Did you come to Kent via Clearing? Would you like to share your story with others?
The University is putting together short films of Clearing students to help others in the same position this summer. All filming we be carried out remotely.
Complete the quick sign up form to get involved.
This week sees the launch of the KentVision portal and events to support your next steps including the Year In programme, postgraduate study, and your future career.
Kent Vision launch
The new KentVision student portal will now launch later this week. Learn about the new system and watch the video for tips on how to get the most from Kent Vision.
Events for you to try this week:
Have you read this?
Keep an eye on:
Let us know what you think of these updates by emailing communications@kent.ac.uk
The Careers Team are still here to help you with career support and advice over the Easter break.
As well as career-focussed events for you to attend online, you can also book in for Quick Advice sessions which are 15 minutes and can cover CV, applications, cover letters, your LinkedIn profile or job-hunting advice.
If you need longer, you can book an appointment with a Careers Advisor to get more in-depth advice about your career.
Are you in your final year and thinking about your next steps? Have you considered completing a year learning a new subject? This is an initiative where students can broaden their degree experience by adding an additional year but in a different subject. You could obtain skills and experience in Computing, Data Analytics, a Language or Journalism.
Your additional year can be taken between stage 2 and 3, or after you have completed stage 3. The programme will be added to your degree title, letting employers know about your increased employability.
This is a real opportunity to learn about a completely different area and gain some industry skills, which employers value. The deadline for finalist students to apply for the Year In programme starting in September 2021, is Sunday 9 May, so get your application in soon!
For more information about Year In, please visit the website.
Most of us are spending more time online than usual during the pandemic. Scammers are taking advantage of this.
The pandemic also provides scammers with opportunities to exploit our desire to protect ourselves and those around us, for example by selling counterfeit face masks or hand sanitisers.
Tips to avoid being scammed
1.Only purchase goods and services from legitimate retailers and take a moment to think before parting with money or personal information.
2.Learn how to spot a fake email. Some red flags are if an email is about an order you didn’t make or if it’s asking for money or vouchers, even if it is from someone you know. Their account may have been hijacked.
3.Do not assume everyone is genuine. It is OK to reject, refuse or ignore requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you. We have recently been made aware of scam phone calls to Kent students. The scammers pretend to be the Crown Prosecution Service, informing residents they have around £1000 in income tax debts. This is a scam and any official documents of owed money from HRMC or Government body would be sent in letter directly to you and would not be handled by phone.
4.Don’t fall for quick cash schemes. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is! These are often scams and can be examples of money laundering. If someone offers you money for transferring money between bank accounts, you could become a money mule which is a criminal offence.
5.Be suspicious of requests for money up front. If someone claims to represent a charity, ask them for ID. If someone attempts to pressurise you into accepting a service they are unlikely to be genuine. Check with your family and friends before accepting offers of help if you are unsure.
Think you might have been scammed?
If you think you have been scammed, contact your bank. You can also contact Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133, or you can report a scam by calling Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
ZIn your final year? If you’re considering postgraduate study at Kent, check out these Instagram lives (@UniKentLive) coming up:
The Instagram Lives will be available to watch after on our Instagram.
Postgraduate study talk
Join Professor Paul Allain, Dean of the Graduate and Researcher College, Dr Tim Hopthrow, Deputy Dean of the Graduate and Researcher College and Stephen McLaughlin, Postgraduate Funding Officer for a Postgraduate Study at Kent presentation and Q&A session. Takes place online, Wednesday 21 April 12.00-13.00.
Come and ask questions about postgraduate study at Kent and find out what funding options there are for Master’s and PhD study.
Exclusive funding for Kent students
Kent has over 100 awards for students with a First or 2.1 degree undertaking postgraduate study at our locations in the UK and Europe including new scholarships exclusive to Kent Finalists:
Learn more about our postgrad offer at Kent by checking out our #StayOn #StandOut webpage.
This week we will see the further relaxation of coronavirus restrictions, you can learn how to ace virtual job interviews, and check out our Exam Calm webpages.
Using the library or on campus during the break? Book your Covid-19 test now
Getting tested for Covid-19 couldn’t be easier with testing centres on campus. We are also giving you a free hot drink at Canterbury to say thanks.
For those observing Ramadan, the British Islamic Medical Association has published advice on testing during the fast.
Book your asymptomatic Covid-19 test now
Events for you to try this week:
Have you read this?
Keep an eye on:
Let us know what you think of these updates by emailing communications@kent.ac.uk
Hollie Mackenzie has won the Sir Ernest Barker Prize for best doctoral thesis in political theory in 2020 from the Political Studies Association (U.K.). The prize was judged by a panel of ‘esteemed and knowledgeable colleagues’ in political studies. Hollie will be awarded her prize at the Political Studies Annual Conference, April 2021.
Hollie’s thesis is titled ‘A Schizo-Revolutionary Labial Art-Politics’ and in keeping with the argument of the thesis and Hollie’s artistic practice it was presented as a sculptural piece in its own right.
The thesis was examined by Prof. Rosi Braidotti (Utrecht) and Prof. Maria Drakopoulou (Kent). In the words of Prof. Braidotti: ‘the experimental form as art project is both daring and perfectly attuned to the theme and thus suited to the content matter: a feminist practice of aesthetic and theoretical resistance’.
