Category Archives: Finalists

Preparing for resits

Hi, I’m Tim from the Student Learning Advisory Service, here with a few hints and tips as you prepare to resit one or more of your exams.

Firstly, stay motivated. The satisfaction of successfully passing your exams awaits you, so stay highly-focussed on reaching this important goal over the coming weeks. Free up as much time as you can to ensure success, perhaps by rescheduling some less important activities.

Consider any feedback that you may have received on your previous exams. What does it indicate that you need to improve for your resit? Perhaps you need to improve your depth of knowledge around a particular topic, or ensure that you include more key ingredients in your answers. Identify and use feedback to help you steer your preparation.

Reflect on how you managed the previous exam. Perhaps it was not lack of knowledge that let you down, but your exam technique. Perhaps you lost track of time so that you failed to complete the exam paper, or forgot to plan your answers before writing and lost your way halfway through them. Identify and note down any potential improvements to your exam technique that you can make, and practise them before your resit.

Plan your time so that you use it as efficiently as possible between now and your resit. Having identified gaps in your knowledge or aspects of your exam technique that require improvement, draw up a schedule on a time planner that will enable you to address all these issues in time for your exam. Break each day into one- or two-hour chunks of study time, each allocated to an achievable goal – be that revising from your notes on a specific topic, practising writing an essay under timed conditions, or committing important facts, formulas or theories to memory.

Remember that your exam is a performance. While you’ll want to work very hard between now and your resit to achieve the best possible result, you will need to stay fit and well at the same time. Establish a routine that balances your revision with enough sleep, regular breaks, good food and fresh air to keep you in excellent shape for your exam.

Finally, consider a 1-1 with an advisor from the Student Learning Advisory Service, to discuss revision skills, essay writing, exam techniques or any related topics before you resit your exam. You can book an appointment via the Student Learning Advisory Service website, where you will also find printable time planners to help you plot your course to success.

Good luck with your resit.

Returning your library books

As we move closer to the end of the academic year, we’d like to encourage you to return your library books to the Templeman Library.

Please take any opportunity when you’re visiting campus to return books you no longer need, especially if you’re a final year student and are leaving Kent this year, or are going to be away from campus over the summer. Books you have borrowed can still be reserved by other people during the vacation.

Your options for returning books

If you’re on the Canterbury campus, use the book returns drop off point in the Welcome Hall or the external book drop on Library Road.
If you live in the Medway area, you can return Templeman Library books to the Drill Hall Library at the Universities of Medway campus.
Posting books: depending on weight and volume, you could consider breaking up a large parcel into smaller ones. Courier services might be cheaper than Royal Mail and pick up the parcel from you. Whatever method you use, please make sure you get a receipt.

Our postal address is:

Book Returns,
Templeman Library,
University of Kent,
Canterbury, Kent,
CT2 7NU

If you’re unable to return your books by any of these methods, please get in touch with the Library and we’ll work out a solution with you.

Contact the Library Team

Please contact us if you need any help or advice around returning books or any other library or IT query. Our staff are here to help you:

Cost of living support during exams

Earlier this year, Kent Union, along with the University and The Food Foundation carried out a Cost of Living Survey across the Canterbury and Medway campuses for a second year. The survey results highlight areas where we need to improve.

During exams especially, you don’t want money worries to negatively affect your studies. Here are some ways you can get support at Kent, so you can fulfil your potential this exam season:

Nutrition

We know that food insecurity is a growing issue on university campuses across the country. Kent Union’s Campus Pantry in Mandela Student Centre offers short-term support to students who find themselves in need of supplemental food. The first time you visit there are no questions asked, you just need to show your student ID and then you can choose some food items.

It’s important to be well fueled for exams. Some affordable food options on campus include the £3 Meal Deals, or you can bring in leftovers and heat them up in a microwave on campus. At Medway, you can also join a free community breakfast at The Hub on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Plus, don’t forget to hydrate. See places where you can refill your water bottle rather than buying a new one.

Free sanitary products

From the Cost of Living Survey results, we know that some students are spending less on sanitary products because they are worried about money. Sanitary products are not a luxury. On exam days, you can ask an exam invigilator who will give you a free sanitary product.

