Dr Todd Mei, Lecturer in Philosophy: Philosophy is commonly categorised as answering questions and then arguing or debating about what answers are better than others or more sufficient, but I think what also needs to be emphasised - and which is something we do here at Kent - is to allow students to ask or pose the right kinds of questions. Questions that are exploratory and open ended and what that enables a student to do is see things in ways they never thought possible before. So that allows for a kind of philosophy that is critical but also creative, which is informed but also nourishing.

Megan House, student in Philosophy with a Year Abroad: I love studying philosophy because you can study so many subjects within it. You can study philosophy of maths, philosophy of science, philosophy of sociology and you can really get a taste for a lot of different things, while still keeping within that subject.

Dr Todd Mei: We have a real passion for teaching and research and I think that is apparent in the kinds of modules we offer. So we have a wide variety of modules which include aesthetics, existentialism, epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of language, philosophy of science, philosophy of artificial intelligence, Ancient Greek philosophy. Students get exposed to different traditions and fields of philosophy in the first year so that in the second and third years they can choose where they want to specialise.

Megan House: One great thing about studying philosophy at Kent is that there is a real mix of the types of teaching you have. So every week you have your lectures but then you also have seminars which are an opportunity to get to know your lecturer and get to know your fellow students and learn to express yourself. For me that has been really useful because I was quite shy when I came here.

Dr Todd Mei: The University of Kent has a very gregarious atmosphere. They have a lot of student societies and the Philosophy Society is quite active and I know the students enjoy the philosophical discussions there because it is friendly as well as inquisitive.

Megan House: I chose to study at Kent because I absolutely love the campus. I think it is a beautiful place to study. It's a really nice atmosphere. Also I found when I came to Open Days the lecturers were just incredible, really friendly, really approachable and that has been true throughout all my years here.

Dr Todd Mei: I encourage every student I come across to really look into the year abroad.

Megan House: The best part of my course has probably been the opportunity to go abroad in my third year. I studied at the University of Paris, Sorbonne and just had an incredible time. It brought up my language skills and I found a whole different way of studying philosophy and it really opened things up for me.

Dr Todd Mei: Because you are asking questions about the nature of things or what it means to be human, it helps students gain an understanding or a grasp of what they want to do in order to lead a flourishing life. How to read critically, how to communicate with others, how to present an argument, how to try to defend an argument. So those kind of skills lead to all different types of career opportunities.
Megan House: The great thing about a philosophy degree is there are so many different things you can do with it. It is just so open and there are so many skills you develop that can be used in so many different jobs.

Dr Todd Mei: Believe in order to understand and understand in order to live. So I think philosophy gives one the ability to pursue that kind of investigation and understanding and so one can live a more meaningful life or as I like to say one can live a flourishing life.