Summer School alumni – Page 2 – King's College London Summer Programmes

June 23, 2016June 17, 2016

Throwback Thursday: King’s College London Undergraduate Summer School

Untitled design My name is Chih-I. When I was a King’s College London Summer School student in 2010, I was only 19 years old. I decided to spend the summer at King’s for several reasons.

First, I intended to improve my English by fully immersing myself in an English-speaking country. Second, King’s was reported in the year to be one of the top 25 universities in the world. For a student like me who cares so much about the teaching quality and the academic environment, King’s immediately attracted my attention.

Moreover, the campus as well as the accommodation provided were just perfectly located in the city centre: close to Covent Garden, the Strand Campus was also three-minute walk from Temple Station; the accommodation on Stamford Street was next to Waterloo Station, one of the London underground hubs, which enabled me to reach anywhere in the shortest time. Finally, considering the diverse backgrounds of the student group at King’s Summer School, I knew that I would be able to meet people from all over the world, each one with different culture and life experience. This has definitely constituted an ‘added value’ for my King’s Summer School experience.

Although I majored in Law in my home university, I decided to study musicology at King’s Summer School. Studying musicology does not mean to learn to play an instrument, as opposed to what one may think. Musicology is the scholarly research on music, a branch of humanities. In the three-week course, we addressed various issues regarding the interaction among music/art genre/style, political environment, and urban development in London. Outside the course, we went to up to 5 or 6 concerts/shows/musicals in the evening. We then discussed some of the artistic elements in these performances with reference to what we had talked about in the seminars. As for my final essay, I explored the self-identity of different personas in Pucini’s opera ‘La Bohème’ in relation to the socio-economic context in Italy in the 19th century.

The summer school has exerted positive influence on my later life in different aspects. First, it allowed me to know better the higher education system in the UK, particularly in terms of types of supervision and support one student can receive from the professor. It was from that moment that I came up with the idea to come to the UK for my master studies. The experience of living in one of the biggest cities in the world was marvellous, needless to say.

However, the best part of the summer school, in my opinion, was that I have made friends from all over the world: France, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Russia, Taiwan, and the US, to name only a few. I have been able to keep in touch with some of the friends since the end of the programme, and have managed to pay them a visit in their countries, despite the distance. Some of them even helped me enormously with my master thesis. The wonderful fruit of our friendship was something that I did not anticipate before starting the programme at King’s.

Six years later, when I recall the old college days, I cannot help but be amazed by how the Summer School has strung our life together. Thank you King’s for creating such a superb memory in my life!

By Chih-I CHANG
Current MPhil student in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics at the University of Cambridge

May 13, 2016

My time at the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Summer School

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As a final year medical student I was due to spend Summer 2015 on an elective in Belize. When this fell through at the last minute I ended up doing my elective in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at St Thomas’ Hospital. Following this I was invited to be a mentor in their summer school alongside 5 other final year students.

The summer school took place over five days, with each mentor being assigned four students. On the first day of the summer school we mentors taught the students basic obstetric and gynaecological examinations and skills. The students were then given a timetable for the rest of the week where they would attend clinics and theatre to get an idea of the specialty. In addition to their time spent in the hospital, we asked the students to prepare a very brief presentation on something about the course that they had found particularly interesting. The students presented these to the mentors and course organisers on the final day of the course and we had a small ceremony where they received certificates for their participation.

The course proved to be a valuable experience for both students and mentors. As mentors we got to experience what it feels like to be responsible for a group of colleagues, trying to ensure that they got the best learning experience they could. This wasn’t always easy due to the busy nature of obstetrics and gynaecology, but for the most part we managed to make sure everyone got to experience all areas and had an enjoyable time.

It definitely made me personally appreciate how much work goes into organising our medical course and develop a new respect for the people who do so. For the students, the course gave them an excellent insight into a new specialty, with the chance to practice skills that most don’t get the chance to learn until 4^th year and the opportunity to practice their presenting skills which are a big part of medicine.

Overall the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Summer School proved to be one of the things that turned my makeshift elective in the UK into a really enjoyable and worthwhile experience I would highly recommend it to both those interested in being a student or a mentor.