You can also find free sanitary products in the Mandela Student Centre reception at Canterbury and The Hub toilets at Medway campus year-round.

Travelling to exams

Check out travel discounts for getting to campus, including reduced bus tickets for Stagecoach and Arriva buses, as well as the 16-25 rail card (which is also available to full-time students who are 25+) where you save a third on your off-peak train travel. Please note, there is a planned train strike on Tuesday 7 May, so if you have an exam on this day, you should arrange alternative travel.

Is your technology playing up?

If you are having trouble with your laptop, you can borrow one from Templeman or Drill Hall Library for free so you can continue with your revision and other work.

Staying active

Exercise can be a great way to de-stress during exam season. If you are in your first year or live on campus, you have access to free Premium membership in Canterbury, or Premier Medway Park membership at Medway campus.

Even if you are not living on campus, we have different gym membership options for every budget at Kent Sport. There’s a monthly gym membership and the free Pay to Play membership where you just pay when you visit the gym facilities for £5 per session, or take part in an ALL Active sport or fitness class for just £2 per session.

See all gym membership options this summer.

Our cost of living website has more support including specific hardship funding available.

Train Strikes During Exams

Please be aware of planned train strikes if you usually travel to campus by train. Currently industrial strike action is scheduled on Southeastern Trains for the first day of exams, Tuesday 7 May. We recognise the impact this may have on your studies and are here to support you. The Southeastern Trains website has further details and helpful information.

If you have an in-person exam on a train strike day, please make every effort to make alternative travel arrangements as these exams cannot be rescheduled and it is in your best interests to complete your exams as scheduled. Our Campus Travel updates webpage can help you plan an alternative journey.

Bed and Flex in student accommodation on campus is available to book throughout the exam period for any student wanting to take advantage of this you can find booking details here.

Travel disruption in itself is not normally a reason for mitigation (see Credit Framework for details). However, if your circumstances mean that alternative arrangements to attend your in-person exam on Tuesday 7 May are not possible, you can apply for an End Of Year Mitigation through the Extenuating Circumstances portal in Kent Vision. You will need to detail your normal travel arrangements and how you are impacted by train strike action in your request.

For all other exams related matters, please follow the usual exams guidance.

Time is running out to have your say

Time is running out for final year undergraduates to complete the National Student Survey (NSS) and have your say on what you liked or didn’t like about studying at Kent.

Fill in the NSS now

The NSS: what you need to know
Kent Union President Zaid shares why you should fill in the NSS and why we want your feedback. Watch the video now.

🎓 NSS is mainly open to final year undergraduates.

📣The University and Kent Union value your feedback and the NSS is one of the most powerful ways to have your say.

🔒The survey is completely anonymous and confidential. It is run by Ipsos, an independent research agency.

📧Ipsos will continue to email, text and call you until you complete it.

🕕The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete. However, please take the time to consider your answers and reflect on your whole experience at Kent.

Upcoming Moodle Outage on 25 April

Moodle will be undergoing scheduled maintenance on Thursday 25 April from 07:00 – 17:00, and will be unavailable during this time. Although inconvenient, this maintenance is essential to ensure a high-quality virtual learning environment and cannot be rescheduled. Therefore, we kindly request you to download any materials you might need for that day in advance from your Moodle modules.

Lecture Recordings Access: Although Moodle will be unavailable, you can still access all your lecture recordings directly via Kent Player. We encourage you to use this resource to catch up on or review past lectures.

Service is expected to resume fully by 17:00 on 25 April. Sorry for any inconvenience this causes. Please contact IT & Library Support for support and advice regarding this Moodle outage.

Contact IT & Library Support

helpdesk@kent.ac.uk
01227 824888
Visit us: Block D, Ground Floor, Templeman Library

Preparing for final year exams

Exams can take many shapes and forms, but one thing they all have in common is that they make a lot of people anxious. Fear of the unknown, poor preparation, lack of confidence in your abilities in the exam room are all causes of stress. The Student Learning Advisory Service (SLAS) has produced guidance including SkillsBuilder videos around exams that will help you manage those anxieties.

