Pre-University Summer School 2017

Untitled design 3The King’s College London Pre-University Summer School is back for 2017. High school students who are in their final two years of study will have the opportunity to take part in this unique academic and social experience, whilst living and studying in the heart of London.

The Pre-University Summer School will run from Sunday 23 July to Saturday 5 August 2017. The summer school is designed as a two-week residential experience, with students living in King’s College London accommodation. But non-residential place are also available if accommodation is not needed. The dates for the non-residential programme are Monday 24 July to Friday 4 August 2017 (Mon-Fri only).

Students studying on the Pre-University Summer School can choose from five exciting courses; Business Management, Law, Medicine, Politics and Psychology. For more information on each of these courses please see our website. The courses have an interactive approach and may include discussion groups, seminars, simulation games and Q&A sessions. Students will also enjoy at least one excursion, which is designed to complement classroom study.

Applications are now open for this intensive two-week programme, where students will enjoy combining academic classes, excursions, university preparation advice and wider skills sessions. You will have until 31 May 2017 to submit an application, although we do advise students to apply early.

If you have any questions about the Pre-University Summer School please do get in touch. You can send us an email or speak to someone from the team on live chat (you can find this function on our website). Or if you’re on social media send us a message on either Facebook or Twitter.

Summer 2017- Applications Now Open

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We are pleased to announce that applications for our 2017 Undergraduate and Pre-University Summer Schools are now open.

Our Undergraduate Summer School in London runs in two sessions. Session One will run from 26 June to 14 July 2017 and Session Two will begin on 17 July and end 4 August 2017. You can choose to study with us for three weeks in either session one or two, or study for six weeks in both sessions. Choose from a range of Business, Law, Health, Governance and Culture modules, take a look at our What Can I Study page for a list of modules.

Or if you’re looking to gain a summer school experience in India, we are offering you the chance to study International Relations and Marketing Management in Delhi. The course will run from 29 May to 9 June 2017.

The Pre-University Summer School programme will run from 24 July to 4 August 2017. Students can choose to study Medicine, Law, Politics, Business Management or Psychology for two weeks. This experience will deepen your subject knowledge and give you the opportunity to test out a new discipline.

Applications are open now and you will have until 31 May 2016 to submit an application. If you have any questions please take a look at our programme specific FAQ pages on our website. Or if you would like to speak to someone from the Summer Programmes team you can send us an email or talk to us on Live Chat.

My Summer At King’s- Lucie Škopková

Lucie

This year marked the second time that I have attended the King’s Pre-University Summer School. After last year being such a wonderful experience I could not resist to come back.

During this year’s programme I have been studying Politics. I have never before engaged myself in this subject, and so I was hoping that by the end I would gain a detailed insight and overview of the subject. My expectations regarding the subject were exceeded throughout the programme and I have left feeling confident about the course and with plenty of information I would be able to use when deciding about my future studies at university. The Politics course was based on interactive lectures with student-led discussions and various small in-class projects and presentations. These activities allowed us to develop in terms of teamwork, presentation skills, but most importantly made us feel as if we were studying the subject under university conditions. In addition to our lectures and in-class activities we have visited the Houses of Parliament and the Imperial War Museum. Both of these trips were interesting and very enjoyable additions to our chosen subject. Overall, the course has been very well balanced, which encouraged our enthusiasm to participate and enjoy the academic experience.

The Pre-University Summer Programme also comprised of a social side. The ambassadors have organised a few icebreaker events for us to be able to interact with students we may have not yet been able to come across.  Then there was the day trip to Leeds Castle and the closing boat party, which were both very relaxing and pleasant activities where we could have fun and spend more time together before the two weeks came to an end. During the two weeks we have lived in flats with assigned pastoral ambassadors. It was amazing to see that by the end of the programme the flats were more like small families who would gather every evening to discuss the day and just chat around. It was lovely to meet so many new and unique people from all around the world and get particularly close with the students from my flat who will remain very close friends, as the plans for our reunions are on the way and being constantly discussed.

King’s has opened its arms and welcomed me for the second time and allowed me to gain such an unforgettable experience one more time. Studying a university subject, receiving additional talks on ethics and university related aspects, meeting amazing people and being able to live in a vibrant city like London for two weeks has made me a more confident, open-minded and enthusiastic person for which I am overly thankful. The Pre-University Summer School has been an authentic, dynamic and memorable experience full of engaging events and extraordinary people. It has been a privilege to be able to spend these two weeks in such a special way.

My Summer At King’s- Nicolás Bertoni

Nicolas and friends

This summer I had the pleasure of spending two weeks at King’s College London for their Pre-University Summer School programme. A perfect combination of stimulating academics, engaging activities and great geographical location, truly made this one of the best experiences of my life. I enrolled in the Business Management course and found it to be both engaging and informative. The academic experience was enhanced by the interactive teaching methods and expertise of our tutor, Michael Bedward, whom I’d like to thank for a truly enriching two weeks.

Throughout the course we were exposed to some of the material which would be covered in an undergraduate management course, and therefore took a peek at what awaits us after high school. It was therefore a useful experience for those who still need to decide what course to take at university, for it allowed the students to have first hand experience at what an academic lecture at university would entail and what sort of material would be covered.

This was also true for the non-academic aspects of university life. In fact, we were all based on one of King’s five campuses, and therefore got a taste of what university life at an urban campus would be like. King’s location in Southbank (central London) was also a determining factor in making these two weeks truly wonderful. In fact, all five campuses find themselves in the heart of London, therefore allowing the students to truly live and appreciate the city. Since London offers a plethora of activities and sites to appreciate, King’s location was perfect and it allowed us to truly enjoy our stay. Finally, the best aspect of my experience at King’s was being around students who share the same passions as I, and who strive to become contributing members of future society.

The fact that many different countries and cultures were represented at the summer school further allowed me to broaden my cultural horizons and gain new understandings about people and communities that are different from mine.

Overall, my time on the 2016 King’s Pre-University Summer School was a once in a lifetime experience!

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.

 

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.

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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