Month: September 2016

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My Summer At King’s- Ivana Skenderska

Ivana Blog

Attending the Pre-University Summer School was an opportunity for me to get an early insight about the degree I would like to pursue at university as well as the industry I consider for my future career path. During the course I was able to explore not only numerous aspects of Business Management in the heart of London which is just a stone’s throw away from the City (one of the biggest financial centre’s worldwide) but also to improve my “soft” skills in terms of presenting or conflict management.

Moreover, at King’s I had the chance to interact with various people coming from truly international backgrounds. This collaboration let me build strong friendships for the future and get to know students from all over the globe. It helped me also to understand how to work in diverse teams and how to overcome the individual or cultural differences between the members in order to complete successfully and on time our group assignments. In my opinion this skill is really significant if an individual is considering making a career in business or any other related sphere and I am happy that the course offered me the opportunity to further develop it.

As a student at King’s I could explore as well first-hand the stories of two young entrepreneurs which for me was one of the highlights of the program. These were guest speakers who explained what it takes to be successful in terms of star-up companies in the real world judging by their own experience. Therefore, the meeting helped me to get a clearer image of how I can set up my own business or deal with the difficulties on the way to success. I also learned the importance of networking in the business world as a tool for building contacts and connections to people that might be useful for my professional development.

To sum up, being a student at the Summer School for two weeks gave me a taste of what is like to be at university and to live in London. The time at King’s passed quickly, but during the program my perspective changed thoroughly. Now thanks to the Pre-University course I am sure which degree to choose at undergraduate level and what kind of career will suit me the best.

I am looking forward to coming back to King’s and putting in practice everything that I learned from this action-packed as well as fun Summer School experience.

 

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An Interview With Instagram Competition Winner Adrian Moftakhari

Summer School Image

Adrian Moftakhari was a student at this year’s Undergraduate Summer School and was the winner of our ‘Summer at King’s’ Instagram competition.

So please tell us a little bit about yourself.

How could I define myself… ? mmh well that’s a good way to start this interview! I would simply say that I’m Adrian, a Swiss/Iranian bloke studying law, dancing tango and painting soon to be masterpieces when my nose isn’t buried deep into textbooks… I’m also a big fan of beers and coffees (especially when the company’s good!) astronomy and theatre. As a Swiss guy, I love skiing, cheese, chocolate and great watches (how typical…), but I can only afford the first ones haha!

This year I’ll be turning 22 and should have the first part of my studies in the pocket: the Bachelor’s degree. I’ve done all my studies in Switzerland so far, except for a couple of months Down Under to learn English when I was 17 (if you haven’t been there yet… you’re really missing on something pretty sweet!); I do hope I’ll be studying abroad again soon, it’s always a great adventure.

You’ve studied at King’s College London on the Undergraduate Summer School. What made you decide to pick King’s and the module you studied?

I’ve known King’s College London for a couple of years already, a friend of mine was studying there at The Dickson Poon School of Law and I have to say that it was really tempting. At the time I didn’t have the grades to get into King’s, I didn’t work hard enough in college. So I’ve always wanted to give it a try later on. My current school, the University of Geneva, offered its students scholarships for a couple of summer schools around the world; this included King’s, so what better way to finally try it?

What brought me to King’s in the first place is its marvellous reputation around the globe as a Law School as well as its location- the heart of London,  a city I’ve been fascinated with for a long time. So this Summer School gave me the chance to 1) study at King’s for a while, 2) live in London for three weeks and be able to see what it’s like (oh and it’s awesome by the way), 3) acquire some valuable knowledge on a specific subject.

This subject was “International Commercial Law”, as for now I haven’t had any class on the subject back in Geneva, so it was a great way to discover that branch of law. I wanted to know how international commerce was legally covered and I think that this class gave me a pretty wide and complete overview on the matter. I’ve broaden up my legal knowledge a little bit and I now know that it might just be something I’m interested in for my future. Those kind of classes let you discover things you might just not have the possibility to back home or back to your university, so it really was something good for me I think as I’ve always been interested in the matter.

What have been the best parts of studying at King’s this summer?

There was no BEST PART, I can’t choose anything as everything had value in its own intricate way. Of course I met great people there, made heaps of new friends and some of which I’m still in contact with every day. Sad thing is they all live pretty far, but it’s not that bad as I have a place to crash wherever I go now. I think meeting people is one of the core aspect of a summer school, if you don’t do so you’re definitely missing something, because they are what is left when you go back home and will always give you a big heart-warming feeling linked to your souvenirs.

