Category Archives: Student Guide

BFI London Film Festival comes to the Gulbenkian

This November the BFI London Film Festival comes to campus at the Gulbenkian, with a season of screenings of films making waves at the film festival. These include Oscar tipped The Banchees of Inisherin, My Policeman starring Harry Styles, and Bros, the LGBTQ+ rom-com getting rave reviews.

The Banshees of Inisherin

Fri 11, Sat 12 and Thu 17 Nov, 19.00

Set on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland, ‘The Banshees Of Inisherin’ follows lifelong friends Padraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson), who find themselves at an impasse when Colm unexpectedly puts an end to their friendship.

Book for The Banshees of Inisherin

Decision to Leave

Sat 19, Wed 23 and Thu 24 Nov, 19.00

A man falls from a mountain peak to his death. The detective in charge of the investigation, Hae-joon (Park Hae-il), comes to meet the dead man’s wife Seo-rae (Tang Wei). When she becomes a suspect, Hae-joon finds himself slowly developing an interest in her.

Book for Decision to Leave

My Policeman

Sun 20 & Mon 21 Nov, 19.00

A beautifully crafted story of forbidden love and changing social conventions, My Policeman follows three young people – policeman Tom (Harry Styles), teacher Marion, and museum curator Patrick as they embark on an emotional journey in 1950s Britain.

Book for My Policeman

Triangle of Sadness

Sat 26, Sun 27 Nov & Thu 1 Dec, 19.00

Two-time Palme d’Or winner Ruben Ostlund cements his position as contemporary cinema’s leading satirist with this savagely funny tale of class clashes and role reversals.

Book for Triangle of Sadness

Bros

Fri 25 & Tue 29 Nov, 19.00

Universal Pictures proudly presents the first romantic comedy from a major studio about two gay men maybe, possibly, probably stumbling towards love. Maybe. They’re both very busy.

Book for Bros

Call Jane

Mon 28 & Wed 30 Nov, 19.00

A housewife is overjoyed with the news of her pregnancy – until she learns it poses a threat to her own life. She has nowhere to turn until she meets an underground group of women who risk everything to provide people like her with a choice.

Book for Call Jane

Student discounts at the Gulbenkian

Students get 2for1 cinema tickets for films every Tuesday – so £3 per student currently! You can buy online in advance or on the door – you just need to bring ID with you. See what’s on and look for the 2FT symbol on films.

For only £5 per year, students can get 20% off film, 40% off selected theatre, and 10% off everything in the Gulbenkian Cafe/Bar. Find out more about student membership.

Events roundup: 24-30 October

This week is the final week of Black History Month. Don’t forget to check out the Black Pioneers Exhibition in Keynes atrium and the Drill Hall Library before the end of the month! Plus other events to help your wellbeing and get you in the mood for Halloween.

Monday: Volunteering opportunities

Find out about the variety of ways you can volunteer – both virtually and in person – at this online session. Volunteering is a great way to gain experience and develop your employability skills. This session will go through the different types of opportunities which are available and how you can make the most of them.

Tuesday: Eat the Garden, Black Owned Business Market and Managing Stress and Anxiety

Make soup using garden produce, meet new people and Eat the Garden at the Kent Community Oasis Garden. The KentCOG Coordinator will take on a guided tour of the garden, harvesting autumn produce to make soup with. Spend some time outside, learn more about good food and how it makes us feel.

If you’re looking for ways to manage stress and anxiety, this practical workshop will give you research-based strategies and will focus on how mindfulness practice can give you tools to build your resilience in the face of study, work and life challenges.

Come along to the Black Owned Business Market in Venue on Tuesday afternoon. Support your fellow students who will be showcasing their businesses and selling products.

Wednesday: Medway Talks open lecture series begins

On Wednesday evening Medway Talks, the open lecture series run by University of Kent, Greenwich, and Canterbury Christ Church, kicks off with a talk by Professor Alex Stevens from University of Kent: ‘Drugs: what are the problems and how can we solve them?’ The talks are open to students, staff and the local community. They are free of charge but registration is required. There will also be refreshments available on arrival.

