Category Archives: Student Guide

Replace your physical visa document with an eVisa

The Home Office is replacing physical immigration documents with an eVisa for customers already living in the UK, and for new visa applicants.

What do Biometric Resident Permit (BRP) holders need to do?
BRP holders living in the UK will need to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa.

Students who hold a BRP that expires on 31 December 2024, and who have immigration permission to be in the UK beyond this date, do not need to apply to renew their BRP, as all recently issued BRPs are due to expire on this date. Instead, these students should follow the instructions on this Home Office page to create a UKVI account.

Creating a UKVI account is free, straightforward, and will not usually require BRP holders to send the Home Office either their passport or BRP. Once a student with a BRP has created their UKVI account, they should update their account with any new passport or contact details.

Who is affected by this change?
Everyone that uses a BRP who does not already have an eVisa is affected by this change, as BRPs are all due to expire at the end of 2024.

What if students already have a UKVI account and an eVisa as well as a BRP?
If customers hold a BRP as well as an eVisa, then they do not need to create do anything to anything. Students who already have an eVisa should ensure that their UKVI account is kept up to date with their latest contact information and any passport which they intend to travel with.

What happens if students do not create an account to access their eVisa?
BRP holders should take steps to create a UKVI account and access their eVisa before it expires to prevent any unnecessary delays in proving their rights. Students with expired BRPs will not be able to use them to travel internationally.

Further information, including details of the eVisa support available, can be found at www.gov.uk/evisa.

New student website launching on 29 July

On Monday 29 July, we are launching a new website for current students, and it will have a new name – My Kent.

The new student website will be designed for current students making it easier for you to find the information you need while studying at Kent.

Benefits include:

🔎 A search bar that only searches services and information for current Kent students

📚 All your Kent services and systems in one place

🚀Improved design informed by students and user experience experts

🌍 Website navigation designed for current students only

These changes are following student feedback that you find it hard to find the information you need on the current Kent website.

This is the start of a journey of continuous improvements to the website experience for Kent students. So once it launches tell us what you like, and don’t like, so we can continue to improve the student website for you.

What do I need to do?

Nothing. When the new student website launches we will let you know and you will be automatically redirected. This change won’t affect Moodle, KentVision, your email or timetable.

For consistency, the name of the student app will also change to My Kent Student App shortly after the new current student website launches.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please email communications@kent.ac.uk

Postgraduate Conference success

Kent’s Annual Postgraduate Conference took place on Wednesday 3 July 2024, hosted by the Graduate and Researcher College (GRC), in collaboration with the Division of Arts and Humanities, the Division of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, Kent Business School, the Division for the study of Law, Society and Social Justice, and the Division of Natural Sciences.

It was a remarkable celebration of the vibrant research community here at Kent, with a record number of students and staff attending.

Speaking at the Conference Reception, Gordon Lynch, the Director of the GRC said:

“The heart of the University’s mission is to produce new knowledge, to train people in developing new knowledge and ways of thinking, and to share that knowledge with the wider world. The annual PG Conference is a celebration of that work – whether it’s for all the innovative work done by our research students, all the investment in their training and development by supervisors and all the work done by other members of staff to make that community of learning possible. It’s been fantastic to see so many people engage with this year’s event and to continue to build on the partnership between the Graduate and Researcher College and our Schools and Divisions.”

Thank you to the student and staff organisers for their brilliant efforts in coordinating the Divisional sessions, and to the student presenters for their outstanding contributions. The engaging research talks, insightful panel discussions, impressive poster presentations, and dynamic interactive workshops made the day truly exceptional.

Finally, we would like to extend our congratulations again to the winners and runners up for the Kent Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition, GRC Prizes, and Divisional Session Competitions. A full-list of winners can be found on the GRC Annual Postgraduate Conference 2024 page.

Kent Stars: Superstar Society

This month’s Kent Stars are the Medway Music Society who won Society of the Year at the latest Medway Activities Awards. They won for transforming the society, and running successful events that would often get up to 70 students attending.

The nomination said: “I think it is impossible to ignore the achievements that the society has made over the past academic year… I wholeheartedly think the Medway campus would simply not be the same without the Music Society.”

Hear more from the Medway Music Society and its President Skye:

“We are the Medway Music Society, we hold regular events with amazing live music as well as interactive events such as quizzes and karaoke. Firstly, to introduce myself and my team:

President: Skye Ryan, third-year student on the Music Performance and Production course. I am a keen guitarist, bassist and vocalist.

Vice President: Chloe Jagger is a second-year student on the Social Sciences course and she is an amazing vocalist.

Social Media Manager: Izzy Logie is a third-year student on the Music Performance and Production Course and she is a great vocalist and drummer.

Treasurer: Ash Luk is a third-year student on the Music Performance and Production Course and is a stunning bassist and vocalist.

Front-left: Chloe Jagger; front-right: Izzy Logie; back-left: Skye Ryan; back-right: Ash Luk

Society of the Year
“Winning Society of the year came as a complete shock as we thought due to the other amazing societies, who have also done so many amazing things for Medway students, the running would be very tough. Yet to hear that we won we are so grateful.

“This year we have really pushed the society to get back on its feet and rise to its former glory as we saw how amazing it could be and the experience it provided for students. Though this did not come easy, there was a lot of work to be done throughout the summer in the build-up to our freshers event to make sure we started off with a bang.

“This event made a great first impression and we couldn’t have done it without the help of the music lecturers Dr Rich Perks and Dr Richard Lightman. They helpfully guided us through the process making sure we thought through every detail so that this event would set us on track for an amazing year and it truly fulfilled its purpose.

“And so, winning society of the year was not just down to us but down to all those who supported us along the way. Including our returning crowd of students who stuck with us through the hard times as they knew we would come out on top.”

