If you are coming to Kent this weekend, check out our online guides for Arrivals Weekend. The guides include what you need to do when you arrive on campus, maps, places to eat and events.
New locations for £3 sandwich Meal Deals
As well our popular £3 Meal Deal in Rutherford Dining Hall, we have decided to continue our summer sandwich £3 Meal Deal and introduce it to more of our outlets!
The sandwich £3 Meal Deal includes a sandwich, crisps and a drink and will be available all day, while stocks last.
Outlets offering the sandwich Meal Deal include Dolche Vita, Gulbenkian Cafe, Sibson Cafe, Mungo’s and Rutherford Dining Hall.
More support with cost of living
You can see all the financial support available to students on our Cost of Living Support webpages.
And please remember, if you are struggling financially, get in touch for support.
£3 Meal Deal returns to Rutherford Dining Hall
Our popular £3 Meal Deal returns to Rutherford Dining Hall from Saturday 16 September 2023.
Available Monday to Sunday:
- Lunch 12.00 – 14.00
- Dinner 17.00 – 21.00
Choose from a freshly prepared plant-based or meat option.
We also have a £3 sandwich Meal Deal running from 16 September – a great Grab and Go offer for in between lectures.
A great meal at a great price.
More support with cost of living
You can see all the financial support available to students on our Cost of Living Support webpages.
And please remember, if you are struggling financially, get in touch for support.
New academic year = new friends and new wellbeing opportunities
At Kent, we think mental health and wellbeing matters, and have lots on to help you settle in and find what works for you to stay well while you’re at uni.
Meeting new people
With so many new students starting each year, there are lots of initiatives at Kent to help you find your crowd.
- Get matched to make friends: The Just Coffee and Walking Buddy schemes match students for a café meetup or a walk. This is a great way to meet someone in the same position who’d like to meet someone new.
- Kent Union also runs a buddy scheme: they will match you with a student mentor based on common interests. This option might be better if you’d like someone to give you some more guidance.
- Find friends online: Umii is for all Kent students, whether you are joining us in September and want to meet others beforehand, or if you are starting another year at Kent and want to make new friends! Only verified users can access the app, so you can be sure who you’re connecting with is a real student at your uni. This means you will need to use your Kent email address to register with Umii. For new students, you will need to enrol online to get your Kent email address. Download Umii now for free.
- Come along to the Welcome Fairs on campus during Welcome Week – there’s a society for everyone, and the chances are you’ll get along with those who share your interests.
- Find out what’s on across the Canterbury and Medway campuses during the welcome period, including games nights, karaoke, games on the lawn, speed-friending, and more.
Set up your support
Student Support and Wellbeing (SSW) are a team of professionals in mental health, neurodiversity, disability and improving access to learning for all. Get in touch with them to set up your support before you start, or at any time during the year. SSW also run various peer support groups, events and workshops throughout the year. Want to know more about what services SSW can provide for you? Watch this 3 minute video intro to Student Support and Wellbeing.
Register with a doctor
Find out about health services available for students studying on the Canterbury and Medway campuses. Do you need to plan to bring your prescription medication, or have it delivered locally? Talk to your doctor at home to check what you need to do.
Kent Union support
Find out about how Kent Union can support you, including via their Advice Service, Campus Pantry, Canterbury Nightline and more. Kent Union is here for you.
Stay up to date: #UniKentWellbeing
Check out the Wellbeing page to find out about opportunities to enhance your wellbeing at Kent throughout the year, and get support when you need it. Follow @UniKentSSW on Instagram for more wellbeing tips and resources.
Timetable ready for returning students
Stage 2 and 3 timetables are ready to view in KentVision.
New students (Foundation and Stage 1) and Postgraduate Taught students will get their timetables next week (from 18 September).
All timetables will be fully published by 21 September.
Make sure:
- you’re registered for your modules
- you regularly check your timetable on KentVision for updates
If you have any questions about your timetable, speak to your Division’s Programmes Administration Team.
Living Black at Kent booklet now live!
In 2022 Unite Students, alongside Halpin Partnership, investigated and released a report that shone a light on the experiences of Black university students in UK student accommodation.
At Kent, the Accommodation Team read that Living Black at University report and decided we needed to do better too.
As one of Kent’s first projects a new ‘Living Black at Kent’ booklet has been produced to act on one of the report’s recommendations. Collaborating with current Black students and staff for recommendations, the ‘Living Black at Kent’ booklet aims to highlight local services and businesses close to our campuses that may help give new Black students a head start in getting settled into their new surroundings and finding their feet in their new home at university.
Speaking on the booklet, Laura Maclean, Head of Accommodation and Customer Services said “I’m passionate about improving the lived experience of our students here at Kent. This booklet is just one of the initiatives that has been developed in response to the report’s recommendations, and we hope that we can build on this in the future to ensure all our students are well supported, particularly when they are moving to Kent for the first time”.
The Living Black at Kent booklet is now available online and in Canterbury college receptions from Arrivals Weekend.
