Every summer has a story

Another Summer Programmes season has come to an end.

From now, those who studied with us are King’s alumni and part of the family so please keep in touch with us. We would love to know how your experience at King’s was.

What impact did it have in your life? Did anything change in your personality? Do you feel inspired to study or work abroad in future? What is your summer story?

Please share with any memories, stories and photos with us via email summer@kcl.ac.uk or tag us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Please don’t forget to complete the surveys that we sent, your opinion is very important to us.

Thank you all for coming and spending the summer with us.

A special thank you to our team and tutors who worked hard over the summer to provide a good experience to everyone.

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.

UK Summer classroom experience

Summer programmes are an amazing opportunity to have an educational experience in the United Kingdom. It can be different from other countries, and that’s what make it unique.

Classes are a mix of ways to learn, from academic sessions to tours, guest Lectures, case studies, debates, critical thinking sessions, workshops, but it also involves independent study.

We really encourage students to participate in classes, express their ideas and views, and share it with all their peers.

It’s not always easy to adjust to a new education system, but often it makes you see things from a different perspective.

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.

From London to Hong Kong

We flew from London to Hong Kong to bring a unique teaching experience to students at our hosting school, Singapore International School (Hong Kong). Here are some highlights of an inspiring week.

Students were introduced to the British way of teaching and they explored a range of subject areas, such as Biomedical Sciences, Business Management, Chemistry, Law, Politics and Engineering.

It was a great opportunity for them to have an international experience in their own country, and some of the students got excited with the idea of studying abroad in the future.

Professors returned fully inspired by the bright and motivated students that they met and came back with good memories.

Students attended special sessions on the British university application process delivered by our deputy director, Ian Fielding.

For more information on our pre-university summer programmes, please check our website.

(Summer) Time of your life

Summer has started in London and the temperatures this week are reaching 29 degrees. The Undergraduate Summer School will start next week and everyone in our team is working hard to make sure that you will have an unforgettable experience at King’s. By now, you probably have mixed feelings; excitement, worry, enthusiasm and a lot of other emotions. Some of you are travelling alone, some are coming from far away and some are leaving your countries for the first time. But you are not alone, we can guarantee that most of your fellow students are feeling the same way and you will see that once you get here and meet them.

This is a fantastic opportunity to learn from the academics of one of the top universities in the world, expand your knowledge in the subject area that you have chosen and experience the British education system. It is also a chance to explore London, meet people from other countries, get exposed to other cultures and get out of your comfort zone.

Studying abroad is a way to get inspired and to think about what you would like to do in the future. Most people who experienced studying or living abroad are likely to repeat the experience. It can have an impact on your future and certainly in your outlook on the world.

Remember that not everyone has this opportunity; to meet people from other backgrounds, cultures and countries, so make the most out of it!

Why not to take the first step to meet someone? If at any point you feel lonely, insecure or scared just get in touch with someone in our team and we will be here for you.

Now review your packing checklist, do some research about your subject and get ready to fly in to London.

Pre-University fun times checklist

The countdown has started! In less than a month, you will be in London having an unforgettable life experience on the Pre-University Summer School. Having the chance to be taught by King’s College London academics is a fantastic opportunity, and you should make the most out of it. London has so much to offer that we recommend you to make a list of the main attractions that you want to see when you are not busy with classes and studies. And don’t worry, London Eye, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, South Bank and the West End (an area of Central and West London where the main theatres are concentrated) are just around the corner from our campuses.

To help you prepare for your social experience, we have 20 tickets available for the musical comedy, Aladdin. Based on the Disney movie, it has been running in the West End since 2011 to raving reviews.

The dates and times of the show are:

  • 16 July 2018 at 7.30pm – suitable for session one students (9 – 20 July)
  • 31 July 2018 at 7.30pm – suitable for session two students (23 July – 3 August)

For further information and to book tickets, please click here.

We are also arranging day trips to the picturesque city of Oxford on Saturday 14 July and Saturday 28 July. These are fully escorted and guided tours on a private luxury coach. The day includes a walking tour of the historic city centre and what is considered a favourite tradition amongst students – punting along the river. For further information and to book tickets, please click here.

There is also the new Arcade Garden at Bush House, which is part of the Strand Campus, with free creative wellbeing workshops, including watercolour painting, mindful movement, garden workshops, breathful chanting and fragrance making. It is a perfect place for you relax, study and have a break. For further information about the workshops, please click here.

