Rumbling tummy? Andrew and Aitana give their suggestions…

For some of our incoming Study Abroad students, not having a meal plan included can feel a bit strange however it’s quite normal here at King’s!  The majority of our housing is self-catered, which means it’s now a good time to learn how to cook.  Or if you don’t want to cook, our Peer Advisors Andrew and Aitana have put together some handy guides at where to find some tasty food and snacks on and around campus.

Strand/Bush House

1. The Shack

  • Ground Floor, Bush House – you can see it from the outside on Bush House!
  • It’s a great place to grab a coffee, brownie, or a warm snack like a sandwich
  • They also have loyalty cards! If you get a loyalty card, every 9th coffee is free

2. The Vault

  • 1st Floor, Bush House – right opposite the King’s Kitchen!
  • If you don’t have much time and want to get something to eat on-the-go, the Vault serves warm boxed meals you can take with you which are – let’s be honest – a bit more exciting than a sandwich from the Shack

3. King’s Kitchen

  • 1st Floor, Bush House – right opposite the Vault!
  • This is the best place to get a warm, cooked meal without leaving campus. You can choose between European or Asian food, Pizza, or the Salad Bar
  • The prices are also very reasonable compared to spots not on campus, and the service is fast, so if you have a short break between classes, make sure to visit!

4. Food Trucks

  • Since Strand has become pedestrian-only, foods trucks have become regular visitors to the Strand and Bush House campuses!
  • Pass between the two between 11:30-15:00 and if there’s a truck around, consider getting a meal from there and sitting down in the new seating area or one of the many benches

5. The Arcade 

  • 1st Floor, Bush House (Southwest entrance)
  • Similar to the Shack, but a bit less peaceful and more fast-paced. If you want to get a quick snack and head off, or sit down to chat with some friends when it’s quieter.

6. The Roots Café 

  • Pair a great view with vegan food here on the 8th Floor of Bush House, or get a coffee and something sweet
  • The quiet atmosphere and easy access to an outdoor terrace makes this a great spot to study in peace or see London from above

7. Chapters

  • 2nd Floor of the Strand Building hosts Chapters, a café with a view of the river!
  • On Friday, the café serves Fish and Chips, and on other days provides a great range of both vegan and non-vegan warm food for less than £6 per meal

The Maughan

8. Rolls Café in the Maughan Library

  • 1st Floor, the Maughan Library
  • It also serves hot food, coffee, and has a microwave! Since you’re not allowed to eat anywhere else in the Maughan, you might as well head down and see what’s on offer!

Guy’s Campus 
The two most famous spots on Guy’s Campus are Guy’s Bar and The Shed 

9. Guy’s Bar/The Hut 

  • Between 12-3pm, the Hut provides warm food, grab and go options, and a place to sit quietly
  • After 5pm, Guy’s Bar opens – which serves a variety of alcoholic (and some non-alcoholic) drinks!
  • It’s definitely not a place to sit in and quietly study, but if you want to meet new people or have some fun with friends, Guy’s Bar hosts musicians, quizzes, and weekly club nights
  •  Check out the calendar to see what’s on!

10. The Shed 

  • The Shed prides itself on serving high-quality coffee and a variety of snacks
  • They also have a breakfast deal each day, so if you need to grab something before heading off to class, give the Shed a visit!

11. Henri’s Deli 

  • This spot can be found in the Henriette Raphael building, and operates in a way similar to King’s Kitchen, serving breakfast and lunch!
  • Opens from 8am to 4pm on weekdays

Waterloo

12. Bytes Restaurant/Cafe 

  • Located in the Franklin-Wilkins building, Bytes restaurant offers breakfast and lunch deals every weekday
  • It is also located right next to Bytes Café – Waterloo’s version of the Shack/Arcade

 

Global Mobility Experience Bursary: Student Success Stories

Kayva Kolli joined King’s from the University of Pennsylvania for a semester, and used her GMEB funds to explore her own culture in London.

My name is Kavya Kolli and I studied abroad at King’s College London from the
University of Pennyslvania. At my home university, I study the history of art and economics and was lucky enough to take classes in both realms during my time abroad. I took a leap of faith by applying to study abroad at King’s because I have always felt the need to constantly put myself in situations which would assist me in growing and gaining new perspectives whether it be cultural, academic, or geographic. King’s had all of that and more with a diverse student body population, class offerings that were well suited to people with a global mindset, and the flexibility to pursue extracurricular student organizations to become integrated with the greater community. Alongside this, I was in a community of like-minded individuals who were academically driven to pursue their passions.