Thursday: Climate Café and spooky events

If you find yourself feeling anxiety around the Climate Crisis, consider going along to the Climate Café. It’s a safe space to share fears about the climate crisis without judgement or advice, and a place to connect with others.

On Thursday there are lots of events happening to help you get in a spooky mood, including Pumpkin Carving at the Venue, a Rutherford College Tim Burton Movie Night and Creepy Crawlies Encounter at The Hub, Medway.

Weekend: Halloween events

On Saturday join your Medway Residential Life Assistants, Holly and Cole, for the Medway Spooky Quiz in the Oasis Lounge.

Do you like scary films? On Sunday, come along to Eliot Lecture Theatre 2 for an Eliot Scary Movie Night. Open to all students.

See more events for students

Opportunities

Do you know an inspirational student or student group?
Leading Routes – empowering the next generation of Black academics. Sign up for Leading Routes workshops at Canterbury campus for both UG and PG students
Food for Thought survey about our catering outlets at Canterbury campus. Leave feedback and be entered into monthly prize draw to win a £20 catering voucher to spend on campus
Interested in pursuing a PhD with CHASE or SeNSS? Learn more and sign up for workshops
Sign up for Exploring Intersectionality support group for Women of Colour
Student expectations survey for first year students – chance to win £300 Amazon voucher. Closes Monday 24 October at 17.00.

See more student opportunities

Share your experiences with disability

At the University of Kent, we believe in being part of the drive for a more inclusive society, where diversity is celebrated, opportunities are created and voices from all corners of our community are amplified. As we approach Disability History Month (16 November – 16 December), here are some ways you can share your perspective and get involved in showcasing and growing inclusivity at Kent and beyond.

Share your experiences with disability

Are you interested in being involved in a campaign to raise awareness this Disability History Month? We’d like to give everyone at Kent an insight into the experiences of our community in disclosing parts of identity, so we can better understand and support one another.

We’re inviting students past and present as well as staff to share your experiences by writing a blog post, attending a storytelling event to share in person with others, or being professionally filmed for a few minutes at a location convenient for you. To structure what you say or write about we’ll have some questions available that you can think about ahead of time, but you are also welcome to can make up your own question or theme which draws out your particular lived experience of disability and study/work/opportunities at Kent, or how it set you up for where you are now.

Interested in sharing your story at a live evening event in December, in short-film form or written word? Please fill in the online form. so we can contact you about being involved.

#DHMKent22 is coming soon!

Stay tuned for events and resources as we approach Disability History Month 2022 #InclusiveKent @UniKentSSW.

Exploring intersectionality therapeutic support group for Women of Colour

The University environment may have provided opportunities for you to notice things about yourself that you might want to explore and talk about. This therapeutic support group will take place online over six sessions and will provide a safe space to explore experiences and themes with others, who you may have things in common with. Commitment to attend all six sessions is required.

The group has been run over the last two years and came about as a response to feedback from students in the context of Black Lives Matter and the pandemic. Having access to others and role models that look like us is fundamental to our wellbeing; all of participants reported feeling a sense of connection and a sense of belonging. Quotes from previous participants include “everyone listened and supported each other”, “felt a sense of sisterhood”, “felt seen in a way that gave me comfort, topics resonated”. All participants felt that the group had a positive impact on their sense of identity as a Black woman or woman of colour.

The group will be experiential, and you are expected to bring yourself and be willing to share your thoughts with others and to be able to listen to others. We will decide together in week one which themes we would like to explore each week. Previous themes include; Who am I? – What does it mean to be me? – Relationships – Friend or enemy? – Self-love – Mental health – Self-care. You may have other themes that you want to suggest and explore.

Please note that you need to commit to attending all six sessions which take place on Tuesdays from 12.00-13.30 on the following dates: 1 November, 8 November, 15 November, 22 November, 29 November, and 6 December 2022.

If you are available for all six dates and would like to participate, please email wellbeingevents@kent.ac.uk to book your place, you will then be contacted for a brief 1:1 online meeting with the group facilitator at a mutually convenient time before the course begins. Please think about why you would like to join the group and what you would like to get out of it.

Find out more about the group. If you have any queries, please email wellbeingevents@kent.ac.uk

Student expectations survey – chance to win £300 Amazon voucher

To be in with the chance of winning a whopping £300 Amazon voucher, take just 10 minutes to fill in the Student Success Expectations Survey.

