King's College London Summer Programmes – Page 7 – Stories from students and staff on King's summer schools

October 5, 2017May 10, 2019

My Summer at King’s: Louise Peart

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Summer soon came around and before I knew it I was in a car headed to London to start my two weeks at the King’s College London Pre-University Summer School. Although not wanting to admit it, I was absolutely terrified- the thought of being thrown into a university-style course with complete strangers and expected to socialise filled me with anxiety, and I soon started to question precisely what I had let myself in for. What if nobody talked to me? How will I understand the content of a medicine course when I’ve only just taken my GCSEs? And, most importantly, what if there’s no WiFi?

These thoughts were immediately swept out of my mind the moment I walked into the Stamford Street apartments. I was greeted by ambassadors in orange t-shirts who welcomed me with huge smiles, and helped me take my luggage to my flat. They took the time to speak to my family and assured them (and myself) that I would be fine. After spending some time unpacking, I decided to take the plunge and knocked on the door of my neighbouring room. We managed to skip the awkward small talk and in fact learnt that I had visited her hometown in the US just two summers ago. We now Snapchat every day and are constantly having discussions of our reunion.

Without sounding cliché, the next two weeks were, without question, the best two weeks of my life. Coming from a small school I rarely have a chance to meet people my age from such an international background, but by the end of my time at King’s I had formed special bonds with friends from all across the globe. This gave me a taste of what studying at such an internationally renowned university would be like, and it is something that I cannot wait to be apart of. Academically, the course provided a very stimulating introduction into Medicine, through lectures, seminars and clinical skills sessions. At the beginning of my two weeks I was unsure whether medicine was for me, however now I am almost certain that I want to become a doctor.

I would whole-heartedly recommend this course to anyone who wants to make the most out of their summer, and spend two weeks exploring London- which I have come to adore. The hardest part was saying goodbye to my new friends, who almost felt like family, however I left with the confidence of knowing what I want to study, where, and perhaps most importantly, a set of friends for life.

September 14, 2017May 10, 2019

IB World Student Conference 2017 Highlights

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This summer we were the proud hosts of the International Baccalaureate® (IB) World Student Conference. From 6-12 August students from around the globe studied the theme, ‘Well-being in a healthy world: personal responsibility and global health’.

During their time with us students were treated given talks by a number King’s faculty; Dr Jamie Barras from the Engineering Department, King’s entrepreneurs and Professor Anthea Tinker. As well as this they heard from an external relations officer for the UNHCR UK team.

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It wasn’t just academic talks that the IBWSC students took part in. On the first full day of programme it was out of the classroom and into London for a Sherlock Holmes Walking Tour. And lunch time was full of activities too with optional yoga lessons and a running club- which ended up in a group photo side the Houses of Parliament. A photography scavenger hunt along the Southbank and a goodbye party (with added Krispy Kreme’s) were some of the social highlights from the programme.

August 24, 2017May 10, 2019

Undergraduate Summer School Students- What’s Next?

Many congratulations and thank you to those of you who attended the King’s College London Undergraduate Summer School this year! This blog post is to update you on the next steps and what to expect over the next few months.

August
Examiners will have begun marking your work, and if you have met the minimum attendance you will be sent an official Record of Agreed Results (a transcript of your grades). To make sure this is sent to the right place please check that your home address is listed correctly on your Student Records account. If not, please log into your record online and edit the address by Sunday 27 August.

September
You should be able to see your assessment results on KEATS by the very end of this month.

October
Record of Agreed Results (a transcript of your grades) sent to your registered postal address by the end of October. You will be sent one copy of your transcript from King’s to the address you have supplied us in your original application. If you would prefer for this to be sent directly to your home institution please ensure this information has been updated fully in your King’s student record. You can visit our e-store via the King’s website if you need to purchase additional copies of your transcript.

November
If you are interested in coming back to King’s – the 2018 Summer School programme will be available to view online from the beginning of November.

We hope you have enjoyed your Summer School experience and we hope to see you again in the future.

August 10, 2017May 10, 2019

My Summer in Berlin with King’s- Maxine Yu

Untitled design This summer I was lucky enough to go to the amazing Berlin with King’s. It was an experience packed with excitement, fun and wonder. Every day was filled with activities that brought us closer to the history, culture and the people of Berlin.

