By Puja Gurung, Msci Mathematics, Department of Mathematics
Having moved to England, Carlisle (the true North) to be precise, from Hong Kong in 2009 was one of the biggest shocks of my life. Exchanging the hustle and bustle of a city to the vast amount of greenery with not much to do was not ideal. That is when my journey began as I aspired to move to London as soon as possible; and this is when King’s stole my heart.
Since I had already narrowed down that I wanted to move to London for university, it was now time for the excruciating task of finding the right fit for me. When you are 16/17 years old, where you will be living and spending most of your time for the next 3/4 years is a massive decision.
Fortunately I was lucky enough to attend most of the open days of the universities in London and amongst them all King’s stood out for me.
We all know King’s is one of the best and prestigious universities in the world, has a plethora of famous alumni, fantastic employment statistics and so on; I mean it is hard not to when it is plastered everywhere. However learning about a student’s point of view was also very important to me. During the offer holder day I remember I spoke to student ambassadors that studied Mathematics who were able to give me a detailed insight to the course. They also emphasised the sense of community instigated by the KCL Mathematics Society. As a Mathematics student at King’s, you are automatically enlisted as a member of the society. Just as much as they attempt to make sure that you have a good time socially by organising loads of events, the community that exists amongst the students is also very nurturing academically, as the students are always open to help each other through different platforms such as the Maths groups on Facebook.
King’s also provides a healthy balance between the social and academic life of a student. Along with the remarkable teaching ongoing at the campuses, the student union also consists of fantastic societies and sports clubs. If you want to explore further or if none of the sports clubs or societies were your cup of tea, the fact that you are based in the heart of London means that you will have no excuse to run out of things to do; as cheesy as it sounds the world truly is your oyster and there is something for everyone! With the three main campuses spread out (30 minutes walk max.), you will definitely find yourself familiar with most of central London by the end of your degree and trust me there is plenty of things you can do around here! From trying out all the different food in the food markets to visiting the world-famous landmarks; and if you are not feeling too fancy, a walk down South Bank is free with a gorgeous view all the time (except when the British weather takes its toll). You will genuinely never be bored during your time at university; you will more likely be upset that you have work to be doing (which you ALWAYS will be, trust me) rather than being able to explore the city.
Overall my decision to pick King’s was due to a number of factors ranging from the academic reputation to the opportunities provided by both the University and its location. As I am arriving closer to the end of my four year journey at King’s, I can definitely say I made the right decision.
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