Alongside my academic endeavors, I also wanted to utilize my time in London to enrich myself outside of the classroom. I applied the the Global Mobility Bursary in order to explore my cultural heritage in a new environment, travel to see art in its historical and cultural context, and network with professionals to help with my career. I was able to attend and meet other first generation Indians from England, assisting in my understanding of how our cultural differences are bridged by the similarities of our experiences. We were able to relate to one another and speak about how we used our heritage to create a community but also shared it with others whether it was through food nights in our KCL accommodations or cultural events thrown by the student societies.

During my time abroad, I was able to travel to ample locations and visit many museums in the meanwhile to continue my research on sub-Saharan African art and Grekko-Roman sculptures. I used the GMEB to solo travel to Paris, France on a solo trip since this city has incredible art collections. I visited the Louvre and spent the day speaking to a curator of one of the collections. Experiencing the art on my own allowed me to connect with the pieces and take time with each one I looked at. I was able to identify the artists’ intentions, the significance of them, and correlate my experiences to theirs. I also was able to see the curatorial preciseness utilized to give the viewers a specific experience. The presentation of the pieces was strategic in creating a story for the viewers to follow along with. Along the way, I grabbed some good eats and drinks such as authentic croissants and hot chocolate, all while speaking to tourists from another region in France about their experience growing up there!

Bonjour!

Another way I used the GMEB was to visit Southhall, a town in west London which is culturally similar to India and has a large Indian population. I got to speak to many of the shop owners about their own journeys to London and even brought my flatmates who came from different cultural backgrounds to share the experience with them. We ate food, drank chai, and tried on many dresses, such as lehengas, in order to create a versatile experience. I also was able to use a bit of my Hindi to speak to the shop owners about where they source their products from.

Cultures colliding

Last, but definitely not least, I took a trip to Italy where I visited Pompeii to first hand see a piece of art I was writing an essay about. I travelled with two study abroad friends of mine and gave them a gallery talk about the piece where I was able to see the implications of using specific materials and the incredible craftsmanship of the piece sustaining the volcano eruption. The beauty of seeing the piece in the context of where it was created, laid on the ground in the home
of a highly statused individual in Ancient Rome, emphasized the incredible feats of artistic progression. I was able to use the GMEB to help with entry into the park and the travel costs.

Beautiful ancient art
European history and culture

These experiences would not have been as easily accessible to me had I not had the opportunities to apply for the GMEB. I learned new languages, ate food from various regions, and academically grew my understanding of the fields I am studying in the classroom. I will take this with me as I continue my research and will continue to forge connections with my peers who may come from these different cultural backgrounds.

Global Mobility Experience Bursary: Student Success Stories

In our first blog post for our GMEB Student Success Stories, we hear from Barnett Yang who studied at King’s in January 2023.

Hello! My name is Barnett Yang, an exchange student from UC Berkeley in the sunny Bay Area of California. At my home university, I study honors computer science and mathematics, and I was an exchange student at King’s College London for the Spring 2023 semester. 

As a second generation Chinese-American immigrant, I have scarcely traveled out of America and China, and have consequently developed a curiosity for European history and culture. Since attending college, I have come to realize that the history of both mathematics and computer science are inexorably linked to the history of the United Kingdom—the former being steered by the likes of Isaac Newton and Andrew Wiles, and the latter by the likes of Alan Turing and Tony Hoare. In many ways, the United Kingdom was the genesis of the industrial, technological, and information revolutions that define our world today. The net consequence was the realization that, if I did want to study abroad, I most definitely would like to do so in London. 

Atop St Paul’s Cathedral

The Global Mobility Experience Bursary was a welcomed windfall, and the promise of the bursary is evident in its name: it gave me the mobility to explore my interests in London and Europe. With the bursary, I had the funds to travel up and down the island of Britain, from Edinburgh and Manchester, to Bath and Canterbury. I could satisfy my niche interests in Bletchley Park and the Bank of England Museum, while also being able to take trips to Paris, Rome, Stockholm, and Berlin. 

