So, it’s 4 months until you graduate… how can you make the best of the rest of your time and choose from what Kent has to offer before starting the next chapter of your life?
Community and social activities
Get involved in student activities to make friends and learn new things while it’s free
The College and Community Life (CCL) team organise regular weekly events for all students.
From painting and mindfulness to competitions and film screenings, there’s something for everyone to get involved in for free. Take advantage of them while you are still a student – going along to activities like this usually costs money outside of a university setting.
These events are a also great way to connect with like minded peers and check in on your own wellbeing during the intense run up to exam season and graduation in the summer.
Follow @UniKent_CCL on Instagram for a weekly What’s On at the start of each week, or check out the CCL online events calendar to see what suits your schedule.
Don’t miss out on Kent Union’s ‘Give It A Go’
Try something new with Give It A Go. You can try all sorts from sports to crafts to trips off campus and meet new people!
See what’s on and sign up to Kent Union’s events newsletter.
It’s not too late to join a society!
You can still get involved with one of the hundreds of societies Kent Union offers, such as:
- Academic – Whether you study the subject and want to be able to connect with fellow students and study together, or are just interested in finding out more on a topic.
- Campaign, Charity, Community Action – From volunteering to protests, these groups raise awareness, advocate, fundraise and teach new skills such as BSL.
- Culture, Faith and Belief – These groups celebrate the cultures of international countries, as well as practicing and celebrating their faiths together on campus.
- Identity – Celebrating identities within our community at Kent, from LGBTQ+ to Mature students.
- Interests and Media – A varied range of groups with a love of hobbies or music, as well as those interested in various media forms and publishing!
- Performance, Arts and Sport – From dance and theatre to comedy and painting, there’s a society for loads of creative arts, as well as almost 60 different sports societies!
- Politics – Following and campaigning for different political groups and there is a society that organises a model United Nations.
- Wellbeing – Practicing mindfulness and providing support when students are finding times tough.
Advice, support and careers
Kent Union’s Advice Service and Jobshop
Kent Union offer a free, impartial and confidential advice service that can help you get in contact with advisors that can support you with a vast array of topics.
They also run the Jobshop, a service that lists employment opportunities, sends regular newsletters of local job offers, and has employment advisors you can talk to.
Get a head start with employability support from the Careers and Employability Service
The Careers and Employability Service (CES) team offer a range of support to help you secure a job, from helping you write the best CV and doing mock-interviews to regular skills workshops and online skills courses.
They also regularly update lists of local and national jobs, volunteer opportunities and apprenticeships, and even after you graduate, you can still access support from CES for up to three years!
Check out what’s on next on the Careers and Employability Service Events Calendar.
Get support from the Student Support and Wellbeing Team
During these last few months of your degree, there are a lot of emotions as you prepare to let go of your university experience and step into the next chapter – it’s very normal for your mental health can be impacted.
The Student Support and Wellbeing (SSW) team offer free and confidential one to one support for Kent students, signpost other helpful external services to fit individual needs, and also run regular peer support groups and events to help you take a wellbeing break from your studies.
All Kent students also have access to phone or text support from Spectrum Life or online from Togetherall, both accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Study support
Are you using SLAS Resources and Study Plus?
The Student Learning and Advisory Service (SLAS) offer study skills, writing, maths, assignment and revision support to all students through workshops, 1:1 appointments and academic peer mentoring.
These sessions can be very helpful with strengthening your essay and pitch-writing skills in the run up to assessments.
The University also offer a range of Study Plus workshops: single or short-course sessions that can help with both your studying skills as well as strengthening your CV and employability. You can find out more about these sessions on the online booking system under ‘Events’.
Talk to the Library staff…
The Library’s Academic Liaison team offer support for students from specific divisions, advising on literature for referencing and using digital library resources.
They provide training and also create library resources guides for you to use, which is vital when writing dissertations and research projects.
Not sure who your School’s academic liaison is? Find your subject librarian online.
… Or check out e-resources
The LibrarySearch and LibrarySearch Digital services allow you to quickly scan through thousands of books and resources available across the Templeman and Drill Hall libraries, the Special Collections and Archives, the Kent Academic Repository and the libraries of Canterbury and Rochester Cathedrals.
It also shows all E-books and E-Journals that the University has access to, including some Open Access publications from academics and researchers. These tools are might be really helpful for researching and revising in your final months and for exam and assessment season.
#StayOn #StandOut
Considering postgraduate study?
There are weekly events in the Nexus area of Templeman Library for students considering a postgraduate, with a different school focused on each week.
Here you can hear about the exciting Master degrees and work placement opportunities, exclusive scholarships and funding and have a chat to current postgrad students and staff.
You can also find out more about scholarships, funding, postgraduate success stories and watch informative webinars at the #StayOn #StandOut Website.
There’s so much to benefit from – get notified on your mobile!
Follow the Student Services teams on social media to keep track of upcoming events and opportunities:
Written by Emilie Mayne, 3rd year student, 27.02.23