By Isabella Fernandes

April 28, 2016April 26, 2016

Literature in the City

lit in the city

It has been six months since studying at the King’s College London Undergraduate Summer School. However, every time I think of my fantastic experience my heart is still filled with pleasure. What I acquired there was not only the learning experience in class, but also living independently in a foreign country. Life in London taught me new ways to express myself, as well as gaining courage to turn my classmates into friends.

The course I studied in King’s was Literature in the City, which focused on reading and discussing the literary materials related to the city of London. In the Chinese-speaking culture I am used to, the tutor would directly and exactly tell students what the writer wants to claim in the literary pieces; however, things were totally different here. What you thought about the reading materials and how to share your own opinions to the classmates were important. We were divided into small groups, trying to reach mutual understandings, convincing our peers and being convinced.

Besides the discussions in the classroom, we had paid many visits to the spots where literary episodes were based on. Including the house Yeats lived in and the enclosed underground tunnels that people lived during Blitz. What’s more, we also took a boat down to River Thames, the river that exists in almost every narrative of the city, and embracing history and innovation at the same moment. I still remember my tutor, George, a young and amiable scholar who was always analytical and calm in the classroom, became animated when we were travelling down the river.

I have some glorious and unique memories from my stay in King’s, forever printed in my mind: the sunny weekend in Hampstead Heath, loitering in the many museums and cathedrals. The most impressive was my encounter with an old considerate British gentleman in Royal Albert Hall, who helped me kindly with every detail so that I could enjoy a concert.

In the opening event of summer school, the speaker once told us that all of us had the equal chance to build connections with others and make our time during the summer school remarkable. Fortunately I had made the best use of my time during the summer and thankfully I seized the chance to join in with all of the activities, earning myself a brilliant time in London.

Yun Lin, Undergraduate Summer School 2015

March 30, 2016March 30, 2016

Our Summer School Experience

Pre Arrival

March is an exciting time of year for the Summer Programmes Team. Spring has finally come to London and we’re receiving lots of great applications to our Undergraduate Summer School.

And just before we begin welcoming a new cohort of students, we thought we would share with you some thoughts past students have had about studying at the King’s College London Summer School…

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“Getting to go behind-the-scenes at the Museum of London in Curating the City has illuminated the process by which curators tell stories through objects. This study of material culture will enhance the way in which I think about texts as objects to be scrupulously analyzed. My tutor was not only kind and relatable, but also passionate about the subject matter and engaging as an instructor…”
Anna Mukama, Summer School 2015

Untitled design 3 “I have been involved with King’s Summer School for the past 3 years, doing courses ranging from History of Medicine to Neuroscience. I daresay that I am a veteran in terms of King’s Summer School, and what really kept me coming back were the impeccably planned lessons and the wide range of experience that the lessons bring for me.” Hsiu Yen, Summer School 2013-2015

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“My experiences at King’s Summer School are certainly ones I will never forget, to say the very least. Coming here, I didn’t have many expectations, but I have learned far more than I could’ve ever imagined. I have learned about London, and the UK as a whole, both in and out of the classroom.”
Samantha Birk, Summer School 2013

Untitled design 4 “When I was accepted to study International Human Rights Law at King’s College London, I was so humbled because it was an opportunity to study at a world-renowned university and in the centre of a global metropolis in a cohort of other like-minded yet diverse people…I am so grateful to have been a part of this incredible experience. Every day of Summer School has, without a doubt, helped me to grow and pushed me to better myself. ”
Jordan Soresi, Summer School 2015

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“I think if there’s one thing that the King’s Undergraduate Summer School has done for me, it’s broadened my perspectives. The various performances, galleries and historical sites we visited on our city walks provided the perfect backdrop for our learning and really helped me understand my course content on a deeper level… The insight and encouragement I’ve gained from my teachers and other students alike have really been invaluable…”
Lauren Reid, Summer School 2015

And this is just a handful of our happy Summer School students. So if you’re looking to have a memorable summer, studying in the heart of London submit your application to our Undergraduate Summer School now.

