Kent’s Virtual Postgraduate Open Event takes place next Monday and you will be able to discover more about Kent’s postgraduate programmes in Canterbury, Medway, Brussels or Paris.

Our staff and students will be on hand to any questions and help you discover why Kent is a great place for postgraduate study.

You will hear from the Dean of the Graduate School, get the latest funding information and learn about the discount incentives that are available for current students. You will discover all about our specialist dedicated postgraduate facilities and resources.

The virtual open event will be held on Monday 27 July from 16.00 -18.00.

Book now to reserve your place and to keep updated on everything that will happen on the day.

This week will see a host of celebrations for our students.

We have the July Graduations 2020, Kent Student Awards and virtual events for schools. There are also special events such as celebratory video messages, conferral of degrees and a crowd-sourced poem.

You can find out more information about the Week of Celebrations here.

We are looking for students to get involved and contribute to a crowd-sourced poem. Kent alumnus, former Canterbury Laureate, and Glastonbury Festival poet-in-residence Dan Simpson is creating this special, unique poem for our July graduates of 2020.

If you are interested, then please send him a line or two and from this he will weave together a poem of many contributions. If you are stuck for inspiration, here are some suggested questions to get started:

• Tell us about a memorable moment during your studies.
• What is the main thing you will miss about the University?
• What challenges did you overcome, and who supported you during these challenging months?
• How does it feel to be graduating at this time?
• What are your hopes for the future?
• Give us three words to describe your time at Kent.

Please email your work to congregations@kent.ac.uk by next Wednesday 22 July by 5pm.

The Kent Student WebChat took place last Friday where current students were joined by DVC Education and Student Experience – Richard Reece and other senior staff from across the University.

The subject was ‘What to Expect in September’ where Richard and colleagues shared plans for the new academic year.

There were 150 attendees who had the chance to submit questions in advance and during the WebChat.

You can listen to the recording here.

The Study Plus scheme is part of the Kent Extra range of activities available to University of Kent students. It provides a range of short-term courses and workshops which can improve your employability skills, develop your personal creativity or expand your cultural and academic knowledge.

Free to students registered on an existing Kent programme of study, Study Plus builds your key transferable skills alongside your main subject specialism. It also enhances your student experience through providing a chance to learn new skills alongside your degree.

Study Plus courses are non credit bearing. You will be eligible for Employability Points and if your attendance on a Study Plus course meets the minimum requirement of 66% the course will appear on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR).

It’s amazing the impact that a short Study Plus course can have, some students have used the scheme as a springboard to a career path.

Cassie Barnard took Digital Photography when she was a student at Kent. She is now building her career as a music photographer as a result. Read about her experience of the course and see some of her work.

Study Plus will be undergoing some changes for 2020/21, the details of which have yet to be finalised. If you would like to find out about future courses, please join the mailing list (using your student email).

Paul-Georg Ender and Ben Watson from University of Kent will be taking part in the Kent Digital Accessibility Conference. The event is a collaboration between the University of Kent and Kent County Council.

The event ends this Thursday and the aim is to inform Public Sector organisations about digital accessibility, inclusion and the impact of the regulations.

Paul-Georg and Ben will be discussing the student journey. This will include Paul-Georg speaking from the perspective of a visually impaired student in relation to primary, secondary and higher education both in his native Germany and in the UK, whilst Ben will talk about the work that the University of Kent is doing to map and improve the accessibility of the overall student journey.

The session takes place on Thursday 11^th June between 15:30 – 16:30.

Are you wondering what to do after your degree? How about a part time Msc? The Centre for Professional Practice offers flexible, part-time work-related Postgraduate degrees. Teaching is structured around a series of extended taught weekends between Friday to Sunday from 9.00 to 17.00. The duration will be an average of four weekends a year at our Medway campus.

You will be working with a team who have a wealth of knowledge and experience in #professional development courses. This will enable them to support you and help you realise your potential in working life.

These are the courses on offer:

Advanced and Specialist Healthcare – PCert, MSc

The PCert and MSc in Advanced and Specialist Healthcare is a flexible, part-time, multi-professional programme.

Advanced and Specialist Healthcare (Advanced Dental Clinical Practice) – MSc

The MSc Advanced and Specialist Healthcare Articulated Pathway (Advanced Dental Clinical Practice) is a part-time Master’s-level programme studied over 18 months.

Advanced and Specialist Healthcare (Applied Dental Professional Practice) – MSc

This part-time, flexible, multi-professional Master’s-level qualification is suitable for all dental care professionals and offers opportunities for Accreditation of Prior Experiential and /or Certificated Learning or Credit Transfer.

Professional Practice – MA, MSc

MA/MSc Professional Practice programme is a part-time, work-related learning programme designed for participants from private, public and third sector settings.

