Kent MSc Development Economics students, Gladness and Rebecca, studied abroad in Bangladesh. Hear what they had to say about their time studying abroad…

Gladness said:

“I embarked on a journey to Bangladesh for my MSc Development Economics dissertation, I did not plan for it initially. However, the opportunity presented itself, and I grabbed it. I felt like I needed a change of scenery to concentrate on my dissertation without distractions for four weeks. Additionally, my love for travel, exploring new places, and meeting new people influenced my decision.

“I studied the Effectiveness of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Program, specifically the Coastal Climate Resilience Infrastructure Programme (CCRIP), on Food Security in Bangladesh. I received fantastic guidance, a lot of assistance, and plenty of attention during my research. The team at BRAC University was incredibly supportive, aiding me in tasks such as data collection and arranging transportation. Their help significantly improved the entire research process.

“During this experience, I gained valuable insights into Bangladesh’s geography, particularly in the coastal areas where my research was focused. Concepts like Regions, Districts, and Upazilas became familiar, with Upazila being a new term for me. Immersing myself in the culture, I appreciated the local food and clothing, savouring the unique herbs and spices in their meals. The religious influence in an Islam-dominated country like Bangladesh was a captivating experience, with the city resonating with prayers every few hours.

“The hands-on experience at BRAC University was instrumental in my academic growth. Guided by a supportive supervisor, I learned the intricacies of empirical studies, including sourcing and cleaning raw datasets. The collaborative efforts of the supervisor and co-workers were crucial in overcoming challenges in data cleaning and processing. As a result, my dissertation earned the highest mark, igniting a newfound passion for research and a desire to explore further opportunities.

“Reflecting on this experience, I wholeheartedly recommend it to other students, especially those eager to explore new places. Being away from the familiar environment allowed me to focus solely on my dissertation, eliminating the distractions of daily routines. Despite occasional challenges like the monotony of daily rice consumption and language barriers, the hosting team’s unwavering commitment to our comfort and the friendly nature of the people in Dhaka made the experience enriching.”

Rebecca shared:

“Bangladesh was the perfect study abroad location for me and my research. My research project explored remittance and household expenditure behaviour, drawing a comparison between Bangladesh and Uganda. Bangladesh’s unique position as one of the top receivers of global remittances made it an ideal location to study how these financial transfers impact the daily lives of Bangladeshi families.

“The trip helped me understand the Bangladesh dataset better before starting the econometric analysis. Being on the ground provided me with a broader cultural understanding and helped interpret the data more accurately. I also gained valuable insights into the social, economic, and political context in Bangladesh.

“My time in Bangladesh provided me with a profound appreciation for the rich tapestry of Bangladeshi culture, the warm hospitality and resilience of its people.

“This experience honed my intercultural communication skills and deepened my understanding of global issues. I cannot stress enough the importance of such immersive experiences for personal and professional growth.

“I wholeheartedly recommend this opportunity to fellow students. It’s not solely about conducting research and acquiring knowledge; it’s also about broadening your horizons, fostering empathy, and forging lasting memories.

“To those considering this adventure, I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone, seize the opportunity with an open heart and eagerness to learn, and you’ll return enriched in more ways than you can imagine.”

For Economics students interested in this amazing opportunity in Bangladesh please email A.Gschwandtner@kent.ac.uk

See Go Abroad opportunities and funding for the full range of international opportunities available to all Kent students.

This month’s Kent Stars are Kent Community Oasis Garden Ambassadors Charlie and Ameira. They help mentor students, host events and promote the garden on social media, all with the aim to make the space as welcoming and friendly as possible. Hear from Charlie and Ameira:

Charlie – “Hi, I’m Charlie (he/they)! I’m a third year Politics student. When I’m not studying, I spend all the time I can at the community garden or cooking nice warm meals with the vegetables we harvest.”

Ameira – “Hi!! I’m Ameira (she/her) and I’m a third year English Literature student!! All my friends know not to bother me on Wednesdays or Fridays because I will be at the garden and I spend the rest of my free time with friends, reading or playing board games.”

Tell us about the Kent Community Oasis Garden and what you get up to as a KentCOG Ambassador.

Both – “KentCOG is a partnership project between the University of Kent and East Kent Mind, a mental health charity. It’s a lovely space for students, staff, and community members to learn and practice sustainable gardening, and socialise. We thrive to create a space that’s open and respectful of everyone, and also the natural habitats and biodiversity on site. We want this space to not only be about gardening but also about connecting and enjoying yourself with nature.

Even in winter, there’s always things to do in the garden, both outside and inside. There’s usually plants to care for, bulb planting, maintenance to do around the garden (weeding, bark chipping, dead hedging, etc) arts and crafts activities, and we start planting seeds in February. 

As student ambassadors, we aim to participate in making this space welcoming for our fellow students, as well as work on social media outreach and represent the student volunteers in management meetings. We want to make sure each student feels safe and heard at the garden!”

What advice would you give to other students?

Both – “Make time for yourself to spend time around nature! It’s so beneficial for your mental health. We really recommend coming to the garden, even for just a little bit of time. There’s always a variety of activities to do, from planting to harvesting to more hands-on garden management. It’s also a great opportunity to socialise if you want to. If you don’t know anything about gardening, don’t let that stop you! There’s always time to learn any skill from scratch.”

What are your plans for the next year?