But it has also been a time for me to walk around by myself, to take the time to get lost in London, immerse myself in the different cultures of the city and breathe in all it had to offer. Actually, definitely not all, there’s so much to do all the time, this city is alive and moving fast, very fast. Coffee shops have been a daily routine, check out the Fleet Street Press Coffee (on your right to the way to the Maughan Library) as I’m a big fan of flat whites, always a sweet way to start the day.

London is a town of culture, which means that you have to go see some shows and visit a couple of museums at least, so I’ve done that. But if you know some locals they’ll bring you to the “tourist free” spots of town and that’s where you finally get to see some real London, from the little bagel places to the hidden parks and the best spot for a sunset over the Thames… there’s plenty of things to do outside of the official guide. So yeah… so many great parts came with this summer school, and that’s without mentioning the actual studying and all the partying.

What will you take from your experience here at King’s back to your home institution?

This class has given me an opportunity to get a little extra experience in my curriculum vitae as well as general knowledge on the matter of commercial law. It was not easy even if we did not go too far in the subject, so much had to be covered. But now I know what it is about and will be able to continue my studies with a better understanding of what I want to do in the future. There is so much fields of law you can specialize into, and it’s all very broad, so you’d better know what you want early because studying it will take you a couple of years. So now I know a little bit more, my choices will be taken a little bit more enlightened.

What have you been up to since leaving King’s?

Since I’m back I’ve taken a week off with a visiting friend, but otherwise I was doing an internship in a law office in Lausanne. It’s now over and I have about a month left until the classes start again so I think I’ll allow myself some time away from the studies as I think I’ve done enough for one summer!

For those students considering studying at King’s for the summer in the future what advice would you give them?

Choose a course that suits you and that will actually bring you something in your future, all classes seem interesting but do some research before on who is teaching you and what it really is all about. But in the end, you’d better take some extra days before and especially after the classes so that you can have more time to spend for a last party or museum tour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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My Summer At King’s- Alexandra Blanter

Alexandra

In all honesty, I started off my two weeks at King’s a little shy, a little introverted and very uncomfortable. The idea of speaking in front of fifty people, of being thrust into a group of teenagers and being expected to mingle, was terrifying to me, and as anybody in my psychology class could tell you, my motto for the first couple of days was “hide in the back” and hope to be spared of the awkward small talk.

The thing about small talk though, is that it wasn’t as terrible as I thought it would be. All I had to do was start. After taking an embarrassingly long morning to muster the bravery, I said say hi to my desk partner, and next thing I knew, I was being introduced to people from Taiwan, South Africa, Dubai, Poland, Romania; people from all over the world. I even came across a guy my age who had been living twenty minutes away from me for the past 16 years.

Psych

And as cheesy and cliché as it all sounds, the next two weeks were probably some of the most memorable and impactful I’ve ever had. Coming from a small school and never having studied psychology before, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. What I got was an hour of meditation (yes, as a class), the opportunity to hold a human brain, which was strangely more exhilarating than I thought it would be, and a whole lot of talking about people and their minds. Without exaggeration, I loved every day. While I came in being unsure about my future prospects, I left almost positive that I wanted to pursue psychology.

But if I had to leave King’s with just one word, that word, I think, would be grateful. While at King’s, I realised that my life could, in fact, reach beyond just high school, that there were possibilities and opportunities waiting for me outside those that I had come to know at home. Meeting my teachers, my ambassadors, people from all over the world, allowed me to see a glimpse of what, if I worked hard, my future could become, and it was a future that I couldn’t wait to be a part of. I grew and I broke out of my comfort zone. I gave an oral presentation in front of my class and, surprisingly, didn’t die. I wrote a paper and, surprisingly, won a prize for it. I started conversations with people I didn’t know, and now we relentlessly poke fun at each other’s Facebook photos and send each other Snapchats while sitting on beds 3000 miles apart.

So yeah, you could say I’m pretty grateful.

Alexandra Blanter

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Instagram Competition Shortlist

A few weeks back we announced the winner to this year’s Instagram competition. Adrian’s photograph was snapped whilst cruising the River Thames and was chosen as the winner, by the Summer Programmes Team, from 335 entries.