September 22, 2015

Anis Syed: Negotiation, Strategy & Skills

The Kings College Undergraduate Summer School is definitely one of those experiences that I would cherish for a lifetime. From having an exceptionally good tutor to meeting people from all over the globe, the journey has been self fulfilling in all ways.

I took the module Negotiations: Strategy and Skills and I feel the topic couldn’t have been taught in any better way than it was.Learning theories in the first part of the class and then applying those while negotiating our cases through the second half helped us understand the subject in so much more detail. The short course of 3 weeks definitely delivered a lot more than expected.

What made this experience awesome was meeting great friends at the summer school. They were the best co travellers you can have on a journey. With them, I believe the experience was a lot more than just having fun, I learned a lot about life, about different cultures, lifestyles and the main lesson of “adjusting” with different people. And now when I reflect back, I can evidently see a transformation in myself.

Anis Syed

May 1, 2015

Shakespeare in London

During the reign of Elizabeth I, London was at the centre of a burgeoning literary and theatrical culture whose influence is still felt to this day. William Shakespeare made the journey from Stratford-upon-Avon some time in the 1580s and became a member of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later the King’s Men; their principal playwright by the time the first Globe Theatre was completed in 1599. Across the river from the main commercial city, the Globe was a centre for entertainment alongside the bear-baiting pits and brothels of the Southwark ‘Liberties,’ but the theatre was also a place for a wide range of contemporary concerns to be disseminated and explored: the power structures of the Tudor and Stuart monarchies, the early forays of colonialism, nascent capitalism, shifting gender politics and the aftershocks of decades of religious conflict.

Today, Shakespeare’s influence is still felt in London: from the genteel Victorian theatres of the West End, where famous actors such as David Garrick, Edmund Kean, Henry Irving and Ellen Terry made their names with iconic interpretations of Shakespeare’s characters, to the National Theatre established in the 1960s where the relationship of Shakespeare to British identity is still being negotiated, to the reconstructed Globe theatre a stone’s throw from the theatre’s original location. At the Globe, modern audiences can encounter Shakespeare in an approximation of its original form. In 2014 the new Sam Wanamaker Theatre opened: a Jacobean-style indoor playhouse where candlelit performances of plays by Shakespeare’s contemporaries take place in conditions similar to those of the earliest indoor playhouses.

The Shakespeare in London course at King’s is an opportunity to explore both: the historic context of Shakespeare’s work in early modern London and the long shadow of his continuing influence on the modern city. We will attend a variety of performances: Elizabethan-style performance at the Globe and contemporary adaptations, taking advantage of the varied theatrical landscape that London has to offer. We will trace the remnants of Shakespeare’s city in contemporary Southwark and the evidence of his later influence elsewhere in the city. Lectures will provide background and explore three of his plays in some detail, both in their original context and in subsequent adaptations, and interactive seminar discussions will explore issues related to these texts, including gender, genre, politics and religion. We will discuss the ways that these plays communicate the major political and social concerns of their era, and consider the ways that their meanings have been deployed, inverted or appropriated in four hundred years of performance. This year, the plays we focus on will be Twelfth Night, As You Like It and Macbeth.

Join us in London for an in-depth engagement with Shakespeare in the city that made him famous. For more information visit http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/summer/programmes/undergraduatesummerschool/modules/kingsculturallondon/Shakespeare-in-London.aspx

Please feel free to contact us with any questions at sarah.barnden@kcl.ac.uk and miranda.thomas@kcl.ac.uk

We look forward to working with you in July.

Sally Barnden and Miranda Fay Thomas

Tutors

March 31, 2015

Secrets & Spies: Modern Espionage and Intelligence

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London has been at the centre of a web of global espionage for over 100 years. The work of British officers and agents in every corner of the globe helped build the British Empire, and later supported the soldiers, sailors and airmen who fought in the World Wars. Throughout the last century the secret services struggled against terrorists at home, and international competitors abroad. This mission continues today.

Most of those who risked life and limb in the spying game did so in secret, but on this course we will cast a light on their activities. Driven by a variety of lectures, seminars, and exercises, students on this course will be immersed in the secret world.