This questionnaire is for first year students and aims to find out your academic expectations and plans for the year. We use the results to find out what you hope to achieve at Kent, and how best to support you (so taking part is a win-win).

Complete the survey to be in the running for our star prize, and you’ll also be added to a Divisional draw for a £20 Amazon voucher! The more students that complete the survey in your Division, the greater your chance of winning, so remind your friends to take the survey too (we’ll even organise a Divisional social if enough students take part).

Completing the survey is also worth 5 Employability Points – these can be cashed in to apply for exclusive internships, placements and training on the Employability Points Scheme. The Student Success Team will get in touch directly with any lucky winners to arrange prize collection.

The survey closes on Monday 24 October at 17.00.

Leading Routes – empowering the next generation of Black academics

We have recently partnered with Leading Routes to deliver a series of events and workshops aimed at Black students, who would like to explore opportunities to continue studying and working in academia.

Leading Routes is a pioneering initiative that aims to prepare the next generation of Black academics, by exploring new ways to strengthen the academic pipeline for African Caribbean students, from a Black-led perspective.

Leading Routes will be running a series of events and workshops at the University of Kent for students and staff. These events and workshops are being promoted and managed by the Graduate and Researcher College, learn more and book your place on our website now!

Please see below for student workshops currently scheduled:

Staying the Course: Accessing postgraduate research (Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students – Canterbury Campus) – 02 November, 12.00 – 14.00
Staying the Course: Thriving in postgraduate research (Postgraduate Students – Canterbury Campus) – 30 November, 13.00 – 15.00

Don’t miss out and book your place today!

Food for Thought survey

We would like to hear about your experience of dining at our Canterbury outlets.

This short survey asks questions about value for money, customer service and food/drink quality, and gives you a chance to provide feedback after each visit.

Customers who leave feedback can enter a monthly prize draw to win a £20 catering voucher to spend on campus, and each month presents a new opportunity to enter! The feedback received will help the catering team maintain and improve their services and the customer experience.

If you’ve eaten at Bag It, Create, Dolche Vita, Gulbenkian Café, Hut 8, K-Bar, Mungo’s, Origins, Rutherford Dining Hall, Sibson Café, Sports Café or The Street Kitchen, we want to hear from you.

Take the survey today!

Interested in pursuing a PhD with CHASE or SeNSS?

Are you interested in pursuing a PhD? Find out more about possible studentships at Kent:

What is SeNSS?

The South East Network for Social Sciences (SeNSS) provides ESRC-funded studentships and postgraduate training in Social Sciences. It is one of only 14 UK ESRC-funded Doctoral Training Partnerships and offers a number of full-funded ESRC doctoral studentship.

What is CHASE?

The University of Kent is proud to be part of the Consortium for the Humanities and the Arts South-East England (CHASE). We are one of 8 leading institutions offering an extensive programme of training and development for all doctoral researchers in the arts and humanities.

Find out more at our online briefing sessions for prospective students

The Graduate and Researcher College are running online briefing sessions for prospective CHASE and SeNSS funded students, so you can find out more and and learn how to apply.

SeNSS – Information and online briefing session for prospective students

CHASE – Information and online briefing session for prospective students

Events roundup: 17-23 October

EmpFest continues this week with plenty of events including the South East Virtual Careers Fair on Wednesday. You can also get involved with more Black History Month events this week.

Monday: Wellbeing Café and EmpFest events

Following on from World Mental Health Day’s event last week, the Wellbeing Café is back on Monday. It’s a space to connect with other students in a relaxed environment with a focus on promoting your wellbeing and mental health through activity.

Plus lots more EmpFest events including sessions on Commercial Awareness and How to get started on LinkedIn at Medway, and Business Start-Up Journey workshop and Resilience when looking for employment at Canterbury.

Tuesday: Q&A with Radio 1 DJ and prep for the Careers Fair

As part of Black History Month, join this Q&A with Radio 1 DJ Fee Mack. Fee Mak is a Radio and TV Presenter based in London. She is the host of the BBC 1Xtra Breakfast show on Sundays, 19.00-11.00 and an alumna of Kent.

