Abbie Shortland joined Kent in 2019 and graduates this summer. She looks back at how her choice to study Anthropology was a pivotal step in discovering who she was, and wanted to be and helped her to explore future career possibilities.
‘Coming into first year I was very excited by the prospect of studying anthropology, as before attending an open day at university of Kent I had no idea what ‘anthropology’ even meant, let alone thought of it as a discipline you could take at university. Yet, stumbling into a taster session given by Dr Brandon Wheeler turned out to be the best spontaneous decision I had ever made.
It wasn’t until the first term of my studies that I realised how broad and extensive the discipline was and how many different pathways you could take within the field. Throughout my four years at Kent, my interests in the different fields of the discipline developed and evolved through each module I had taken, from initial interests in primatology, to palaeoanthropology, through to human osteology, and finally forensic anthropology- studying here let me explore my interests in depth as well as allow me to delve deeper into the world of biological anthropology and where this could take me in future.
Studying at the School of anthropology and conservation (SAC) naturally presented a multitude of career opportunities as well as experiences which could boost my employability. With help from the career services, as well as an interest to expand my language skill set during COVID, I had decided to extend my studies by adding a year learning Italian through the ‘year in’ programme, available to all students at the university. Having this skill under my belt, would qualify me to travel to Italy and teach English as an EFL teacher before continuing on with my career prospects within Forensic Anthropology.
Alongside my studies I had started working as a student ambassador where I would work closely with my lecturers and academic staff to help promote the course and department on open days. Through my enthusiasm and dedication to my course, opportuntiites to work more closely with the university naturally presented themselves and one of these has been working within the human social sciences (HSS) marketing, communications and outreach team as an events and marketing and digital assistant. I have worked closely with the team to support amazing events such as the Kent Mental Health Summit, a televised politics panel event, as well as outreach opportunities for local schools- all fantastic opportunities to showcase my love and passion for both the university and my degree.
Without studying anthropology at the University of Kent, I would not have unlocked my love for my degree. Specifically, my interests in forensic anthropology and osteology, as well as my continuously developing interests in traveling the world to teach English and the possibility of starting a career in marketing.
Though I would love to continue with my academic journey through studying an MSc in Forensic Anthropology and osteology, the opportunities presented to me during my time at University has widened the range of job possibilities. Without the skills I had gained from both my degree and work experience throughout my time at Kent, I would not have been able to freely explore possible career paths in both EFL teaching and Marketing.’
Abbie has been studying for a BSc (Hons) Biological Anthropology with a year in Languages (Italian) which is now being offered as a BSC (Hons) in Human Biology and Behaviour. We also offer a BSc (Hons) in Anthropolgy, both with the option to study for a ‘Year In’ whether that is placement, abroad or a language.