What advice would you give to other students?

“As for advice we would give other students running societies…

“First of all, it is not a small job, if you want success you have to be dedicated and stick to the plan even when it doesn’t seem worth it.

“Secondly, fix the small problems as they cause so much frustration and yet are fixed so easily. For example, we kept having problems with the key code of our cupboard door and this small fix has led to smoother running events.

“Thirdly, rely on your team. If you can’t do something yourself, ask for help, there is no point in making it difficult for one person when with the help of your team it can get done more easily and efficiently.

“Lastly, have fun. If you’re not enjoying it then why should you do it. This was the one rule we took on when starting out as we felt that for this society to work it shouldn’t be painful to run. Yes there will be bumps along the way but overall if it is taking a toll on your wellbeing and you can’t fix a better way then just don’t do it..”

What are your plans for the next year?

“Next year we plan to continue to grow the society, we have an amazing team taking over that have plans to elevate the Music Society to new levels. Such as getting gigs in different locations, perhaps introducing a music society after hours, a dedicated club night and much more (secret plans to be revealed next year so stay tuned).

“We, the current committee, can’t wait to see how the Music Society will continue to develop next year.”

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

Learn more about the Kent Stars campaign.

Free Medway Pride tickets now available

Tickets allocated specifically for the Universities at Medway for Medway Pride on Saturday 17 August are available now!

Free tickets for entry to the Medway Pride 24 Festival at the Castle Gardens – entry from 10:30, closes at 20:00.
Free tickets to take part in the parade (Rochester High Street to Rochester Castle Gardens) – meeting time and location to be confirmed.
If you just want to view the Pride Parade, you can do so without a ticket.

Please only book the tickets you need, as these are limited.

Summer at Kent: What’s on in July

As well as relaxing in the sunshine, summer is a great time to meet new people, develop your skills and explore!

Summer at Kent is a series of events aimed at students who are staying on or near campus, whether that’s for a few weeks or the whole summer.

Get involved this month

Develop your writing skills with writing well sessions, Academic English Support for ESL students and dissertation writing workshops.

Network at the Annual Postgraduate Conference on Wednesday 3 July. The conference celebrates our postgraduate research community and is open to all PG students and includes the chance to attend talks, take part in interactive workshops and enjoy a free buffet lunch.

Get creative with regular Creative Spaces events where you can work on your crafts or just come along for a chat. To celebrate the Olympics, you can also join Chef Ben Elsberry to bake and decorate cookies and cupcakes with a prize for the best Olympic themed decorated baked item.

Get outside and get active by volunteering at the Kent Community Oasis Garden, open 10:00-14:00 on Wednesdays and Fridays. Enjoy spending time in nature and learning new skills. On Thursday 18 July you can join in a fun “School Sports Day” to celebrate the Olympics. Come along as a group or on your own, no athleticism necessary. Games will include the Sack Race, Relay Race, Egg and Spoon, Tug-of-War and much more. Plus, try Olympic sports with Give It A Go Weightlifting and Basketball.

Chill out with regular Chill Zone sessions where you can play Nintendo Switch MarioKart, board games and more as well as free refreshments. If you’re enjoying the football, you can watch the Euro’s on high-definition screens in K Bar. At Medway on Tuesday 16 July, come to the Oasis Lounge in Medway building for a Medway Games and Crafts session. Drop in for as long as you like.

If you have resits, there are online sessions around revision skills and coursework resit planning to help you progress.

More events will be added throughout the summer, so make sure to check back on the Summer at Kent website.

£3 Meals moving to Gulbenkian Café for summer

From Monday 24 June, the £3 cost of living hot meals will be moving from Rutherford Dining Hall to the Gulbenkian Café for the duration of the summer. This temporary move allows Rutherford Dining Hall to accommodate language schools during the vacation.

£3 hot meals at the Gulbenkian Café will be available:

• Monday – Friday, 10:00 – 14:00
• Saturday & Sunday, 14:00 – 20:00

Meals will be displayed on the in-house specials board, and there will always be a plant-based option available. Please note that these meals are offered on a first come, first served basis, so be sure to order early to avoid missing out.

Additionally, £3 sandwich meal deals can be purchased at Dolche Vita and Rutherford Dining Hall throughout the summer. Please be aware that the opening times for these venues will vary, so we recommend checking the online timetable for the latest information.

The cost of living meals will be back at Rutherford Dining Hall in September for the new academic year.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact us at catering@kent.ac.uk

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.

Summer vacation campus facility opening times

On campus over summer? Here’s a roundup of the summer vacation opening times:

Campus catering update

As part of our wider work to give students the best experience possible and investing in our staff and students, we are looking at alternative options for catering on our Canterbury campus. This includes investigating options around outsourcing, if an appropriate partner can be found.

We are really proud of the work that has been done by our catering team to continuously deliver a high quality of service on campus, in the face of rising costs and challenging external factors. In order to continue to improve the catering experience on campus and cater to the evolving needs and wants of our staff and students, we are aware that future investment is needed.

We will be looking to use this as an opportunity to invest in our outlets and technological infrastructure, modernise our facilities and introduce well-known and recognisable brands to improve the experience of our staff and students and supporting a healthy community on campus.

A key part of the process will be finding a provider who can support and align with Right to Food objectives, ensuring healthy and affordable food is readily available for staff and students on our campuses. It will also include looking for a partner that can deliver development opportunities for our catering staff and minimise disruption to our workforce as well as the staff, students and visitors who eat on campus.

During this process we will continue to value and work with our excellent catering team and ensure they are supported throughout and that they are able to continue to deliver the high-quality service they currently provide.

We are at the very beginning of this journey and have just started a competitive tender. No decisions have been made regarding the future catering provision, but we will keep you informed if and when things change.