Upon hearing news of the prize, Hollie commented: ‘I’m absolutely delighted to be awarded this prize. It was a huge risk to submit an art-thesis instead of a traditional thesis, and the determination and hard work paid off. Creating an enfolded piece of scholarly writing and a melting sculpture was my feminine reinvention of the traditional idea of a thesis to challenge the hypermasculine systems, structures and content in which theses are written and defended in the discipline of political theory, and being awarded the Sir Ernest Barker Prize from the Political Studies Association confirms that a schizo-revolutionary labial art-politics is a welcomed and timely approach to creatively confront the hypermasculine institutionalisation of knowledge.
‘The experience of the art-thesis also presents a challenge to the reader that was welcomed by Braidotti and Drakopoulou, who both commended it was ‘highly innovative’, ‘highly original’, and ‘more approachable and enjoyable’. It is a pleasure to see that my call for different forms of expression, teaching and learning within political theory is being welcomed and I hope that it invites others to create a much needed space for feminine difference through their own responses to the question of what a schizo-revolutionary labial art-politics might become.’
Nadine Ansorg, Head of School, commented: ‘Hollie’s thesis radically challenges existing notions of how a PhD dissertation might be executed and look like, and fundamentally questions the hypermasculine institutionalisation of knowledge. By way of artistic practice, Hollie provides new ways of a feminine artistic problem of what a thesis may become for generations to come.’
The thesis was co-supervised by Dr Iain MacKenzie (Kent) and Anna Cutler (Tate), with Dr Harmonie Toros serving as second supervisor.
Hollie was also awarded the University of Kent Social Sciences Seminar Teaching Prize 2018
With exams fast approaching, many students are worried about revision. To help, we’ve gathered some tips from current students on how to revise!
Sarah Johns (fourth year, Accounting and Finance) – “I work in small, timed chunks (like working for half an hour and then taking a break, rather than aiming to write a certain number of words). If it gets to the end and you’re on a roll then keep going, but if not, take a break and come back to it. Keep your phone out of reach and on silent, and keep a physical to do list so that you can properly cross tasks off when they’re done. Remember that doing something is better than doing nothing – so event just 10 minutes of work is great!”
Sophie Miszori (first year, Psychology) – “I like to use the lecture slides to create questions which I use to quiz myself before tests or exams. I just find it more engaging than simply re-reading my notes.”
Connie Burt (third year, Biological Anthropology) – “Set yourself small, manageable goals rather than large, overwhelming ones – this will motivate you to work as you feel like you’re really making progress! Have a five minute ‘organisation time’ before you sit down to start revising. Use that time to make sure you have all the materials you need. This will make you less likely to need to interrupt your revision to get up and find something!”
Nisal Perera (third year, Business and Management) – “My top revision tip is to sit in a comfortable place where you will be able to work without distraction. I also put my phone away so that I’m not distracted.”
Ellie House (second year, Law) – “I like to use the app Quizlet! I spend some time making flashcards on there, and then use the quiz options to test myself. It’s especially useful for definitions or statistics, and I use it to memorise a lot of key cases and the important points to take from them. I also write out flashcards on paper with more lengthy information so that I can carry these around and use them whenever I have time for a quick content catch-up.”
James Hulme (second year, Biomedical Engineering) – “I try to split work into 20/30-minute blocks with short breaks in between. Paraphrasing what you learn in class into clear notes and listing what you want to do that day can also help.”
Thelakshe Vigneswaran (third year, Business and Management) – “To make sure I don’t get distracted I like to film a time-lapse of myself working. This stops me from using my phone so often and getting distracted!”
Yassin Pentoo (third year, Business and Management) – “I recommend listening to music as it helps me to stay motivated and to focus on my work.”
Gemma Overy (second year, Psychology) – “I like to make PowerPoint slides with my lecture notes. I’ll have a box with the main points of that particular subtopic, then a separate box down the side where I write the key terms and definitions. At the end of a section of slides I will have a slide where I write questions for myself to answer at a later date. Then, when I come to do my revision, I can print out the slides and annotate them.”
Bhakti Patel (third year, Social Science) – “I create mind maps for each topic and stick them all around my noticeboard so that I can see and recite them.”
Hope Turner (second year, Law) – “The first thing you are going to want to do is consolidate the notes you already have on the subject. A good place to start is with lecture notes. These should contain the basis of what you are revising and get you working in the right direction! From here you want to add to your consolidated lecture notes. These can be from seminar/workshop notes but also from textbooks or any other resources you have on the subject. Next you want to go over your notes and colour code/highlight the important bits such as cases or terminology.”
Shehaad Alighan (second year, Computing with a year in industry) – “I go through lecture slides and make my notes. I then make flashcards and go through them every day until I have memorised them.”
Alina Sajish (fourth year, Accounting and Management with a year in industry) – “I use the pomodoro technique where I work in 25-minute intervals in order to increase my productivity.”
Lauren Whitfield (second year, Marketing) – “I use the app ‘Forest’ which is really useful for revising. It prevents me from procrastinating and going on my phone. The purpose of it is that it grows trees the entire time that you are away from your phone, however, if you go on it and close the app the tree dies.”
Key resources for online exams
Over the Easter break why not take advantage of SLAS and get on top of:
You can either book an appointment online, visit our website or email learning@kent.ac.uk