Professional Practice (Teaching and Learning) – MSc

Professional Practice (Teaching and Learning) MSc is a part-time, work-based programme for qualified teachers who want to develop and enhance their working practice at Master’s level.

Watch our academics talking about the MSc Professional Practice programme:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzG_43JTrGk&feature=youtu.be

Find out more and apply.

Pic by Elaine Potter.

Now that the stress of your end of year assessments are over, it is time to relax and enjoy your summer. However, sometimes change can be overwhelming especially in these challenging times so here are some ways for you to manage your anxiety and fears during the upcoming period.

Identify your triggers

The first thing to do to manage your anxiety is to identify what triggers them.

Work out

Some exercise can help to clear your mind. We highly recommend doing 15 minutes of yoga each day to keep you nice and relaxed.

Breathing

Controlled breathing can gives you feelings of calm and relaxation and most breathing techniques can be used just about anywhere.

Write down your thoughts

Writing down what is making you anxious is a great way to ease your anxiety. 

Listen to a podcast

There is a podcast that serves every need and purpose; so whether you are interested in popular culture, sport, music, interviews with personalities, you will find a podcast that is perfect for you.

Big White Wall

Don’t forget Big White Wall which is a Care Quality Commission registered service recognised nationally through awards by the NHS and is a safe environment overseen by qualified therapists called Wall Guides.

Wherever you are located, you can access free, 24/7 online support for issues around mental health and wellbeing. The Big White Wall (BWW) is a Care Quality Commission registered service recognised nationally through awards by the NHS and is a safe environment overseen by qualified therapists called Wall Guides.

Student Support Appointments

The Student Support and Wellbeing continue to operate remotely and have capacity to offer online appointments. They can support students with a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD) such as Dyslexia; discuss academic adjustments for people with temporary or permanent disabilities or chronic conditions; support autistic students, and offer support for anyone at Kent experiencing distress arising from psychological, emotional or mental healthissues.

If you’d like to make an appointment with an adviser, please email us at wellbeing@kent.ac.uk, giving us some information about the help you seek and your availability for online appointments. 

Their counselling team can also offer you a safe space to address issues concerning you which aren’t related to academic life, and can help get thoughts, feelings, behaviour and perspective back in balance again.  If you’d like to explore remote counselling at this time, please email counselling@kent.ac.uk.

They also have a number of support groups running via Zoom you may be interested to join:

Student Support Online Groups

Wellbeing Cafe

All welcome to share common experiences & ideas to stay well & connected. 

Mondays from 15:30 – 16:30. 

Email wellbeingevents@kent.ac.uk for more information and a Zoom link with ‘Wellbeing Cafe’ in the subject title

International Wellbeing Group

Peer support and social activities for any international student who wishes to join.

Thursdays from 14:00 to 15:30.

Email wellbeingevents@kent.ac.uk for more information and a Zoom link with ‘International Wellbeing Group’ in the subject title

Autism peer support

Peer support and social activities for any autistic student who wishes to join.

Wednesdays from 16:00 to 17:30. 

Email autismsupport@kent.ac.uk for more information and a Zoom link with ‘Autism Peer Support Group’ in the subject title

Mindfulness

Guided mindfulness meditation, no previous experience necessary.

Wednesdays 13:10 to 13:50 and 17:10 to 17:50. 

Email mindfulness@kent.ac.uk for more information and a Zoom link with ‘Student Mindfulness’ in the subject title.

You can also access any of the self-help resources which are listed on our webpages. 

Careers and Employability are working with the NBA on a series of online workshops that cover careers in a variety of industries.

Careers and the Sports Industry – 29 May at 10:00

From advice on finding your first job, shaping your career, useful resources, tips and tricks, this online webinar will provide insight into the sports industry. The session will be led by UKC alumni, Matt Kramer and now Global Partnerships Manager at the NBA. He will be joined by his colleagues, Steve Nuss, Global Partnerships Manager and Vanja Cernivec, Senior Manager, Basketball Operations. There will be time to ask questions afterwards.

NBA – Leadership and Management – 5 June at 10:00

What is it like to work for a company that leads its field – what are the expectations?  What makes an inspirational leader and what is it like to follow one? How do we lead as individuals from within a team?  What is leadership in sport?  How do you work with/for a manager?  How do you become a good manager?

All these topics will be covered by UKC alumni, Matt Kramer, who is now Global Partnerships Manager at the NBA and his colleague Duy Nguyen, Director, Global Partnerships during an online webinar.

NBA – Working in a dynamic environment and managing change – 12 June at 10:00

What does it take to thrive in a positive and dynamic working environment? How do you take care of yourself and colleagues? How do events like Covid-19 impact the working world?

Join UKC alumni Matt Kramer, Global Partnerships Manager at the NBA and his colleague Sarah Mathers, Senior Director, Security for an online webinar with a Q&A afterwards.