Category: Courses

Posted on

Four Things That Surprised Me About King’s Undergraduate Summer School

As someone with no background in law, I knew I was wading into the deep end when I registered for a module in international commercial law from King’s College London. I ended up being more than pleased with my experience. Here’s what surprised me:  

My classmates were from everywhere. 

I knew I wouldn’t be the only international student, but I didn’t realize just how global the programme would be. A few of my classmates were in the UK, but my module included students from multiple continents. Since many had studied law in different countries, we got to hear fascinating perspectives about how the law and legal professions differ across borders.

The level of my fellow students was super impressive. 

 The module I took was very challenging, but it was made easier by having committed and smart students to work alongside. Discussions during live teaching were always stimulating and clarifying. Students from many different points in their academic careers were all able to contribute substantively. 

The level of the instructors was amazing. 

My course tutors were eminently qualified in their field, both as practitioners and scholars. Rather than only teaching standard texts, as instructors of introductory courses often do, the tutors shared their expertise in their own specialties. We got to learn about cutting-edge research into emerging problems, such as regulation of blockchain currency in international finance. 

The tutors and summer team were able to use online learning technology very effectively. 

While it would have been amazing to study in person in London, I was surprised by how well the online platform worked. It was easy to navigate and kept all course materials organised. Even if the Undergraduate Summer School returns to in-person learning, I expect that the summer team’s ability to facilitate online learning will continue to benefit students. 

I felt nervous going into this programme, but my experience left me with no regrets. I wholeheartedly encourage prospective students to choose Summer @ King’s. 

– Matthew Waterman, Undergraduate Online Summer School 2021

King’s Summer Programmes will return for Summer 2022, find out more and register your interest on our website.

Posted on

Study Women’s and Child Health in London this summer

If you’re an early year medical student thinking of choosing obstetrics, gynaecology or paediatrics as a potential career choice then our 3-week Summer School in Women’s Health and Child Health could be for you!

Students will experience what it’s like to work in the pioneering health and research centres of Evelina Children’s Hospital and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals. You will have the opportunity to interact with consultants, junior doctors, nurses, therapists, specialists, patients, families and students from all over the world.

Our programme is a variety of interactive workshops, lectures, practical simulation classes and clinical attendance. Students are given the opportunity to use simulation facilities to learn important practical skills such as ultrasound, pelvic examination and obstetric palpation, prior to their clinical attachments in medical school.

Each student will be assigned a mentor group led by a final year medical student from King’s College London. Your mentor will give you guidance and support throughout the programme, as well as insight into what it’s like to study in London and work in the NHS.

Here’s a quote from a student who attended in 2018:

‘This summer school really helped me understand I chose the right career path. I used to have many doubts about my choice, but during the clinical attendance, when I met the patients and when I understood that, as a doctor, you can really make a difference in a person’s life, I felt the passion for what I am doing/studying inside of me, and I said to myself: “That’s it, I’m here, and I could never be anywhere else in the world. Medicine is my place’. – Martina Marrad

The Summer School in Women’s Health and Child Health runs between 1-19 July 2019, with the option to do the Summer School in Women’s Health from 1-12 July 2019.

If you would like more information please check our module page or email summer@kcl.ac.uk.

Deadlines for applications is 31st May 2019, applications can be submitted here.

Please note that applicants should be current medical students who have completed at least one year of medical study by the time they attend the Summer School.

Posted on

Ready, set, apply!

Whether you are still considering applying to our summer school or have started your application with us, we would like to share some tips with you to help you through the process. 

Our admissions team carefully considers each application with the same scrutiny and provides equal opportunities to every applicant. We aim to ensure that all our applicants are wholly committed to making the most of their learning experience at King’s, and so we ask of you to meet our entry requirements. Most participants in our Summer School are non-English speakers from all walks of life. To ensure you feel comfortable and can follow our classes with ease, we will ask you to meet a certain level of English.   

The application process can be long, so please read the application guidelines and have your documents ready to make the process easy. Have a look at the application guidelines here. We want to make sure that you meet our requirements while we have all the information needed to guarantee you support. 

Each programme offers two options, a residential pack (that includes King’s accommodation) and a tuition fee only, so when you apply you should choose the right option for you. If you apply to tuition only programme and now you would like to stay in our accommodation, please get in touch with us through King’s Apply account and we will transfer you onto the residential programme.  

Last but not least, the deadline for applying is on 31st May, but early applications are recommended. 

If you have any questions, our lovely admissions team can be reached on summer@kcl.ac.uk or if you have already started your application, you can message us through King’s Apply.  

Posted on

Calling all computer science students

Some exciting news to begin 2019 is the launch of the new Software Performance Engineering (SPE) two week short-course. Based on real-world industrial case studies, students will study three aspects of SPE: 

  • The theoretical foundations of software performance: how to model, test, analyse, and predict it; 
  • Tool support helping model and analyse the performance of new software products; and 
  • Methodological considerations, especially how to integrate a systematic SPE discipline into modern-day agile development practices.

We spoke with SPE Senior Lecturer, Dr. Steffen Zschaler, from the Department of Informatics at King’s College London who expressed his excitement about the course. 

 ‘Software is ever more important to every aspect of our lives. Issues with software performance can have huge impacts on people’s lives—for example, people have had their wedding plans thrown into disarray because failure of card-payment software system meant they couldn’t pay providers. Still, we continue to see reports of new high-level failures at a regular rate. Join us to learn how you can apply a systematic performance engineering process to avoid many of these problems in your own software development.’ 

Applicants should be current Computer Science students who have completed at least one year of study. The programme will run for two weeks, from 1-12 July and it is an opportunity for students interested in this field to further develop their knowledge.  

Do you want to know more? Please visit our website for more information about the programme.