Based a short walk alongside the river Thames from the iconic headquarters of MI6, King’s College is a world leader in the study of intelligence in war and peace. Its scholars have pushed the boundaries of the subject, writing ground-breaking books on British, US, and Chinese spy agencies, on intelligence and terror, on cyber-spying and cyber-war, and on privacy in the digital age.

Together, on this course, we will observe how intelligence and spying has developed globally over the past century and beyond; we will examine how it is used and abused by politicians, from Churchill to Obama; we will question how it is used in combating the terrorist threat; and we will discuss the implication of developments in spying and intelligence for each of us in the future.

We will open locked-doors, and gaze inside the top-secret world. Doing so, and asking the difficult questions, has never been more important; be part of the debate at King’s College London Summer School 2015.

Dr Huw Dylan

February 28, 2014February 28, 2014

My Summer School experience: Anton Kryvoshlykov

‘My remarkable journey with King’s College started in November 2010, when I was a foundation student in Queen Mary University of London. I attended a University Fair and came across the King’s College London Summer School prospectus. Upon finishing my IFP programme, I accepted an offer from the Law School in Southampton University. I had little knowledge of the peculiarities of the English legal system and of what common law is in general, consequently, I have decided to get some background before engaging into actual law studies, and by that time it was clear to me that King’s is the place to be if you want to do Law. I applied for two sessions: An Introduction to English Legal System and European Union Law, the latter being a compulsory module for all the major UK universities. As it turned out this decision was one of the most crucial in my life.

The first thing to strike me was obviously the position of the campus, centered at the heart of London, surrounded by major political and legal institutions such as Westminster, Royal Court of Justice and Inns of Court, the location truly provides the spirit of vibrant political and academic community with fundamental constitutional cases decided just across the street. Moreover, living in King’s accommodation in Stamford Street, while having classes in the Strand Building, I enjoyed the picturesque walk across the Waterloo Bridge every day.

Fleet Street in London. Picture: Ingrid Raussman.

King’s College is well known for its academic excellence and I was fortunate enough to experience it first-hand. The first session, An Introduction to English Legal System, provided me with the much-needed explanation of the basic concepts of English law, and legal systems in general. The programme successfully combines the academic analysis of the law as well as its practical side (so it’s not just dry discussions all day long) with visits to all main legal institutions including the Supreme Court, Royal Court of Justice and Old Bailey. I would like to highlight the admirable devotion of the course leader, Dr. Thomas McManus, who offered an unparalleled guidance and insight into the legal profession, being a practitioner, himself. The course denoted to the Study of the EU law was an important experience as well, providing a valuable overview of the differences in approaches to the law-making between the UK and the European Union. This programme also included lively discussions on a large variety of topics ranging from the specific EU Directives to the more abstract issues such as the position of human rights within the Community Law. Generally the both sessions were more than useful experience for my future studies in Law.

The knowledge I have acquired in Summer School gave me a sufficient head start in the Southampton Law School, where I proved myself as a strong LLB student. However I was so fascinated by the manner of teaching in King’s that I have decided to reapply for the first year again. I cannot possibly describe my feelings when I have received a UCAS update stating that King’s College of London had given me an Unconditional Offer. So in 2013 I entered the main hall of Strand Building as a proud King’s student.

My journey continues, and this summer I am planning to once again join the ranks of the Summer School Students, undertaking the session in Secrets and Spies: Modern Espionage and Intelligence, hoping that it will provide the necessary introduction to the subject to study as a MA student (Intelligence & International Security).

October 11, 2013October 11, 2013

My Summer School experience: Nuralyah

Nuralyah Razali at King's — Nuralyah Razali at King’s

‘Hi! My name is Nuralyah Razali and I am a year 3 bio-medical undergraduate from the National University of Singapore. A year ago, my family and I visited London for the Queen Diamond Jubilee. My parents wanted to give me an opportunity to see and experience the everyday life in the UK in hopes that I would like to study here in the future.

Fast forward to the following year, I came across the Kings College Summer School website by chance and found out that King’s is a partner school with my university, the National University of Singapore. I’ve always had plans to pursue a post-graduate medical degree in the UK and I felt that King’s offered a really good programme which I hope to apply to in a few year’s time. King’s is not only a highly respected and reputable university for bio-medical research, but it is also the largest healthcare education center in Europe.

