Category Archives: Hello Kent

Staying active at uni – free gym membership

Join Kent Sport

All first-year students and students living in accommodation booked through the University are given free Kent Sport Premium Plus membership! This means you have access to all the facilities and services at Kent Sport.

Kent Sport operates all the sport and fitness facilities across the Canterbury campus. All students, staff, and members of the public are welcome to become members, with a wide range of benefits including access to:

Air-conditioned, fully-equipped gym with cardio, weights and strength training equipment
Large fitness and dance studio with up to 60 group exercise classes per week, including our LES MILLS Virtual classes
3 multi-purpose sports halls for almost any indoor sport including an NBA standard basketball court
3 full-size, floodlit artificial pitches for football, rugby, lacrosse, hockey and more
4 full-size indoor acrylic tennis courts within the Indoor Tennis and Events Arena
Dedicated boxing area
Social sport and activity programmes including ALL Active and Give It A Go (students and staff only)
Access to the Kent Sports Clinic performance, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation services (discounted rates for members)

You can join Kent Sport with a free Pay to Play membership, simply by creating a new online booking account.

Join a student sports club

Kent Union run more than 60 different sports clubs on campus, with sports ranging from American Football to Ultimate Frisbee, and each club is open to any student regardless of experience. The sports are represented at a range of levels, from recreational to competitive, so there is something for everyone!

View the full list of sports clubs

Sports Scholarship Scheme

The University of Kent offers athletes the opportunity to join the Sports Scholarship Scheme, which provides sport-specific training, advice, guidance, and funding to continue competing while studying. The Sports Scholarship Scheme is delivered by Kent Sport.

Get outdoors

There are lots of green spaces in Kent, so why not take advantage of them? Going for a jog or a walk outside is great for clearing your head after a long day of studying.

If you want to start running, parkrun is a weekly free timed 5km run, jog or walk every Saturday in parks and open spaces. The Canterbury parkrun starts at the Sports Pavilion on Parkwood Road, and the Medway parkrun takes place at Great Lines Heritage Park (Gillingham).

If you’re looking to take in more scenery, then check out Kent Sport’s Active Campus Routes webpage for some popular walking, jogging, and cycling routes across campus and further afield.

Exercise with a friend

It can be daunting to exercise alone in a gym, or to join a sports club by yourself. Exercising with a friend will mean you’re less likely to get bored, and you can motivate each other by planning new and exciting workouts! On those days when you don’t feel like working out, having someone to keep you accountable will mean you’re more likely to stick to your exercise goals.

Cycle or walk to uni

Instead of taking the bus or driving, take advantage of the many cycle paths and footpaths around our campuses. Walking or cycling as part of your commute is a great way of including activity within your daily life – and it’s good for the environment!

Find out more about walking and cycling at Kent

Managing your studies

Good time management and organisation are key to staying on top of your studies. You will need to plan your time and your assignments, maintain a good filing system for all your study materials, and ensure that you keep pace with your course.

Plan your time

Use a time planner

Use a time planner to take control of your time. This will involve organising your studies (lectures, seminars, reading and assignments) along with all other activities and commitments in your life (work, family etc) throughout the year. Try colour coding different activities on your planner to help keep track of them.

Plan each assignment

Start each assignment as early as possible. Working backwards from the deadline, consider the stages of work needed to complete each one and estimate how long you have to dedicate to each, then plot them on your time planner. Complete each stage of work on time to avoid last minute panics and to meet your deadlines. For a sample of stages in one type of assignment, see managing your essay.

Set achievable goals and prioritise tasks

Divide individual days into bitesize chunks of time and allocate an achievable task to each session e.g. 9-11am – Read/make notes on Journal article x; 11-12am – Draw up essay plan for assignment y; 12-1pm – Proof-read report z… etc. This will keep you focussed and productive, and ensure constant progress.

Consider which tasks are both important and urgent – e.g. Proof-read and submit assignment x – and prioritise these on your daily schedule.

Set up a filing system

Group, organise and store information and work in a logical order

Think about where and how you will group, organise and store course information, handouts, research and your notes so you can find them easily e.g. ‘Module X: Topic A/B/C/D’ or ‘Assignment Y: Research/Notes/Drafts’.
Number assignment drafts (essays, project reports etc) to keep track of the most recent version.
Use ring binders with labelled dividers, computer folders/files or a mixture both to stay organised and save time.

