Month: March 2018

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My King’s Experience- Anaelle Prioux

My name is Anaelle, but everyone calls me Ana. This year I was lucky enough to experience King’s College and the beautiful city of London. The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about my experience at King’s is the international environment. It would have been easier for me to stick with people from my country- France, but King’s has students from over 100 different nationalities, so I wanted to take advantage of having a multicultural university experience.

My closest friends were from Hong Kong, Singapore and Ireland. They’ve taught me how to make dumplings and speak rudimental Irish. It’s honestly a lot of fun to be around students from different cultures and it’s made my time at King’s a lot more enjoyable.

Another important aspect is that this international culture is also present in the academic life. When studying at King’s, you get professors and seminar leaders from all over the world who specialise in interesting disciplines and are able to teach you new perspectives. In the History department, there are a lot of non-Eurocentric modules about post-colonial Africa, early modern China and the African heritage of Latin American cultures.

So, what makes studying at King’s a good experience? The location of it’s main campuses. Waterloo, Strand and London Bridge are all in the heart of London, in bustling areas that are also close to major monuments and attractions. It helps with discovering the city, especially if you’re new to London like me! Trafalgar Square, the West End and the National Gallery are all around the corner from Strand and Waterloo. From Guy’s campus, you can easily pop to the Tate Modern, the Shard and my favourite- Borough Market with all the amazing food options it offers (I highly recommend Ethiopian Flavours and Luminary Bakery).

The last point I’d like to mention is the variety and quality of non-academic activities organised by King’s College London Student Union (KCLSU). King’s Sports runs a great programme called BeActive and organises sport sessions in badminton, yoga, football, basketball, running (and a lot of other activities). It’s been a really good way for me to stay fit without the commitment of a formal sports team!

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Undergraduate Summer School Modules in Maths and Engineering

Applications are now open for our Undergraduate Summer School in Maths and Engineering.

In Session One (2 – 20 July 2018) we will be running the Applied Maths: Understanding Engineering through Numbers module. This module is aimed at university students who are keen to improve and strengthen their knowledge of applied mathematics. The focus of this module will be on the application of mathematical methods to a variety of real-world problems from physics and mechanics. Previous mathematical and physics education will be expected. The course will be taught by Dr Jordi Alastruey-Arimon and Dr Peter Charlton from the Biomedical Engineering Department here at King’s.

Dr Peter Charlton explained his insight into the course: “The Applied Maths module provides an introduction to the mathematical techniques which are used to solve engineering problems. Students are given opportunity to put the techniques into practice by tackling real-world engineering problems, including a special focus on clinically-relevant problems in the field of biomedical engineering.”

In Session Two (23 July – 10 August 2018) you will have the opportunity to study Engineering: Creating Technologies that Help People. During this module you will engage in a project which aims to deliver a technical solutions to a challenging task, set by local community groups and NGOs working in sustainable development projects. You’ll learn how to undertake these projects, from the initial planning stages to the delivery of an appropriate sustainable solution, whilst learning to manage your time and resources. Dr Jamie Barras from the King’s Department of Informatics will be teaching this module. He has recently written an article about the module for our SummerTimes blog, which you can read here.

These modules are often taken for credit towards degrees at other institutions, and are examined to university standards. To receive credit for King’s summer classes, contact your home institution to ask them to award external credit.

You can submit an application for the Undergraduate Summer School now, and will have until 31 May 2018 to do so. If you have any questions about the programme please email us at summer@kcl.ac.uk. Alternatively, follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for up to date information about the Summer Programmes Team.

 

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King’s & Stemettes Inspiring A New Generation of Women in STEM

Summer Programmes is proud to announce a collaboration with Stemettes, an award-winning social enterprise focused on providing confidence, inspiration and guidance for young women looking to pursue subjects and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Female representation in STEM fields is low worldwide. In the UK, only 21% of the STEM workforce is female, and stereotypes about gender differences in STEM fields become entrenched in girls’ minds by the age of six.