If you’re interested in reading the full Living Black at University report you can do so online at www.unitegroup.com/living-black-at-university
Flexible casual job opportunity with Umii
Umii has an exciting role open to all Kent students! Read below for more:
Who are Umii?
Umii was created by students, for students. The Founder of Umii suffered from
loneliness and poor mental health at university, finding it difficult to easily meet
like-minded people. Umii combats the issues of student isolation and loneliness
by offering an easy way for like-minded students to meet across campus and
build real-life friendships.
What Umii do:
Umii partners with Higher Education Institutions to provide a preventative
measure to loneliness and isolation to their students. They have developed a digital application that is used by students to connect with others at their university, in a safe and secure environment. The app is designed to create individual, meaningful friendships, by
connecting students based on their interests, course types and society preferences, allowing them to expand their social circle outside of their course and accommodation. We work closely with our partners to promote the app to students and encourage real-life friendships to form as a result.
Umii are looking for people who thrive in a startup environment and want to build
tech for good. Interested? Read on…
Job purpose
To help grow Umii at your university by taking part in Freshers fairs and
promotional campaigns, spreading the word about Umii to your fellow students.
Job Activities
- Stall setup: Prepare and arrange all necessary materials, banners, and
promotional items at the freshers fair stall to create an inviting and visually
appealing display. - Student engagement: Proactively approach and engage students passing
by the stall, initiating conversations to explain the features and benefits of
the Umii app. - App promotion: Communicate effectively about the Umii app’s
functionalities, emphasising how it facilitates student connections,
enhances university life, and provides valuable resources. - Interactive activities: Develop and execute interactive activities or games at
the stall to attract and engage students, fostering interest and creating a
positive brand experience. - Sign-up support: Guide interested students through the process of
downloading and registering for the Umii app, answering any questions
they may have and addressing concerns. - Relationship building: Establish and maintain a friendly and approachable
demeanour, actively listening to students’ feedback, suggestions, and
concerns, and providing assistance whenever needed. - Brand ambassador: Act as a brand ambassador for Umii, maintaining a
professional and knowledgeable image, and representing the company’s
values and mission to create a positive impression among students.
This is a casual and flexible role. See Umii Ambassador Job Description.
If interested in the role, reach out to Umii at hello@umii.app providing a little
information about yourself.
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:
Safety support on a night out
Going on a night out or to house parties are a fun way to meet new people and have a laugh with friends. Here’s a reminder of safety tips to help keep you and your friends safe:
Drink spiking
It’s your choice whether you want to drink alcohol or not. Don’t pressure others to drink if they don’t want to. Adding alcohol to someone’s drink without their consent is still drink spiking. Never spike someone’s drink.
Watch the video below to find out what you should do if you think your friend’s drink might have been spiked.
Find out more about drink spiking.
‘Ask for Angela’ initiative
If you’re on a night out and you don’t feel safe, or you feel uncomfortable and you want to leave discretely, you can ask for ‘Angela’ at bars on campus. All our bar staff at University and Kent Union outlets have been trained on this so they can support you. The initiative also runs in many bars in Canterbury and Medway. You can often spot the ‘Ask for Angela’ sign in the bar toilets to indicate the service is available.
Canterbury Connected Routes
Connected Routes is a joint initiative between University of Kent, Kent Union and Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU). By joining up, we can offer support to you in Canterbury city as well as on campus. Any activation of SafeZone on the Connected Routes will give the Kent or CCCU security control room your location, so they can offer you support. Plus there are refuge points where you can go if you ever feel unsafe or need support. Find out more about the Connected Routes.
‘Zero Tolerance’ to harassment and discrimination
Our Kent and Kent Union bars and outlets operate a Zero Tolerance policy on harassment and discrimination. Report incidents to premises staff and immediate action will be taken.
Consent. Get It. Full Stop.
The University of Kent and Kent Union do not tolerant any form of sexual misconduct, assault or harassment. Check out the consent website to find out how to get consent (it doesn’t have to be awkward!)
Let’s look out for each other. Enjoy your night! #StaySafe
Plan your journey home from a night out (Medway)
Going on a night out? Don’t forget to plan your journey home.
Check bus services
Depending on how late you stay out, you might be able to catch a bus home. Arriva is the main bus operator in Medway. Find out more about bus services in Medway.
Booking a registered taxi
If you’re booking a taxi, make sure it is registered. You can tell if a taxi is licensed by checking if there is a licence plate on the front and back of the vehicle. They are usually positioned under or next to the vehicle registration plate. Drivers of licensed taxis will also be wearing an ID badge and you can ask to see this if it is not immediately visible.
Recommended walking routes on campus
If you’re walking across campus at night, we recommend you use the following walking routes that are fully lit:
Campus Security Walking Taxi service
If you don’t want to walk home alone on campus, you can call Campus Security on 01227 82 3300 and they can arrange for a member of Security to walk with you.
Look out for your friends and don’t leave anyone behind #StaySafe