Coming from a science background, I wanted to study something that was related to my course of study but also had a historical aspect because I love reading about medieval medical history. That is why I decided to apply for the History of Medicine course at King’s. I believe that learning the history itself will provide me insight on how to better the lives of others through future medicine and clinical research, which I hope to be part of in the near future.

Nuralyah outside Guy's Hospital — Nuralyah outside Guy’s Hospital

Imagine people running against you, the wind blowing with temperature of 18 degrees every morning, yet you get to feel the comfort of the sun rays while enjoying the walk down to school! On the left side is the panoramic view of Westminster, the London Eye, Big Ben and the River Thames. On the right, you get to see the Southbank, where locals do street performances like dancing, playing the guitar and even selling potted plants in small cute mini gardens by the river.

Small vans selling the finest Danish ice cream, Belgium waffles and hot dogs. Little kids playing bubbles while their parents have Twinning tea for brunch at the cafes: these are the many sights that I get to see while walking to school.

On the first day of school, we made our way through crowds of Summer School students from over 90 universities from around the world, got our timetables and headed to the auditorium for a welcome speech. I felt butterflies in my tummy the whole time, especially the part when the speaker welcomed ‘students from partnering universities: National University of Singapore’. I was about to stand up and wave for a standing ovation! We met Dr. Anna who was our professor for History of Medicine, along with the smallest group of students in a course – 6 of us to be exact. We had classmates from the USA, Bulgaria and Saudi Arabia, and amongst them were PHD students in Philosophy and History of Medicine and undergraduate in medical or pre-med school.

The first session was really mind opening for a science student like myself in the sense that we get to read Shakespeare and were allowed to express our ideas on pictures of early Modern Europe-dating back to the 16th century. What I found most peculiar personally is that whatever explanation or reasoning I shared with the class, there was no wrong or right answer to the theory imposed. I felt really at ease in class and as the days went by I began to feel less afraid to share my own thoughts and views.

We got to discuss primary sources of Vesalius, Galen, poems from the 1500s, and stories on how the medical market was so busy with quacks trying to sell off their goods (black market of the medical industry in Europe). The great thing about studying history in London is that it really IS the place to study history: not only did we have class activities; we visited museums like the Hunterian, Gordon and Florence Nightingale Museums. Every single museum has its own murky past to tell but what was common between all these museums is that they helped to mark out and define what the medical industry we see today is about. We take for granted the difference between a physician and a surgeon, the Christianity-era influenced background of the professionalism of a nurse, how hospitals back then only admitted the poor… how then did everything change to what it is today?

We ventured through the dark halls of Gordon Museum where we got to browse through ancient medicine books dating back to 1400s. Books in the past were made of copper-based material, and it was a very chilling yet wonderful feeling to be able to hold the finest medieval books of the ancient Roman and Greek history.

The Summer School also offered a social programme during the weekends which I was thrilled to be part of and to be able to get to know the other Summer School students. It also gave me a chance to learn and be exposed to the rich and diversified lifestyle that the UK has to offer to a student.

The first weekend we had a boat trip from Westminster all the way to Greenwich and back. There was music and good food, and the company was simply lovely; getting to know each other better under a wonderful panoramic sunset view.

The following weekend, I signed up for the trip to Oxford and Windsor. Our tour guide was like a walking encyclopedia! It was a lovely day exploring two of the most magical places in UK.

The loveliest memory that I will always hold dear to me is that I celebrated my 21^st birthday on the 14^th of July while studying at King’s! AND I MET NATALIE TENA who acts as Osha in Game of Thrones and Nymphadora Tonks in Harry Potter series!! I took the time over the weekends and after school to explore different parts of London, browsing through street markets and tasting the local delicacies.

During my stay at London I constantly update my personal blog http://aleejustsaid.blogspot.com and I recommend anyone who intends to go on a KCL summer programme would do the same thing to! I hope to come back to King’s one day in the future. It was the best summer experience of my life and I know that there are many others out there who would love to have had the same experience. The most important thing is to be brave, be bold and take the time to discover yourself in the three weeks!