Back-up work regularly on your computer to avoid any risk of losing it

Keep on top of your work

Be pro-active

If you find yourself falling behind with your studies don’t ignore it, reflect on the reasons, consider solutions and take action – action can even be seeking advice if you are struggling or not sure of what you are doing

Seek help in plenty of time if you need it

Ask your lecturer or seek advice from relevant university services which may include:

Resources

For more information on all topics mentioned above and more visit the Student Learning Advisory Service – University of Kent (SLAS) we also offer appointments and workshops.

What to pack?

‘Don’t over pack!’ is one of the most common responses whenever we ask students for the advice they would give for those about to arrive on campus for the first time.

It can be tricky to know what you might need and what you should bring with you, so this is definitely a decision that shouldn’t be based on ‘what more can I cram into the car/suitcase?’ So with this in mind, listen to the voice of experience as our students and staff share their top tips so you can save yourself the pain of trying to squeeze in a second food dehydrator…

Aleena, Psychology student and Liane, English Language and Linguistics student – ‘make a packing list’

Aleena: ‘Making a list would be useful, as I found I missed out [packing] a lot of essentials and had to spend money buying things I already had at home.’ Fortunately, we have a packing list to help get you started but another piece of advice is to ‘pack boxes so items related are put together (e.g. kitchen, bedding, bathroom etc.)’ says Liane ‘this makes unpacking quicker and easier’.

Laura, from our Accommodation Team – ‘check what’s already in your room’

‘Know what’s already included [in your room/accommodation] to avoid wasting valuable space by packing duplicates. You can check what is in your Canterbury or Medway bedroom online.’

Omar, Architecture student – ‘don’t forget the essentials but prioritise things you can’t easily buy’

‘Bring your chargers and double check on things that you need to use every day, such as soap, as it’s easy to forget. But don’t worry too much about these as you can literally get them from anywhere, just mainly bring the things that aren’t easily bought or replaced if you need them.’

Sam, from our Housekeeping Team – ‘know your bed sizes’

‘Aside from forgotten passports or driver’s licences, this is one of the most common mishaps for new students. There are different bed sizes across the rooms on campus (and in private accommodation) so don’t buy any bedding until you have accepted your room offer, and double checked the bed size online so you know which size sheets to buy. Some folks have trouble getting hold of sheets for the 7ft beds, but a king size flat sheet will fit.’

You can find out what size bed is in your room online.

Phil, from our Catering Team – ‘don’t pack the kitchen sink’

‘Just bring enough to get you started as you may want to go in with your flatmates for to buy some items. If you live in accommodation with a meal plan you shouldn’t need anything beyond your basic crockery and cutlery, as kettles are provided. If you’re going to live in self-catered accommodation we suggest just buying a set of crockery and cutlery for yourself, plus food storage containers and basic pots and pans.’

Beth, History and Social Anthropology student – ‘make it home’

‘The best bit of advice was to bring decorative items. Strings of lights, small potted plants for the windowsill or desk, photo frames with silly, happy photos, blankets and pillows, etc. It makes the room that bit more comforting and homely and can help with the homesickness.’

Ella, Wildlife Conservation student – ‘bring things that remind you of home’ 

‘Bring as many things that remind you of your home. Bedroom ornaments or just things, and bring white tack and printed photos and put them up all over your room.’

Harry, Psychology with Clinical Psychology student – ‘someone else will have what you’re looking for’.

‘Don’t stress about forgetting things and feeling like you need to pack every little thing – someone else will have what you’re looking for and will let you borrow it! Also, there is a shop on campus and everything you need can be found in Canterbury.’

Of course, there are also some things you should 100% not be bringing. You can probably guess these but anything with a naked flame, (such as candles, incense, joss sticks, oil burners, barbeques, or smoking paraphernalia) is one to avoid. Cars, mini-fridges, adhesive strip lights, heated airers, multi-way cube adaptors and pets are some of the other items featured on the prohibited items list.

Our Canterbury Arrivals and Medway Arrivals pages are full of useful info to help get you ready to arrive at Kent including more info on what to bring (Canterbury and Medway editions). Plus we’ve got more advice from previous students coming your way, including tips for settling in, so keep an eye on the Accommodation Twitter and Facebook pages for all the latest blogs and useful information before you arrive.