I particularly enjoyed the bike tour around the city, although I had somehow managed to crash a stationary bike, we were taken on a journey of Berlin’s most iconic buildings and structures. The relaxing feeling of the wind blowing in my hair and the slightly panicked feeling of biking on the opposite side of the road, combined with astonishing views was what made it a unique and special experience for me.

Of course it wasn’t just the places we saw that made this trip such an experience, it was also the wonderful people that we met. Journalist and Editor, Gerd Appenzeller that told us about the reconstruction of Berlin, Integration Commissioner, Katharine Niewiedzial whom spoke to us about Berlin’s migration policy and Berlin’s most popular blogger, Mary Schweppes and her adorable dog that discussed Berlin as a European centre for the worlds young.

Not only did we get to learn about Berlin but we got to fully experience it, the food was delicious and it really brought us closer to Berlin as well as to each other. Whether it was the cutest bagel cafe, the sausages in the street stalls, or waiting in line for 2 hours for the world’s best kebab, some of my fondest memories were when we were relaxing and having fun as a group.

From the funny traffic lights to the unforgettable memorials, my favourite moment was when we were walking down the East Side Gallery at sunset, admiring at all the skillful street art. Watching the blazing sunset by the river, and taking a thousand pictures with everyone, it was a perfect last night in Berlin.

I had made some unbreakable friendships, travelled in time, from before World War II to modern day Germany, and made memories that I will cherish and never forget.

July 21, 2017May 10, 2019

Summer School 2017: Session Two Highlights (Part One)

Hello from everyone in the King’s College London Summer Programmes team. This week began with welcoming our Session Two Undergraduate Summer School students, as well as over one hundred students who are studying on our JESIE programme.

We’ve held our second Instahunt, chatted with students at the welcome event, explored Trafalgar Square and attended a performance of Much Ado About Nothing with our Theatrical London class at Shakespeare’s Globe.

So here are just a few photo highlights from this week of the summer school. And if you you want to keep up to date with the goings on at the summer school you can like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and find us on Instagram.

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July 7, 2017May 10, 2019

Undergraduate Summer School 2017: Session One Highlights (Part Two)

Hello from everyone at the King’s College London Summer Programmes team. Today marks the end of the second week for our Session One Undergraduate Summer School students.

This week has been full of lots of exciting activities, both in and outside the classroom. We’ve held an Arts & Humanities, Law and Business careers panels- where professionals from those industries came in to speak to our students about their industry. Our Summer School promotional video has also been filming in and around campus, capturing students in the classroom and outside of it during their module excursions. And finally we’ve also had our Boat Party along the River Thames.

June 30, 2017May 10, 2019

Undergraduate Summer School 2017: Session One Highlights (Part One)

Hello from everyone at the King’s College London Summer Programmes team. This week signalled the start of our Undergraduate Summer School, and believe us it’s been a busy one.

We’ve welcomed hundreds of students, held our very own Instagram style scavenger hunt and began the first week of classes. Here are just a few photo highlights from this week of the summer school.

May 22, 2017May 10, 2019

Berlin Summer Study Visit- Update

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We wanted to give you an update on our Berlin Summer Study Visit, which will be running from 3-7 July 2017. Details on the itinerary and accommodation have now been confirmed, and what’s more we have now streamlined our application process.

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. Itinerary highlights include:

Walking city tour of 19^th century Prussian Berlin
Lecture delivered inside the 1936 Olympic Stadium looking at the impact of Nazism on Berlin
Visit to the Holocaust memorial and a study of the fates of the Berlin Jewish community post-1945
Study of ‘two Berlins’ during the Cold War and how attempts have been made to reconcile these two identities and economic realities since reunification
Talk and Q&A on the 21^st century Berlin migration policy and challenges/opportunities with Berlin City policymakers
Visit to a local start-up firm to highlight Berlin’s latest incarnation as a centre for the world’s young and creative communities

Students who are interested can now book their place on the study visit using the King’s estore, as opposed to the online application form that was detailed previously. This means it is quicker and easier to reserve a spot on this exciting programme. Registration will now close on 2 June 2017 and we advise early booking in order to secure a place, as spaces are limited. King’s students are able to apply for funding for this programme. Please see the Study Abroad Awards page for more information on how to do so.