Posted on

A taste of University life

Applying for university can be a daunting task. It helps to be well informed about your options by speaking with your career adviser, attending university open days and chatting with current university students about their experience.

If you want to take it a step further and discover what the life of a university student in London is really like, our Pre-University Summer School is for you. Designed for high school students in their final 2 years of study, it lets you study a subject at Undergraduate level for two weeks. So, if you’re unsure about what you want to study after high school, why not ‘try before you buy?’ It is also an opportunity to meet students from around the world and add studying at a globally-renowned and research-led university to your CV or resume.

Our Pre-University Programme Manager, Mina Chakmagi, agrees that the benefits of the programme go beyond the classroom.  

‘I love seeing just how much students gain from the Pre-University Summer School. It’s not only a chance to get a taster of their chosen subject at undergraduate level – a lot of the feedback I’ve received from students is about increased levels of confidence, independence, improved team-working and presentation skills and cultural awareness. These are all important skills to be able to draw on when making the transition from high school to further study and future careers. I would encourage anyone considering such a programme to apply and see for themselves what an enriching and fun experience it is.’

But don’t just take our word for it, here’s what Nina from the USA who studied The Human Body with us in summer 2018 had to say;

“This was one of the most memorable experiences of my life; the two weeks were filled with unforgettable explorations of London, friendships that will undoubtedly last a life time, and opportunities for learning both in and out of the classroom. Our professor was very knowledgeable and encouraged a classroom environment in which any questions and discussions were welcome. I entered the program with an interest in medicine, and after taking the class I could not be more certain that pursuing a medical career is the right path for me. London feels like a second home now, and I remain in touch with the brilliant people I met there. As I begin the application process to university, I realise how much King’s prepared me for future academic endeavours, and I am so glad that I participated in the programme.”

Want to know more about our summer school? Visit our website for detailed information. If you have any questions, please get in touch with us at summer@kcl.ac.uk.

Posted on

What can I study at Undergraduate Summer School?

The number one question we get asked is ‘What can I study at Undergraduate Summer School?’ so we thought we would give you the answer here!

You can choose from 15 modules, in each session, taught by our faculties and covering various areas such as:

Please visit our website to see the full list of modules available.

King’s faculty and staff ensure you experience our globally-renowned, research-led teaching through interactive seminars, lectures, group discussions, off-campus excursions and guest speakers across all modules.

So, if you love languages and have always been fascinated by the origins of some languages maybe Ancient Greek or Latin are the modules for you. Or, if your passion is in the arts and you would like to explore all the culture that surrounds London perhaps Museum of London: Curating the City is for you. Maybe you are thinking more globally, and this is just one of the many international experiences that you want to have. In that case, International Business, International Relations or International Commercial Law might be the modules that will open your horizons worldwide.

Finally, this is a great opportunity to get a taste of what University life in the heart of London is really like. If you are considering further studies in the UK or at King’s, why not try before you buy?

If you have any more questions you can always email us at summer@kcl.ac.uk

Posted on

(Re)start

Life is more exciting out of your comfort zone, when you challenge yourself, when you dream big and do your best to achieve your goals. Our Summer School is designed to do exactly that – educate, challenge and inspire you.

What are your intentions for this new academic year? What are you committed to do? What is your plan to keep your motivation through the year? Take time to reflect and plan.

That’s exactly what we are doing here at King’s. Watch this space for some exciting updates and the launch of our Summer School 2019.

In the meantime, good luck with your studies and start dreaming about London in the summertime!

Posted on

A taste of King’s

This summer, we welcomed more than 100 students on the Pre-University Taster summer programme where they explored subject areas such as Business, Law, Science, Engineering, History and Literature.

Our Science students visited the Science Museum with their tutor, Professor Thais Russomano and our Law students had a tour of the Royal Courts of Justice located five minutes away from our Strand campus when they were not in class learning about international human rights laws.

The Business students discussed entrepreneurship, marketing and operations and the History and Literature students explored London through an interdisciplinary lens combining themes from both subject areas. Meanwhile, the Engineering students built educational tools out of Lego with Dr Jamie Barras.
In addition to their classes, the students also had a chance to attend personal statement workshops, admissions talks as well as sessions led by the respective faculties and departments at King’s. They all received a certificate of participation at the end of the week and what we hope is a better understanding of what it is like to study a certain subject at university level. See you in the summer of 2019!

Posted on

Memorable 2018 Summer

This Summer is one of the top 10 warmest summers on record in the UK, according to the Met Office, which makes it already unforgettable for many people. But it is particularly memorable for our students who decided to take part of their summer holiday to learn, explore and go on an adventure to King’s College London.

To many people, that was the first time that they have taken a flight alone, travelled away from their countries, spoken English 24/7 and met people from so many countries in a short period of time.

No one can get bored in London, especially during summer, and it’s often difficult to choose what to do during free time.

Most of our programmes include excursions and tours which help our students to explore London attractions. West End Theatre, Harry Potter Tour, Imperial War Museum, Royal Courts of Justice and the Wellcome Collection are some of the places where our students have been.

The photos below will certainly be in our 2018 Summer photo album.

Posted on

Summer (time) flies

Time is flying, and while some students are starting packing to go home some are packing to join us for session two next week.

Australia, South Africa, Kenya, Mexico and USA are some of the destinations from around 90 countries that students are heading back over the next few days.

Spending a few weeks away from home could seem long but in fact once you get here it flies by and most people would probably like to stay longer. Hopefully some will feel inspired to return and spend a longer period at King’s.

During the last three weeks students had lectures taught by King’s academics, met industry professionals, had hands-on experience, worked in groups, went on excursions and of course explored London in their free time.

To those who are going back home, have a good journey back and keep exploring, and to those who are arriving in London this weekend, have a safe journey, we are looking forward to meeting you all.