Find out how to prepare for the virtual Careers Fair including practical basics, how to do your research and what to talk about with employers.

Wednesday: South East Virtual Careers Fair and Being Black at Kent

Don’t miss the South East Virtual Careers Fair, open to all students. Meet with a wide range of employers to find out about graduate and undergraduate opportunities. We recommend you build your profile and review the attending employers in advance, so you can get the most from the event.

Join the Business Start-Up Journey 2022/23 Canterbury Launch and get inspired hearing from entrepreneur Emay Enemokwu as he shares his story of founding global streetwear brand JEHU-CAL, while he was a student at Kent.

You’re invited to the Courageous Conversations: Being Black at Kent event, where you’ll hear from a panel of Kent academics and students who will be discussing what it means to be Black at Kent. This event is in collaboration with UKCNS and ACS and supported by the University, Kent Union and the Student Success Project.

Thursday: International Student Experience Fair and Rutherford Game Night

All International and European students are welcome to join us for the 2022 International Student Experience Fair in Darwin board room. Enjoy an afternoon of cake and refreshments and find out more about the support services and opportunities available to international students.

Rutherford Residential Life Assistants will be hosting a Mafia Game and Pizza Night on Thursday.

Friday: Drag Bingo at Mungo’s and Movie Night at The Deep End

Head to Mungo’s on Friday evening for a glitzy bingo night with drag performances, four fun-filled games of bingo, and outrageous campery!

Get in the spooky mood on Friday with a Movie Night at The Deep End. A light-hearted Halloween movie followed a horror-themed movie, both with popcorn!.

Opportunities

Ten Kent students will win £1,000 for simply registering online with the Santander Scholarship programme by 20 November. Register for free now.
Get involved in the Black Student Voices project.
What makes you smile? Medway photo competition extended until 21 October. Enter for chance to win Amazon vouchers.

Sign up to Medway Talks Open Lecture Series

Medway Talks is a free open lecture series run by the University of Greenwich, University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University.

About this event

What is Medway Talks?

Medway Talks is a new open lecture series run by our academic staff at the Universities at Medway – University of Greenwich, University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church at Medway. There will be 6 talks in total, running from October 2022 until May 2023.

Who can attend?

The talks are open to everyone in the local community, including students and staff at the Universities at Medway. Talks will be free of charge to attend, but registration is required.

What’s on offer?

Talks will run from 6pm until 7pm with refreshments available on arrival.

The schedule is as follows:

Wednesday 26 October 2022: Professor Alex Stevens (University of Kent) – Drugs: what are the problems and how can we solve them?

Professor Alex Stevens has worked on issues of drugs, crime and public health in the voluntary sector, as an academic researcher and as an adviser to the UK government. His talk will focus on the reduction of drug-related deaths and crime, reflecting on the possibilities opened up by the new drug strategy to make progress on these harms.

Wednesday 23 November 2022: Professor Gurprit Lall (University of Kent) – Sleep and our Biological Clock

Professor Gurprit Lall is a neuroscientist based at the University of Kent, Medway School of Pharmacy specialising in mammalian circadian rhythms. In this talk he will discuss how ageing effects the brain’s circadian clock and its impact on our day-to-day routines. We will look at how the clock synchronises our bodily functions, from hormonal fluctuations through to sleeping patterns and why disruption of such rhythms can have a significant impact on our health and wellbeing.

Wednesday 25 January 2023: Dr Noel-Ann Bradshaw (University of Greenwich)- An evening with Florence Nightingale: find out how she used data to save lives

DrNoel-Ann Bradshaw is the Deputy Dean for the Faculty of Engineering and Science at the University of Greenwich. In this talk, Nightingale herself will show how her understanding and management of data influenced policy makers, in the British Army and Government, during and after the Crimean war. Her methods resulted in improved conditions for both soldiers and the working classes, and are as relevant in today’s data-focussed society as they were in Victorian Britain.

Wednesday 22 February 2023: Dr Neil Saunders (University of Greenwich) – Mathematics, Memetics and Artificial Intelligence: An exploration through performance.

Dr Neil Saunders is a Senior Lecturer in Mathematical Sciences and works in the field of algebra, specifically group theory and geometric representation theory.