To inspire girls in the UK and Ireland to dive into STEM, Stemettes was co-founded by Anne-Marie Imafidon in 2013, and since then over 17,000 girls have attended their events, and 95% of those girls have reported an increased interest in STEM fields thereafter. Although they’ve already had a significant impact in bringing more girls into STEM, they have aimed to reach two million more by 2025, and to see a STEM workforce with greater female representation.

Building on the Women in STEM initiative at King’s and our belief that girls and young women should be encouraged to pursue degrees and careers in STEM, we are delighted to be offering 10 tuition-fee scholarships this summer to enthusiastic and motivated students nominated through Stemettes. These students will ensure that 50% of our intake for the Engineering course is female. The course is part of our Pre-University Taster programme which is designed to prepare high school students for university life and offers a variety of subjects in addition to engineering such as law, politics, history and literature and science. It willrun from 6-9 August 2018 and applications will close end of May 2018.

For more information on Stemettes visit their webpage. In addition, further details about our Pre-University Taster can be found here.

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Summer Education Abroad- Berlin

Berlin’s combo of glamour and grit is bound to mesmerise anyone keen to explore its vibrant culture, cutting-edge architecture and tangible history. It is the capital of Germany and one of the most celebrated and renowned cultural epicenters in Europe.

This course is designed for King’s students studying a range of different subject areas. Students will discover the city of Berlin and explore how citizenship shapes how cities and communities are built and rebuilt through history. By joining this highly interactive, skills and knowledge-building programme, they will be intellectually stimulated and personally empowered.

We will be running two sessions in consecutive weeks, with 25 places on each course:

  • Session 1: 11 – 15 June 2018
  • Session 2: 18 – 22 June 2018

Participation in this programme is fully funded as part of the commitment to King’s institutional strategy to support the brightest minds regardless of background. King’s will cover all course-related content, economy return flight to Berlin, any local travel related to the programme and affordable accommodation in the city centre. Please see here for further information about funding eligibility.

The study tour will use excursions, museum visits and discussions with Berliners to offer expert insight into both Berlin’s past and its present, enabling participants to profoundly experience this dynamic city whose future will influence the development of the Western world.

The course will be led for the second time by Aida Baghernejad. She explained her thoughts in the upcoming Summer Times blog; “This course introduces you to dynamic people who have taken their life and their destiny into their own hands. It’s all about personal agency and responsbility; about not only dreaming of a utopia, but actually just creating it yourself.”

The deadline for applications is midnight on Sunday 25th March 2018. Students can apply online here. Please see the webpage for further application guidance.

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King’s Summer Scholarships

Given our partnership with UNHCR, King’s Summer Programmes is proud to be offering ten tuition fee scholarships to forced migrants from the UK and around the globe. These scholarships are for students wishing to study on any one of the following programmes: 2018 Undergraduate School, 2018 Pre-University Summer School, 2018 Pre-University Taster.

The term `forced migrant` is used as an umbrella term for the following immigration backgrounds:

  • Asylum seeker is someone who has lodged an application for protection on the basis of the Refugee Convention or Article 3 of the ECHR.
  • Refugee is a former asylum seeker person who has been granted refuge in a country other than their home country. They have been able to prove that if they are returned home, they will be prosecuted because of their race, religion, nationality, social group or political opinion.
  • Humanitarian Protection is given to people, if sent back, would face punishment due to a previously not mentioned case.
  • Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Child status is given in unique cases for children arriving to the country separated from their parents, for a limited period of time, usually until they turn 17.5.
  • Limited Leave to Remain (previously Discretionary Leave to Remain) is given for applicants with unique cases to remain in the UK for a limited period of time
  • Long Residence Status can be granted in case of demonstrating continuous residency in the UK for several years (sufficient length depends on age).

According to UNHCR statistics, only 1% of eligible refugees have access to higher education, compared to 36% of global youth. Higher education is a priority for UNHCR and forms an integral part of their protection and solutions mandate. The King’s Summer School is pleased to be involved in this partnership and welcome students to apply.

The deadline for this scholarship is 1 April 2018.  All scholarship applicants need to apply for the programme in the usual way and must fulfill our standard academic criteria. For information on how to apply for this scholarship please read the guidelines here. Good luck!