If required students can book accommodation ( at an additional cost) at the Circus Hostel. This hostel is conveniently located in the Mitte district, which is a one minute walk from Rosenthaler Platz Metro station. If you would like to book accommodation for the Summer Study Visit to Berlin, please do so via the e-store.

If you have any questions about the programme please email us. Alternatively follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for up to date information about the Summer Programmes Team.

May 12, 2017May 10, 2019

King’s Summer Weekends

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New for this year is our King’s Summer Weekends. We are working with the prestigious Tate Britain and National Archives to give you two programmes, aimed at those who are intellectually curious.These stimulating and informative bite-size courses are designed to fit around your personal and professional commitments.

Our Summer Weekend with Tate Britain will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Britain as well as Tate Britain’s ground-breaking exhibition ‘Queer British Art, 1861-1967’.

Speakers from King’s College London and Tate Britain will be joined by independent artists to discuss a wide range of genres from painting, installations and film and dance and literature. A number of the university speakers are part of Queer@King’s, an interdisciplinary research unit comprising colleagues interested in gender and sexuality that launched in 2003. It was recognised as an Arts & Humanities research centre in 2006 and its portfolio of activities continues to grow and to flourish.

This weekend will run on Saturday 17 June and Sunday 18 June 2017 and will also extend to an optional field trip to Charleston on 15 July 2017. This excursion will include a private tour of, and talks, in Berwick Church and to visit the country home of artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant of the Bloomsbury Group, whose creative hub of artistic and intellectual activity welcomed guests including Virginia Woolf, John Maynard Keynes and E.M. Forster.

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The second programme is our Summer Weekend with The National Archives.This course is for everyone who wants to expand their research into their family tree. It combines instruction on practical researching techniques with academic insight into how key historic events shape stories across generations.

It is designed to help participants better read the information they discover, expand their investigation beyond the internet to include historical archives and guide them in their interpretation of details such as professions and social status to make their own journeys into their family’s history as rewarding and revealing as possible.

You can apply for both these summer weekends now. The deadline to apply for the King’s Summer Weekend with Tate Britain is 31 May 2017 and the deadline for the King’s Summer Weekend with The National Archives is 30 June 2017. If you have any questions about the programme please email us. Alternatively follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for up to date information about the Summer Programmes Team.

May 1, 2017May 10, 2019

Summer Symposium with Unilever

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Building on the success of the Diet and Health symposium in 2016, King’s Summer Programmes is arranging a Summer Symposium on Healthspan and Wellness, taking place on Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 June 2017, in partnership with Unilever R&D Bangalore.

Speaking about the symposium, King’s College London convenor Dr Richard Siow says, “The symposium has been developed through a research collaboration between King’s College London, and Unilever, the global-leading consumer goods company with world-class industrial research facilities in India, the UK, the Netherlands, the USA and China. King’s has a long and distinguished pioneering tradition in health and nutrition-related research.”

This symposium will enable participants to appreciate the molecular, biochemical and physiological basis of healthy ageing through academic and industrial research insights to better define lifestyles for maintaining healthy ageing in different populations. The unique masterclass format provides an opportunity for academic experts, early career investigators, health professionals and industrial research scientists to share ideas and develop unique insights. Discussion of up-to-date topics informed by recent experimental scientific research, will enable participants to consider both the biological processes and the social impact for underlying local and global issues in healthspan and wellness.

During the two-day symposium, there will be a number of talks taking place around the subjects of healthspan and wellness. You can find a draft timetable of the programme on this webpage. Dr Siow and Professor Wolfgang Maret from King’s College London, along with keynote speakers namely Professor Uptal Tatu from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, Dr Colin Jamora from the National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bangalore and scientists from Unilever R&D Bangalore, have a wealth of research expertise in the field of healthspan and wellness which will provide participants with unique insights in these fields.

Amy Kanagaratnam, a post-graduate student who attended last year’s symposium says, “I would definitely recommend this symposium to future students, it is a great experience and networking has allowed me to identify future job opportunities that may be available in a well-known company such as Unilever.”

If you are interested in attending the symposium, you have until Friday 9 June 2017 to register. The fee for the two-day symposium is £86 (approximately Rs. 7,000) and you can register here.