Congratulations on gaining a place at Kent – a top 20 UK university.

At Kent, students have done amazing things, from studying in Tokyo for a year to protecting endangered species in Mauritius.

Make sure you graduate from Kent with a great degree plus valuable skills, life-long friends and incredible memories.

Discover some of the amazing opportunities available to you by:

• Exploring the Student Guide
• Following your student tweeter
  • Canterbury – @UKCStudent Twitter, UKC Student Facebook, @UKCStudentLive Instagram and UKCStudent on Snapchat
  • Medway – @UKMStudent Twitter, UKM Student Facebook and @UKMStudent Instagram
• Looking out for the monthly newsletters

Read the University’s alcohol and drugs misuse policies for support services, guidance and more.

UKM Student Natalie shares her advice for this year’s freshers.

Starting university can be a daunting concept. Being away from home for the first time, away from your parents, from your friends, in a new place. But that’s just the fun of it!

You can do and be whoever you want in this new place, and the first step to this is making sure you get involved in all that Welcome Week has to offer.

During Welcome Week make sure you go to you school’s induction events, explore the campus and discover all the societies you can join at the Freshers Fair.

The other side of Welcome Week is the social events and making friends. So here’s my list of things you should pack for freshers.

1 – Face-paint

Whether you use this for a themed night or for a corridor party, face-paint is an absolute must for Welcome Week, and indeed the rest of your university partying career. Looking ahead to the rest of the year, Halloween tends to be a big night, so if you’ve got some leftover, be sure to keep it for that.

2 – Fancy dress

While we’re on the note of nights out, a lot of them involve fancy dress. Whether you want to be a fairy, Harry Potter, or a tiger, come as what you like, but sticking an old school uniform in your bag probably won’t go amiss!

3 – Your favourite pick-me-up

Welcome Week is almost certainly going to involve a few late nights (even if you’re not a night owl). Finding things out and meeting new people is going take it out of you.

If you’ve got a favourite breakfast or pick-me-up to get you going in the morning (or maybe early afternoon) make sure you bring some with you or stock up when you arrive. I can’t even begin to tell you how much bacon and bread I bought during my first year!

4 – A dressing gown

This might seem like a strange recommendation, and if you don’t want to take me up on it, at least make sure you have a hoodie or something comfortable to pull on over your pyjamas when the person upstairs sets off the fire alarm at 4am making toast. You could be outside for a while, and let’s face it, no matter what time of year it is, baby, it’s cold outside!

5 – Photos of friends and family

Photos of friends and family are an important item to have all year round, but especially during the first few weeks. It’s completely natural to feel homesick over the first couple of weeks, but with trinkets from home around you, you’ll hopefully start to feel more comfortable in no time.

So there we go, a few important essentials to bring with you when you move in to your new place. Hopefully these items will make your first few weeks as manageable and hassle free as possible, and you’ll be settled in in no time!

Image credits
Author: Jeremy Keith
Title: Bacon butty
Source: Flickr
Link: https://flic.kr/p/chxbeL
License: CC BY 2.0

Earlier this week the draft timetable was published to students via the Student Guide. We had anticipated having the final version of the timetable ready for Friday 18 September.

Unfortunately, we have been unable to complete the allocation of students to some modules and the Timetabling Office is working with schools this week and next to resolve any outstanding issues before the start of term.

Please continue to go back and check your timetable regularly for updates including other events.

If you do have concerns about your timetable please check the Timetabling Office FAQs or contact your school.

This Welcome by the International Development Office will provide key information and an opportunity to have any specific questions answered (for International and EU students).

The event will start at 10.30 outside the Clock Tower Building, Historic Dockyard.

Following the Welcome Talk and Tour there will be a Welcome Buffet for all new international students in The Commissioners House in the Historic Dockyard.

On Monday 21 September, please come along to the Welcome Talk in The Church Lecture Theatre, Historic Dockyard at the appropriate time for your Academic School/Centre as below: 

11.00        School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research

                   School of Music and Fine Art 

11.45        Kent Business School

                   School of Computing 

12.30        School of Sport and Exercise Sciences

                   Kent Law School

                   Centre for Journalism 

Following the talks there will be a Welcome Lunch for all new students in the Marquee on the Rochester Lawn (next to No. 1 Bistro).

The Employability Fair at Medway is on 14 October, 12.00 – 15.00 in the Pilkington Open Space. We have made some exciting changes from last year’s fair and are pleased to have a larger number of graduate and placement employers attending this year. Attendees include Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Decathalon, Dovetail Games, Halifax, Kent Police, Immediate Media and Rate My Placement to name just a few. There will also be a number of voluntary opportunities available from organisations such as Catch22, Citizens Advice and CXK. Domino’s Pizza will also be there, so don’t forget to look out for free pizza!

For further details on the Employability Fair website.

The KentOne card is your University ID and all students will have received their card at the Sports Centre on arrivals weekend.

Your KentOne card is a quick, easy and safe way to buy food and drink from our award winning catering outlets on both the Canterbury and Medway campuses.

Every time you use it, we give you a 5% discount at the till.

For a list of places you can use your KentOne card, where you will receive your 5% discount, to top up online and frequently asked questions, visit: www.kent.ac.uk/kentonecard

Why use your KentOne card:

• Saves you money – every time you use it, we give you a 5% discount. This is an exclusive offer to KentOne card users.
• Safe and secure – instead of carrying round cash, you can top up your card online and if you lose it, the balance will be transferred over to a replacement card.
• Saves you time – get through the tills more quickly by using your KentOne Card instead of cash, debit or credit card.

How to use your KentOne card 

• First, visitkent.ac.uk/kentonecard to login to your account, using your Kent email address and set up a password.
• You can top up your card as well as review your purchases and check the balance – all on this one secure site.
• Parents / guardians can also have a separate login to top up your card online.
• You can also top up your card at any College Receptions.
• Check your balance by asking at the till in a University catering outlet.
• Paying for items is quick and easy, just hand it over at the till. 

Where to use your KentOne card 

You can claim your 5% discount at 12 different University catering outlets across the Canterbury and Medway campuses.

As well as buying food and drink, your KentOne card, also provides services such as:

• accessing specific areas of the university;
• borrowing books from the Templeman library (Canterbury Campus);
• becoming a member of Kent Sport;
• gaining entry to the exam halls;
• participating in student elections;
• you can use it at Blackwell’s bookshop on the Canterbury Campus to purchase books and stationery items;
• and if you have catering package, this will be added to your KentOne Card.