of the BSc Anthropology degree at the University of Kent.
What attracted you to studying at Kent?
I was attracted to study at Kent for numerous reasons, but I think the main reasons were that I loved the course that Kent provided and from my own experience Kent offered more interesting topics and range in modules compared to similar courses offered at other institutions. The city of Canterbury was also particularly attractive as it is rich with history such as the Cathedral and Roman walls, whilst also having lots of venues catered towards student life such as bars, shops and restaurants (some also offer student discount).
“The campus itself is really easy to manoeuvre and is situated on a hill with brilliant views of the city!”
How is your course going?
I am in my third year currently studying Anthropology and still loving it. I really enjoy my course and could not have found something better to align with my interests.
“Due to this, I have found that I am thriving and really engaging with lectures and reading material”
I have also engaged with organisations outside the University, as I have used skills I have developed through my course to help the organisations out.
How would you describe your lecturers? What do you think about the level of support in your studies?
All of my lecturers have been very knowledgeable and hospitable, often being happy to share their knowledge and help me make connections with people when I became interested in the topics outside of the taught module content. Despite the pandemic, my lecturers are still doing their best to make their modules engaging going as far as to change how the module is taught, to improve the experience, whilst still providing a safe environment for us to learn.
Which modules have you enjoyed the most, and why?
My favourite modules have been Human Osteology and Primate Behaviour & Ecology. Human Osteology was a surreal experience as it allowed me to get hands-on with real medieval skeletons within the laboratory. Due to the history of Canterbury, a lot of the bones in the collection come from the local area. The module gave me practical bone identification skills which helped me develop the knowledge to build a biological profile of the individual. Due to my skills, I was able to volunteer at Canterbury Archaeological Society and got to work on cleaning bones from Roman Burials.
“Primate Behaviour & Ecology was probably my favourite module, as I joined Anthropology to study Primates. The module delves deeply into different topics in primatology such as foraging behaviours, tool use and reproduction to much more theoretical topics such as whether primates have any sense of culture.”
What kind of career do you hope to follow when you leave, and why?
I hope to go on to study a masters at Kent before I move on to a career, as my time at Kent has been deeply rewarding and the masters options are really interesting. After Kent, I wish to move onto a field-based job working with the natural environment or working in fields related to human land use.
Any advice to somebody thinking of coming to Kent?
Firstly, I would say to anyone coming to Kent to make the most of it. The time you will have here can ultimately change your life from diving into your chosen subject, to simply meeting new people or trying new sports. I have met some amazing people from around the world who I would never have had the opportunity to meet if I had not come to University and I would have never found a field that I really am passionate about.