We look forward to welcoming you to Kent soon!

Reminder: have you had your vaccines?

Infectious diseases can spread easily at unis so make sure you’re up to date with your vaccines and aware of the common signs and symptoms of meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia.

If you have missed one or more vaccines, make an appointment with your GP as soon as possible.

After arriving at university it is important you register with the local GP surgery, who will also be able to advise regarding your vaccinations. We have a GP surgery on the Canterbury campus you can register with.

Advice and information is available on the NHS website:

Ignite your start: Library and IT services in the first few weeks

Welcome to Kent! Excited to get your student journey off to a great start? We’re here to help you in using the exceptional Library and IT services Kent has to offer.

🌐 Navigate success

Discover our new student information page, a space dedicated to helping you successfully navigate your way to through these first few weeks. Whether you’re exploring the campus or joining us remotely, this resourceful page is tailored to provide just the right tips and insights, ensuring you’re all set to go.

🚀 Propel your knowledge

Take the IT and Library e-induction on Moodle – access this once enrolled. Our digital launchpad is designed to guide you through all the vital information, ensuring your student journey starts on the perfect trajectory. No matter where you’re learning from, we’ve got you covered with the Digital Library and IT e-induction (remote study only), tailored to those studying away from campus.

🌠 Discover more

Explore our online guides and equip yourself with the essential tools you will need during your time at Kent. Whether its our expert guidance on Wi-Fi setup, learning how to access premium software available to students, or discovering all you need to know about borrowing books from the renowned Templeman Library; if you need it – we’ve got a guide for it!

👨‍🚀’Fuel Up’ at the Treasure Tent 💎

Join us at ‘The Treasure Tent‘ on 19 and 20 September for a 2 days of engaging activities designed to ignite your curiosity and enhance your student experience. This Welcome Week event is an opportunity to ‘Fuel up’ for the journey ahead by discovering the treasure trove of services we offer that will help you excel at the University of Kent. Get it in your diary!

Contact IT & Library Support

Use Nexus Self Service
helpdesk@kent.ac.uk
01227 824888
Use the Chat to us button (Library and IT web pages) to launch online chat
Visit us: Nexus, Block D, Ground Floor, Templeman Library

Support for mature, commuting and part-time students

If you are a mature, commuting or part-time student (or a combination), your university experience might look a little different to someone joining university straight from school. But don’t worry, there is plenty of additional support for you and ways to connect with those in a similar position. This includes a society that runs events and study sessions at convenient times if you have other responsibilities (e.g. a part-time job and childcare), and a dedicated student network to help get your voice heard.

Introduction event for mature students (with lunch provided)

In the week before Welcome Week, our Student Learning Advisory Service are running in-person introduction events for mature students. These events will help you prepare for university study, give you an introduction to digital learning and a campus orientation. It also gives you an opportunity to ask questions and meet other mature students at the free lunch.

Please book the relevant event for you based on your Division and campus:

Mature Student Society

Kent Union has a Mature Student Society which acts as a forum to promote the challenges and needs of students over the age of 21. As well as being for mature students, the society welcomes students returning to education, part-time or commuting students, and students who have dependants or caring responsibilities. The society meets regularly and is a great way to socialise with other students with similar responsibilities and potential interests.

Mature and Part-Time Student Network

Kent Union has a number of student networks. The Mature and Part-Time Student Network aims to represent and act as the voice for all mature, commuting and part-time Students, and to feedback on key issues that affect the mature, commuting and part-time student experience to both the University and Kent Union.

More about support available.

Registering with a doctor

It is important to register with a GP close to your term-time address so you can access health services quickly and easily while you’re at University.

Visit the NHS website for more information about getting medical care as a student.

Canterbury

Kent has its own NHS general practice on campus called the University Medical Centre.

Canterbury students can register for the University Medical Practice online.

Medway

You should register with a local doctor near to your accommodation in order to receive treatment under the National Health Service (NHS): Find your nearest NHS Surgery.

NHS services for students

Check out this handy guide for students in Kent and Medway It includes:

How to register with a GP
What to do if you become unwell during the holidays
Registering with a dentist
Mental health support
Vaccinations
Contraception

More support

Find out more about our support services at Canterbury and Medway.