By Will Alsagoff, MEng Electronic Engineering, Department of Informatics
Life before university is simple: you go to class, do some extra-curriculars and enjoy the ride. But then you get thrown into the world of adulthood, and you realise that things are bound to change. It’s one thing to know that you like a certain field of study and excel in it. However, achieving balance in your life might pose a challenge especially if you’re doing a science course. Being at King’s can help you with that.
It’s hard to form an opinion of a university if you’ve not studied there before. If you go to any institution’s website or open day, there will always be effort made to make sure that everything looks spick and span. But I think if you look at where their students end up, you can get a good idea of how the institution and its locality have played a role. Some research into King’s job prospects for graduates will tell you that we are a top university in that aspect – I think that’s crucial. A few months into your time here and you might understand why that is the case. Also, I’m just putting it out there that if you are applying for any informatics course, that’s where the money is.
You might have the notion that London is an awesome city: pretty buildings, polite(-ish) people, employment opportunities, brilliant transport network… but most importantly, let’s not forget the river Thames. You can take in its view after a long day at uni. Personally, it was a good reason I chose King’s. If you look King’s up on a mapping application, you’ll notice that it is stark in the middle of London, at least the Strand campus is. It’s right by the Thames. I don’t know about you, but not being surrounded by buildings on all four directions of the compass was a huge plus for me back then.
Being in central London, there will be many things that motivate you. There are countless ways you can relax if it’s not your day at university. The West End is perfect for all sorts of therapies: retail, food, theatre and nightlife. If you’re the quieter type, there’s always the river or many of London’s parks which are not too far away. Since the Strand is in between the West End and the City of London, you will develop a strong sense of identity being here. At one end, you have a window to the world for you to discover your tastes. On the other, you have all these people in their thirties clad in expensive suits trooping to work. I like to think this offers a strong sense of purpose, as if your role actually matters to society.
If you have firmly decided to choose King’s, you can expect a wholesome experience once you’re here. Informatics can be a challenging field, but being at King’s will make sure you have an informative and enjoyable time throughout your course.
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