Now is the time to start making your check-list and booking everything you need before arriving, so you don’t need worry about anything apart from your studies and experience. Please visit our website for more social activities.

All you need to know about London

Public transport
Getting around London can seem really daunting at first, but don’t worry, you’ll soon get used to it. The first thing you should do when you get here, is purchase an Oyster card (unless you are a Pre-University Summer School residential student). This works on a pay-as-you-go basis, so all you need to do is top up at a machine (in a tube or train station) or online, when your balance is running low. Another way to pay for travel is to use a contactless card, which costs the same amount as using an Oyster. This means you have the added benefit of not having to worry about topping it up!

Both Oysters and Contactless cards are really simple to use on public transport. On the tube, trains and DLR, make sure you ‘touch in’ on the yellow reader at the start of your journey and ‘touch out’ at the end of your journey. If you’re taking the bus or the tram, you will only need to ‘touch in’ on the yellow reader once when you board. Also make sure you download a mobile app such ‘Citymapper’, as it is really useful for working out a route between two places.

Coffee and Culture
London is bursting with cool, quirky coffee shops and cafes, and some of the following parts of town are a great place to start: Neal’s Yard in Covent Garden, Pop Brixton, Brixton Village, Hoxton and Shoreditch. If you’re looking for other ways to spend your free time, head to Peckham, specifically Rye Lane for a unique and trendy part of London that is far off the beaten (and touristy) track! There’s also Richmond Park in South West London, a beautiful expanse of green space which is only 35 minutes from Waterloo on the train. The Southbank Centre, Somerset House and The Store Studios are all in walking distance of the Strand Campus and often have exhibitions and events on during the summer. 

Sight-seeing
Don’t forget about all of London’s famous sights. Just walking across Waterloo Bridge will give you an amazing panoramic view of some of them, but make sure you explore them properly. The London Eye, Trafalgar Square, St. Paul’s Cathedral, The Shard, London Bridge, The Tower of London and Tower Bridge are all close to two of King’s campuses – the Strand Campus and Guy’s Campus. Other unmissable sights in London include Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, The Houses of Parliament, Hyde Park and Regent’s Park.

Download the King’s Mobile app if you are already enrolled on the Pre-University Summer School and the Undergraduate Summer School. This app will provide information about summer accommodation, social and sports activities, advice and tips on your stay in London, as well as FAQs. To download the app, click here.

All about the Law

Deciding what course to take at university is no easy task. That’s why studying a Pre-University Taster course in Law may help students with their decision-making process.

Most students will choose law because they are interested in pursuing a career in the legal profession. Law is a demanding course and training places for solicitors and barristers are highly competitive and limited. However, for those with the right aptitudes and motivation, the rewards of a legal career can be great, both in terms of salary levels and personal development. Unfortunately, getting into the legal profession is very challenging; so many students do need to consider other options.

Happily, not only will a law degree provide you with access to a variety of legal careers, it will also give you an excellent springboard into a wide range of other professions. More than half of all the graduate jobs do not require any particular degree and a good Law degree will allow you to present plenty of important skills to future employers.

Through your analysis of case studies and other work on this course, you will become highly skilled in researching and assimilating large amounts of information and complex data. These are important skills in a vast range of professions in commerce and industry. You will develop very strong oral and written communications skills, which are needed by all employers these days. You will learn to approach tasks in a clear, reasoned and logical way, and you will become an effective problem solver.

This course will run in from 6 – 9 August 2018. For more information, please check our website, or email us at summer@kcl.ac.uk.

 

 

The Human Body

Anatomy and human physiology degrees are for those who are fascinated by the science of medicine. The Pre-University Summer School is offering a new course this year called the Human Body where you can learn about the structure of the body and how it functions.

You will gain an understanding of the cause, diagnosis and treatment of different diseases, and how they affect different parts of the body. You will also learn how these systems adapt to the different characteristics of hostile environments, such as temperature extremes, mountain altitudes, airplane cabins, space microgravity conditions, and future habitats on the Moon and Mars.

At the end of this course, you will walk away with excellent knowledge of how the body works, and relevant knowledge to support future study in the field of biomedical and life sciences.

The course will be running in both session one (9 – 20 July 2018) and session two (23 July – 3 August 2018). The application deadline is 15 May 2018, and early application is advised. For more information, please check our website.

When you enrolled on the Pre-University Summer School , you can download the King’s mobile app which provides information about summer accommodation, social and sports activities, advice and tips on your stay in London, as well as FAQs. This app will help you in your student journey and will allow you to have offline access to all pre-arrival information.