It’s a good idea to start your revision as early as possible. Here are a few other stress-busting tips:

Eliminate the unknown: Find out about the exams you are taking, when, where and how will they take place, and what modules and topics they will cover. If you are unclear, ask your module convenor for more information. You’ll feel better for knowing, and be able to organise your revision effectively.

Plan your revision: Work out which modules and topics you need to revise most. Using a calendar or term-planner, create a revision schedule so that you revise each topic efficiently in time for the relevant exam.

Test and practise: As you revise, test yourself to see what you know and what you still need to remember. Sitting an exam is a form of performance, so rehearse, by practising answering questions under timed conditions using past papers.

SLAS can offer advice on these and many other aspects of exams – just book an appointment with one of our advisers.

There are also plenty of events to help you get exam ready. And keep an eye out for any subject specific exam guidance events from your School.

See our exams webpages for full information including FAQs, events and support.

Staying on for a Master’s at Kent?

Here at the Kent, we understand your passion to progress. Whether you’re wanting to advance your skills or develop your knowledge further, let us help you reach your full potential. Become a critical, creative and strategic thinker with high-level research, planning and communication skills – exactly the attributes all employers look for.

If you’re a final year undergrad considering staying on for postgraduate study, do make sure to check out the following:

Different courses that Kent offers – full time, part time, short courses or conversion courses for those looking for a different route altogether
Funding and scholarships that are available to you, with scholarships that could take off up to £5,000 off your tuition fees, you don’t want to miss out applying.
Kent are hosting a series of events throughout Feb – May, including Postgraduate Open Events, Drop-in chat sessions at Nexus and subject specific talks. Do register or attend to find out more about specific course details.
The extensive employment opportunities that include work placements, career support, networking and 1-2-1 coaching.

Find out more about the benefits of staying at Kent, hear from student who decided to stay on for a Master’s and sign up to register for updates on our website.

Lead Kent nominations: find out more about the roles

Be a part of something big at Kent Union and nominate yourself to Lead Kent. This is all about students working for students to make their university experience the best it can be as an Elected Full-time Officer.

Based in the Mandela Students’ Centre, the Officer team liaises with leaders in the university and higher education across the UK and Europe to make sure that student voices are being heard.

These are full-time, paid positions. You do not need to be a final-year student to run, you can interrupt your studies. Nominations close on the 21 February at midday.

Officer role descriptions

Students’ Union President

Promotes, extends and defends all student rights.
Acts as the lead student voice to Kent Union and the university.
Leads the Officer team.
Leads on campaigns to improve overall student experience.

See Students’ Union President full role description.

Vice-President Postgraduate & International Experience

Leads on issues of PG and international accommodation, wellbeing, education, training and employment.
Leads on supporting European satellite campuses and internalisation work.

See VP Postgraduate and International Experience full role description.

Vice-President Welfare & Community

Represents students on all welfare matters.
Leads on student housing, well-being and EDI, as well as environmental and sustainability work.
Works with liberation networks.

See VP Welfare and Community full role description.

Vice-President Student Engagement

Leads on sports, societies and volunteering groups.
Leads on employability and alumni engagement.
Represents students on all co-curricular activities.
Supports all student groups and runs campaigns.

See VP Student Engagement full role description.

Vice-President Academic Experience

Represents students on all UG education matters.
Supports and empowers academic communities, including societies and student reps.
Leads on the Kent Union education strategy.

See VP Academic Experience full role description.

You’ll be part of a dedicated team

Being an Officer is great fun and incredibly fulfilling but it’s also a lot of hard work.

There are a host of career staff working behind the scenes supporting the Officer team to help on their campaigns, and work towards making their goals a reality. We also offer training sessions and continued growth and development throughout each Officer’s term.

Nominate yourself to Lead Kent.

Find out more on Kent Union’s Lead Kent webpage.

Exams: Religious Observation request deadline Fri 2 Feb

Some religious days or festivals will fall during the May/June exam period and we understand that students may wish to observe these. We will therefore make every effort to avoid timetabling exams or assessments on such dates where a religious observation request has been made ahead of the deadline.

The deadline for submitting a religious observation request for the 2024 exam period is Friday 2 February 2024. Find the request form and further information on Religious Observations here.