Ameira – “I’m still at the stage where I’m trying to figure myself out but I’m most likely staying in academia for a little while longer to pursue a master’s degree! Feeling very sad that I won’t be around KentCOG but I’m always going to find time to come down even after I graduate from Kent.”

Charlie – “I’m a bi-diplome student between Kent and Sciences Po Lille, a university in France, so I’m leaving Kent at the end of the year. I hope to restart an abandoned garden project in the school building’s yard to keep the passion going!”

The Kent Community Oasis Garden is located near the end of Park Wood at our Canterbury campus. KentCOG is open on Wednesdays and Fridays 10:00-14:00. Students, staff and the local community are invited to attend these open gardening sessions, no experience necessary.

Do you know an inspirational student or student group? Let us know.

Learn more about the Kent Stars campaign.

It’s the final week of the Autumn Term! Find out what’s on as we wind down the end of the year.

Monday 11 December: Support session and Cathedral Carol Service

Student Support and Wellbeing (SSW) are running a support session for students affected by the recent terrorist attacks in Israel and ongoing war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. This is a drop-in session taking place from 13:00-14:00 on Monday, upstairs in Locke Building near the Coop, staffed by a mental health adviser and counsellor from SSW. All students are welcome.

On Monday evening, it’s the University of Kent Christmas Carol service at Canterbury Cathedral, a magical evening featuring the University Chamber Choir and Kent Gospel Choir. Tickets are now sold out, so make sure to attend if you were lucky enough to get one!

Wednesday 13 December: Create a winter garland and Student Life from a Deaf Perspective talk

Create a sustainable winter garland at the Kent Community Oasis Garden. The Gear up to Grow sessions provide core gardening and nature-based skills, centred on understanding the sustainability challenges our world is facing.

As part of Disability History Month, deaf influencer and content creator Kirsty Jade will be sharing her experience of university life and what she wishes hearing people knew about Deaf culture and British Sign Language. Kirsty’s talk will take place in Keynes Lecture Theatre and on zoom 17:00-18:00.

Thursday: Finding a part-time job and Crimbo Queen at K Bar

Thinking about finding a part time role? Come along to this session to find out what steps you can take to secure a part time role. There’s also an online CV and Cover letter session including recommended structures as well as hints and tips.

K-Bar and UKC LGBTQ+ Society are thrilled to bring you Crimbo Queen – a fabulously festive Christmas party designed especially for Kent’s LGBTQ+ community, and those who just want to dance the night away.

Friday: Term End Stress Buster (Medway)

As term finishes, you can head to PK107 in Pilkington for an evening of karaoke and sing-along sessions to help you unwind. This is a laid back evening, organised by the students’ unions at Medway.

Winter break events

Staying on campus over the winter break? Check out the winter break webpages for events and support.

Like many of you, I have been extremely concerned by the resumption of airstrikes and violence in Gaza following the moment of hope offered by the recent ceasefire. The impact on those living there is frankly unimaginable, and the pain and worry for those in our community with friends and family in the Middle East must be incredibly hard.  

In recent weeks I have continued to meet regularly with students and staff affected by events in Gaza. As well as being humbling, I am also grateful to those who have shared thoughts on what we could be doing better to support our community. Several actions are being put in place as a result of this, including work to provide spaces where people can come together for support and discussion, improved signposting of help at the University and clear academic mitigation for people affected by the ongoing crisis. I know students have been putting huge efforts into fundraising for the victims of the current conflict which we are also looking to support.  

More broadly, as we have said throughout, I continue to join calls for lasting peace in the region. Violence is never the answer and the continued impact on innocent civilians since the war began is horrifying; it is imperative that continued aid gets into Gaza and that the full release of remaining hostages is supported. I also share colleagues’ grave concern at the impact on universities in Gaza – any educational institution under attack is an attack on the furthering of knowledge, understanding and collaboration, which is what will light the path to peaceful and meaningful solutions.  

Alongside this, I want to add clarity to previous updates on how we navigate shared space for different views throughout this. Giving people the space to advocate and promote causes they care about or are expert in is what underlies us as an institution. While we all need to be aware of our impact on others, that does not mean preventing debate – academic freedom is critical to how we work, and being free to criticise the actions of any government, including Israel’s, is a vital part of democracy. What we have tried to do it to ensure everyone is aware of the legal boundaries around this so that we better facilitate discussion. While our commitment to academic freedom provides significant protection for colleagues in expressing their views, direct support for terrorist acts as defined by UK law rightly falls outside of this. This is ultimately a reflection of how anti-terrorism laws are policed in the UK and I have asked colleagues to put together some clearer guidance on this, supported by briefings from Universities UK. 

Similarly I have heard those who felt some previous statements came across as uncaring and didn’t reflect the values we try to be consistent in. We have tried hard to correct this subsequently and to reaffirm that, along with supporting our own community at Kent, we stand with all victims of war, wherever and whoever they are, while encouraging dialogue and peaceful solutions at all times. This approach extends to our investments, where we have a commitment that we don’t invest in arms businesses either directly or through pooled funds.   

I will continue to update on what the University is doing throughout this war and welcome further thoughts from colleagues on what you would like to see more of. Lots of you will need further opportunities to come together, with on-campus events being supported by the University Operations team and Campus Security. This will continue in the weeks ahead, while I know Kent Union are also determined to support students in both their fundraising and solidarity activity. I hope this provides some useful context and please do get in touch if you have thoughts on what else we should be doing.