As promised we wanted to share with you the other amazing photos from the competition that made the shortlist. And here they are..

Cake

portobello

oxford street

Bus

Pose

Blackfriars Bridge

Somerset House

KCL

KCL View

Regent Street

St Pauls

carosel 1

Bridge 2

Kelly BlogJumpBridge

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Life Lessons From London

When Jullian and I parted ways in the Heathrow Airport that morning, she was in tears. We were the last two of the 2015 Fulbright five to fly out of London. As I hugged my best friend goodbye, unaware of when I would see either her or London again, I wondered why the tears did not come. To my surprise, both my return to London and the tears came a year later.

Since receiving the Fulbright Summer Institute Fellowship to study at King’s College London, I have successfully completed my sophomore year at Washington and Lee University and worked as a human rights intern at the Equality and Human Rights Action Centre in Cluj-Napoca, Romania this past summer. My experience as a Fulbright Summer Institute Recipient allowed me to realize both goals.

At the beginning of my sophomore year, having just returned from an amazing summer abroad, I found myself experiencing reverse culture shock. I wondered how I could be homesick for London after visiting for only three short weeks. I was yearning for the freedom and creativity London offered and the sense of purpose with which I was filled as a Fulbright Summer Institute Fellowship Recipient.  I came to realize that I could still embrace these newfound parts of my identity on Washington and Lee’s campus; and perhaps this is what the Fulbright Commission meant by having “a plan to give back to your home country upon returning.”

I was able to give back to my home country upon my return by keeping in mind three key life lessons I learned while in London.

Lesson 1: London showed me that so many beautiful things have already been created, and there are so many beautiful things I have yet to create.

Able to call myself a Fulbright Fellowship Recipient and King’s College London alumna, I found myself empowered upon my return home. After witnessing all the world had to offer, I finally decided to shed my self-doubt and embrace my ability to contribute to the world as a global citizen. This desire to contribute manifested itself as an attempt to bridge the gap between students on my campus. With the help of a group of talented individuals, I co-founded and now co-direct Friday Underground, which is the first sober social alternative on Washington and Lee University’s campus since the institution’s founding in 1749. Because of the leadership skills I refined in London, I was able to create something bigger than myself. Friday Underground, a weekly coffeehouse event that offers both a platform for student artists and a space for cross-cultural dialogue, is uniting Washington and Lee’s campus and will continue to do so even after I graduate.

Lesson 2: “The essence of intercultural education,” according to Senator Fulbright, “is the acquisition of empathy – the ability to see the world as others see it, and to allow for the possibility that others may see something we have failed to see, or may see it more accurately.”

Senator Fulbright’s quote, which is meant to be a guiding principle for any individual chosen by the Fulbright Commission, reminds me to prioritize empathy and humility above all else. While at King’s College London, I practiced humility and exercised empathy by prioritizing the voices and opinions of my classmates, many of whom were not native English speakers.

To lead is to listen. This skill I embraced in lectures and class discussions once back at my liberal arts institution in the states. I led in the classroom not by dominating the conversation but by offering an encouraging nod or a kind smile to my fellow classmates.

Lesson 3: Profoundly master the art of human connection and take seriously your role as a cultural ambassador.

Because my experience as a Fulbright Summer Institute Recipient gave me the opportunity to travel abroad for the first time, or dip my toe in the pond if you will, I had the courage and curiosity to take the next leap and travel to Romania as a human rights intern this past summer.

It is crucial to remember that it is not the place but the people who matter most. Last summer, in a city as diverse as London, I furthered perfected my ability to engage with others. And still today, I take seriously my role as a cultural ambassador by making it my goal to profoundly master the art of human connection. For me, this means talking to strangers with genuine interest and finding the value in each human being.

I am grateful for the opportunity I had to return to London, if only for a weekend, while working in Europe this past summer as a human rights advocate. While in London, I explored the city again with Emily, a dear friend and fellow 2015 King’s College London Fulbrighter; I met Hannah, a new friend and 2016 King’s College London Fulbrighter; I visited my old King’s College London classroom and wrote a letter to Victoria Carroll, my brilliant King’s College London Professor; and, finally, that morning before I said goodbye to London again, I held my Caffè Nero coffee cup in hand as tears of gratitude rolled down my face and the memory of strolling down the streets with my best friend Jullian, on my very first night in London, played in my head.

Until next time, London,

Kassie