[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA][ITAL]This is Darling Buds country, full of hop fields, oast-houses and ruminating cows - [EITAL]the Garden of England. Well actually, Canterbury, an ancient city and the seat of the Church of England, has changed a bit since the days of Ma and Pa Larkin. [ITAL] Now it's the crazy paving in the Garden. It's still surrounded by rolling Kent countryside and little villages of pretty ivy-covered cottages. [EITAL]But nowadays, the city is a popular tourist centre. [ITAL]Trendy [EITAL]cafes and an increasing number of big chain stores have joined the long stretches of 13th and 14th century city walls to the south and east of the city. The University is 11/2 miles from the city, based on a very large campus (300 acres) with 4 University colleges. For those who like ornate architecture the University doesn't offer much. The buildings are a plain collection of redbrick, with more than enough concrete, set amidst a green and [ITAL]pleasantly [EITAL]landscaped campus ([ITAL]if a little bleak and isolated[EITAL]), with ponds, trees and [ITAL](improved, but still) poor lighting.[EITAL][HDNG]ATMOSPHERE:[EHDNG][PARA][ITAL]The collegiate system at Kent tends to encourage cliques and students remain faithful to their particular college throughout their University careers. However, the 4 colleges (each about 1,250 undergrads) aren't that different from one another and students don't normally express a preference in their application (nor is it a particularly good idea). Unlike most collegiate universities, the strength of the colleges and the Junior College Committees (JCCs - mini SUs) doesn't detract much from the University-wide Students' Union, except in providing additional amenities. Since many of the students come from the Home Counties, the majority go home at the weekends and campus life dies.[EITAL][ITAL][HDNG]THE CITY:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][ITAL][STAT][BULL] Population: 54,500 [BULL] London: 50miles [BULL] Dover: 14miles [BULL] Maidstone: 25miles[ESTAT][EITAL][PARA]Canterbury has all the local amenities of a city with [ITAL]the advantage of still being a small place amidst beautiful surroundings[EITAL]. Not least of these are the many historical buildings, the medieval city walls and the [ITAL]overbearing, but impressive[EITAL], ancient Cathedral. There has been a cathedral here (not the same one) since the end of the 6th century, staking an early claim to become the centre of the Anglican Church. Urban decay can be spotted on the way out of the city, although there's also a good deal of modern development and big chain stores based on the outskirts.[HDNG]TRAVEL:[EHDNG][PARA][BOLD]Trains:[EBOLD] The nearest station is Canterbury West, 1 mile from campus, with mainline connections to London (1:20hrs, 2/hr) and Dover.[PARA][BOLD]Coaches:[EBOLD] National Express services all over the country, including London (ú7, 1:50hrs, 10/day), Birmingham (ú16.50, 5hrs, 10/day), Bristol (ú19.50, 4:50hrs, 10/day).[PARA][BOLD]Car:[EBOLD] The A2 and, some way up the road, the M2 connects London with Canterbury while the A28 runs to the south coast.[PARA][BOLD]Ferries:[EBOLD] From Dover and Folkstone to France and Belgium[PARA][BOLD]Hitching:[EBOLD] [ITAL]The A2 and A28 should be good bets, but drivers are pretty possessive about their upholstery in Kent.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Local:[EBOLD] Buses from town to campus every 15 minutes and student bus cards are available.[PARA][BOLD]Taxis:[EBOLD] ú2 for the mile from the campus to Canterbury.[PARA][BOLD]Bicycles:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Many bikes despite the fact the campus is on a hill.[EITAL][ITAL][HDNG]FACULTIES and STUDENT NOS:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Humanities[EBOLD] 1,430[BOLD][PARA]Info Tech[EBOLD] 831[BOLD][PARA]Science[EBOLD] 527[BOLD][PARA]Soc Sci[EBOLD] 1,561[BOLD][PARA]Non-faculty[EBOLD] 24[HDNG]LIBRARIES and COMPUTERS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Books: 600,793 [BULL] Periodicals: 3,200 [BULL] Study places: 816 [BULL] Computer workstations: 1,600[ESTAT][PARA]In addition to the Templeman Library, the colleges have their own small collections and the University looks after the running of the Cathedral Library, which isn't available for general academic purposes. The campus computer network is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.[HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Careers Service [BULL] No of staff: 4full [BULL] Unemployed after 6mths (1992): 11%[ESTAT][HDNG]SPECIAL FEATURES:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL]The University is the closest to continental Europe, and includes a Channel Tunnel Research Unit.[PARA][BULL]The Unit for Space sciences had an experiment launched on the Space Shuttle.[HDNG]FAMOUS ALUMNI:[EHDNG][PARA]Kazuo Ishiguro (writer, Booker Prize winner); Wayne Otto (karate champ); David Walsh (historian of Nazi Germany).[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]Prospectuses for undergrads, part-timers and postgrads.