Exploring the Scottish highlands

Britain is an absolute treasure trove for any student of computer science. In the environs of London is the famous Bletchley Park, known as the home of the Enigma codebreakers during the Second World War. I had an absolute blast exploring Bletchley Park and its multitude of exhibits (reassured, of course, with the knowledge that the GMEB would assuage its relatively pricey entrance fee). For instance, while the most famous machine developed at Bletchley Park is the “Bombe”, it is not, in fact, a computer, but rather a machine designed to cycle through various settings of the Enigma machine. Perhaps more relevant to the development of computing, and yet less well known, is the “Colossus”, a machine built to decrypt the Lorenz cypher in the waning years of the war. Bletchley Park is also a place of pilgrimage for fans of Alan Turing. There is a plethora of exhibits detailing his contributions to computer science, such as the Bombe, his own codebreaking work, and the inception of the Turing Machine. 

And of course, I had to visit Manchester (via funds graciously supplied by the GMEB) and discover the city’s own contributions to computer science. It is well known that Alan Turing was based at the University of Manchester after the Second World War, yet I had little idea of the specific experiments and research conducted at the university. One example that I found particularly interesting was a machine known as the “Baby”. While the original machine no longer exists, a replica can be seen at the Manchester Science Museum.  

Visiting Bletchley Park

Ultimately, my time abroad was substantially enhanced both by studying at KCL and through the GMEB. London is a great launchpad from which to explore the rest of Britain and Europe, but it is a destination in itself and, I think, the most culturally and historically rich city in Europe while still remaining highly relevant in the 21st century. 

Global Mobility Experience Bursary: An introduction

The Global Mobility Experience Bursary (GMEB) was funded by the King’s Race Equity and Inclusive Education Fund with the aim of the Bursary to address the participation gap between students of minority ethnicities in Study Abroad activities – both in outgoing King’s degree students studying abroad as part of their degree, and in incoming students coming to King’s for a semester or year.

The Global Mobility Office awarded 20x £500 student bursaries to enhance student experience during Study Abroad activities in the 2022/23 academic year.  Students were required to submit an application and answer questions on their personal, academic and professional motivations to study abroad, their plans for how they would spend the money and how that would impact and enhance their study abroad experience.

By sharing student experiences on our social media and blogs, we hope to inspire those who are unsure whether studying abroad is an option for them.  We also want to show some of interesting, unusual and transformative experiences that were made possible by the Bursary.

So without further ado, we hope you enjoy reading our Student Success Stories that you will see featured in this blog!

Meet your Peer Advisor: Viola!

We have four brand spanking new Peer Advisors to help both incoming and outgoing Study Abroad students this academic year! If you’ve got a question for them, pop along to their office hours.

Viola will be in K0.57 on Wednesday mornings from 10:30 – 12:30.

Hello! My name is Viola, I’m one of the new Global Mobility Peer Advisors for this academic year. I’m a fourth-year student studying Management and Spanish at King’s College.

During my studies, I had the incredible opportunity to spend the third year in Madrid. I completed the first semester at Universidad Carlos III and the second semester interning at Bloom Consulting. My time in Madrid was absolutely amazing, and I would absolutely recommend studying abroad during your university years.

Paella – a must eat!

Studying abroad is a fantastic opportunity to broaden your horizons, experience new cultures, and gain a global perspective. It not only enhances your academic and language skills but also fosters personal growth and independence. Plus, you’ll have the chance to meet incredible people from all around the world, forging international friendships that last a lifetime

From my personal experience, I understand that studying abroad can come with some challenges. Adapting to a new culture, being far from home, and facing language barriers can be tough. However, the key is to stay open-minded, embrace these challenges as opportunities to grow, and connect with fellow students and locals. You are not alone in this incredible journey, as many students are going through the exact same experiences. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you ever need a chat or advice.
If you’re an incoming student at King’s College, here’s some advice to kickstart your university journey. Firstly, don’t miss out on the opportunity to join our numerous societies; it’s a fantastic way to meet people who share your interests, broaden your horizons, and even enhance your CV. Beyond that, don’t forget to explore the vibrant city of London and make the most of the incredible cultural experiences it offers.

Some of my favourite places to explore in London

Speaking of London, when it’s sunny one of my favorite activities is picnicking in Hyde Park or St. James’s Park, where you can enjoy nature in the heart of the city and spend quality time with friends

Additionally, I highly recommend wandering through Notting Hill, especially exploring the vibrant Portobello Road Market. It’s a treasure trove of unique antiques and vintage finds. Lastly, remember to strike a balance between your coursework and self-care – this is key to a successful university life. Enjoy your time at King’s and make the most of every moment in this incredible city!