Thank you King’s for providing a platform for us to share our wonderful experiences! Am already missing the school adventures!’

September 27, 2013October 11, 2013

My Summer School experience: Hafezah

After another wonderful summer, our students are back at their home institutions. Hafezah from Brunei, who was one of our my #kingssummer winners, shares her experiences with us:

“I’ve always wanted to go to King’s College London as the university is very well-known for its academic excellence and its perfectly convenient location – at the heart of London! I planned on continuing my post-graduate at KCL so last Autumn when I was browsing through KCL’s website looking at the available courses the university offered, I came across a section about the ‘Summer School’. I was intrigued but what really caught my attention was the fact that the summer school offered a short Shakespeare course, a course that I’ve always wanted to study again but couldn’t because of my current degree. I simply couldn’t pass on that opportunity so when the application to the Summer School opened, I applied right away without hesitation! I can now say that it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

When the 30^th of June came, I arrived at the Stamford Apartment, one of the student accommodations for students attending the KCL Summer School, without any idea of what to expect. My doubts were cleared when I entered the Franklin-Wilkins building the following day, along with other students, for the registration and orientation. Shortly after the lunch break, the first class started and this was when I got to meet my classmates for the first time. My class consisted of 14 other girls so initially I thought the small size could be beneficial to my learning experience as class discussions could be made easier.

hafezahview — One of Hafezah’s entries for the my #kingssummer competition.

Walking to class was one of the highlights of my summer school! Let me explain – because I lived at the Stamford Apartment, every morning from Monday to Thursday I had to cross the Waterloo Bridge to get to class. From the bridge, if I were to look to my right I could see some of London’s landmarks like the London Eye as well as the House of Parliament, and to my left, I could see the National Theatre among other tall buildings along the South Bank. This isn’t something I could do everyday so that to me was phenomenal; the view was simply breathtaking and I couldn’t have asked for a better start to my day. Covent Garden, a popular shopping and tourist location, is only less than 10 minutes away from the Strand Campus too!

As a student of the Shakespeare in London course, aside from the walking tours around places near the Strand Campus and visiting near-by museums, I loved the fact that we got to watch Shakespeare’s plays being performed live on stage. Out of the three plays we’ve watched (Macbeth, the Taming of the Shrews, and Romeo and Juliet), my favorite would most definitely be watching Macbeth at the Shakespeare’s Globe.

What was unique and ‘special’ about this particular play was that we had to stand throughout the entire play. Although having to stand for over 2 hours out in the open may sound tiring, it was the fact that we got a sense and feeling of how the audiences back then might have felt when they watch plays being performed; it was interesting and exciting at the same time! In addition to that, the characters’ performances, the way they delivered their lines, the music and the way they attracted with the audience – it was all incredible.

hafezahscript — One of Hafezah’s entries for the my #kingssummer competition.

Overall, attending the Summer School has exposed me more to different cultures and different landscapes while gaining new skills – such as knowledge and research skills. I also learned how to think critically and deeply through the course. I found the teaching to be of a very high standard – Sarah, my tutor, and the other guest lecturers she invited to class were always ready to lend a helping hand. I felt that spending a part of my summer break studying abroad has helped me grow as a person and broaden my horizons; I got to travel and had a more complete cultural immersion experience at the same time. What I loved about being a part of the summer school programme was that I felt like I got to experience the real ‘London’ in just a short amount of time; from crossing the Waterloo Bridge almost every morning to getting coffee at Cafe Nero or Starbucks before class started, as well as making our way through the crowd and busy London streets to get to the tube stations for our class trips.

Most importantly, any Bruneian student who is able to put on their CV that they have studied abroad in a prestigious university like KCL is at a great advantage in terms of impressing the people working with Brunei’s Ministry of Education as well as future employers. KCL’s Summer School has taught me to become more independent; living in London and being an alumni of KCL with the Summer School programme was no doubt an opportunity of a life time – it was incredible how much a place and the people can have an impact on me.”

Thank you so much for letting me write a little about my summer school experience!