We caught up with BA (Hons) Classical and Archaeological Studies student, Martha, to find out more about her time and experience at Kent.
What has been your favourite module so far, and why?
Either the Fieldwork Practice module because it gave me my first taste of practical archaeology which has definitely sold archaeology to me! Or The Crisis of the Late Republic because it’s been a fun overview of Roman history and we had assignments that weren’t essays which gave me a creative way to explore topics I wanted to look at (this module and the 2nd year equivalent also got me really interested in Roman coins). Although I have enjoyed all the modules.
What made you decide to study your course at University of Kent?
I took Classical Civilisations as an A level and I enjoyed it, and thought it was the only thing I was interested in that I would be good at in uni, but I underestimated just how much I’d fall in love with the subject!
When you were able to be on campus, where did you spend most of your time?
Either the library or in the archaeology lab.
Are you a part of any sports or societies? And if so, what’s been your experience? Would you recommend them to fellow/new students and why?
I’ve been a part of the Kent Classics and Archaeology Society, it’s been brilliant and in previous years it was great to go on trips to relevant places with people just as interested in the ancient history as me.
During the lockdown, how have you been keeping social and catching up with friends?
I’ve made a Teams meeting with my friends nearly every day – the idea being that we hop onto Teams and chat like we would if we were in the library.
During lockdown, have societies been hosting any socials you have loved? Have you discovered any online events worth sharing?
KCAS did a few online events last term which I didn’t manage to get along to much but the ones I went to were great – like a Kahoot quiz was lovely. I’ve mostly been joining CLAS public lectures online and I also joined a public lecture the other day hosted by Maidstone Museum which I’d recommend to anyone who likes archaeology.
What’s your favourite thing about the campus?
The library, since that’s one of the places I’m mostly in and there’s a lovely view across the city if you’re in the right space.
What’s your favourite bar/café/restaurant in town or on campus?
In town it would be the Chocolate café as it’s a sweet place and has a place for students to study at the same time.
What would you recommend to a new first year student studying your course that would really help them?
Go along to public lectures and interact with the speakers because you’ll learn so much extra outside your classes. Also, if you’re wanting to get into archaeology, make a point of volunteering with Kent Archaeological Society (KAS) or Canterbury Archaeological Trust (CAS) in your first or second year, you’ll generally have more time to do that in those years (depending how much you take on) and it’ll help you gain contacts to get opportunities outside the uni. Also, if you’re studying one of the classical languages and you feel like you’re struggling, say to your lecturer – they’re all so lovely and they’ll really help you out but you need to take the initiative to say you just need them to go over something with you.
What would you recommend a first year student moving to Kent try out?
Get on a dig through the uni, just to see if you like it – not a big deal if you don’t but a lot of people come away enjoying it more than they thought they would.
Are there any books / podcasts / film / online magazines that would be helpful for a new student, or fellow students, studying your course?
Archaeologia Cantiana (by KAS) is full of useful archaeological information from Kent, it’s not necessarily something you want to dive into and read for fun but if you’re looking up a specific thing either for fun or for class the KAS is a good place to start. Also, definitely listen to the BBC’s ‘In Our Time’ podcast; they have different themes from different periods and cultures which can be great either as a cool new topic to hear about or to give you more background to things covered in lectures or seminars.