20 years ago

A warts-and-all account of student life has been sanctioned at the University of Kent. Its latest prospectus includes in-depth interviews with two students who take issue with the "glossy, self-congratulatory advertisements" that other universities produce. In a resume that covers every aspect of student life, they explain that tutors expect people to contribute in seminars "but are not looking for great displays of knowledge". Lecturers, they say, can be "stimulating or very dull" and that while enthusiasm for one's subject is a must "slavish devotion to study is distinctly out of fashion in Kent". Roland Hurst, the university's information officer, said: "It is a sensible, sober, honest account. We resisted any temptation to edit out any awkward passages ... honesty has become an alien concept in too much public relations nowadays. It's surely long overdue for a revival."