Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>

King's College London

London

Is it worth it going to King's College?

Scroll to see replies

Reply 20

zahraxxx

Original post by Oilfreak1

Warwick is considered just as/more prestigious in certain circles.

What are the courses? What are your career aspirations? If for e.g. you want to break into finance then Warwick is far superior, for anything to do with bio sciences then KCL wins easily.

I've got an offer to study European Studies French pathway at King's, and French, politics and international studies at Warwick. I guess the aim is to be a civil servant but I'll have to see where my degree takes me

Posted from TSR Mobile

King's College London

London

Reply 21

LiquidGold

Geography!

Yeh, I do think I'm a bit of an extreme case though. Although I know a lot of people are dissatisfied with my course in particular, I think part of my problem stems from the fact that I went to London because I wanted to experience it, but in my heart I'm not a big city girl, so being stuck here for 3 years has been hard!

Original post by zahraxxx

This is v helpful thank you! Did you get your first choice of student accommodation? Did you have to travel everyday from outside of central london?

Hey, yeh in first year I lived in Julian Markham House in Elephant and Castle, the area was pretty rubbish but the hall itself wasnt too bad, and it was just one bus into uni or you could walk it in like 45 minutes (Strand). I've heard the hall had gone up quite a bit in price now though.

In second year I lived a bit further out and had to get a longer bus in. Honestly it just wasnt for me, I study best in a work environment (so not at home) and it was such a hassle as it took me an hour to get in every day (walk to bus stop, wait for bus, bus journey, walk to uni - could do it in ~45mins but traffic is usually bad) and so often if I didnt have a lecture I just wouldnt leave the flat. Also, I didnt really get on with my flat mates that well so this second year was pretty rubbish for me.

In third year I moved with a different friend closer to uni and it's definitely been better as I can just walk to uni. But also WAY more expensive. I can only JUST afford it despite getting the full student loan/grant and bursary from King's and working part-time.

Reply 22

wdkmwd

As the other user said. Student satisfaction varies. Some people go to Cambridge and come out with a bad grade, no work and have to re-evaluate their lives. Whereas some people actually get good job prospects and an amazing degree at a school Like Middlesex. Truth be told, your choice between Warwick and King's might be a tough one as both have their advantages and disadvantages, Like King's seems to be better for Sciences, far better location and a greater reputation worldwide but Warwick is much cheaper, better for more business courses and in general much more economical. My advice is that you try and attend open days of both Prestigious universities, read what past students have said on websites like WhatUni.com and come to a conclusion.

As a future King's student myself.
I wish you the best

Reply 23

wdkmwd

Original post by queen-bee

The tube is quicker,indeed even if it is alittle bit more expensive and the strikes can be so annoying,especially if it's for more than a day

Strand doesn't have a train station does it?

How do you use a tube to get to the King's campus in Strand?

Reply 24

queen-bee

Original post by wdkmwd

Strand doesn't have a train station does it?

How do you use a tube to get to the King's campus in Strand?

In the olden days there probably was but no,there hasn't been for years most likely. Couldn't you get the Piccadilly line to Holborn and then walk from there?

Reply 25

LiquidGold

Original post by wdkmwd

Strand doesn't have a train station does it?

How do you use a tube to get to the King's campus in Strand?

Temple on the District line is the closest, literally just down the road.

Buuut if you live in South London it's often quicker and easier to get the bus.

Reply 26

wdkmwd

I'll probably just use the bus.

The train zones confuse me and it's much more expensive.

Reply 27

wdkmwd

Original post by LiquidGold

Temple on the District line is the closest, literally just down the road.

Buuut if you live in South London it's often quicker and easier to get the bus.

Thanks for your assistance

Reply 28

wdkmwd

Original post by queen-bee

In the olden days there probably was but no,there hasn't been for years most likely. Couldn't you get the Piccadilly line to Holborn and then walk from there?

شكرا لك، وبارك الله

Reply 29

zahraxxx

Original post by Oilfreak1

I'd say KCL has the better faculty in this case (by quite a margin). But wrt career prospects afterwards Warwick shouldn't set you back at all, Warwick is also a target university while KCL is not.

Thanks for your help, I think I'm swaying towards Warwick due to the expenses. I was also considering Bristol but I find them to be disorganised and rude lol

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 30

Oilfreak1

Original post by zahraxxx

Thanks for your help, I think I'm swaying towards Warwick due to the expenses. I was also considering Bristol but I find them to be disorganised and rude lol

Posted from TSR Mobile

yeah can't go wrong with either of those three universities, I would personally rate Warwick highest but that's due to my own career aspirations. Hopefully you've visited both universities and wont be choosing Warwick over KCL purely because its cheaper :P, having lived across the road from KCLs Guys campus for most of my life, it's a wonderful place to study with hays galleria/Tower hill/the shard minutes away. The strand campus is kinda meh though.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 31

999tigger

Work out the comparitive budgets and also your travelling times. Unis where they have cheap transport and accommodation do exist and think how hand the extra money would be.

Reply 32

zahraxxx

Original post by Oilfreak1

Are you a student at Warwick? Idk I just think ill have a better time at a campus uni!

Reply 33

Oilfreak1

Original post by zahraxxx

Are you a student at Warwick? Idk I just think ill have a better time at a campus uni!

Nope, not a student at Warwick just someone who appreciates how amazing the university is for finance.

I understand what you mean about campus unis but Kings' Guys Campus is pretty self contained and there's so much to see and do that I think when considering campuses that particular site at Kings beats campus unis (can't really comment on the strand campus though).

I might be abit biased though as I was born in Guy's, lived there for 16 years and had half my family study at that campus, so take what I say about how great Kings' Guy's campus is with a grain of salt :smile:

Reply 34

lizmoo0721

As a student who is currently at King's I would choose a campus university if i could go back, actually looking into transferring at the moment because I cant deal with London for 3 years haha. I will list the pro's and con's - for my experience in particular
Pro's
1. Reputation
2. Always something to do

Con's
1. Not much careers advice, maybe this would become more relevant in 2/3rd year, I haven't found anything useful.
2. Everything is sparsely situated making it difficult to get to know people because people just leave & do their own thing after lectures
3. Difficult to join sports/ societies if you are commuting or not near to the training grounds Surrey/ Lewisham. Take a while to get to.
4. Everything is busy all the time - can be very stressful
5. Lack of social spaces as part of the university
6. Very Very Very expensive!
7. Lack of social life outside halls, particularly if you are commuting

Hope this helps, I am happy to answer any more questions :smile:

Reply 35

zahraxxx

Original post by lizmoo0721

This is v helpful thank you! I think I'm going to firm Warwick instead now

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 36

lizmoo0721

Original post by zahraxxx

This is v helpful thank you! I think I'm going to firm Warwick instead now

Posted from TSR Mobile

I don't want to completely put you off King's as this is obviously just my opinion and experience, but I would firm Warwick, which is such a good university too! Best of luck :smile:

Reply 37

username2255129

Original post by lizmoo0721

Do you mind me asking what course/campus you are on?

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 38

mariazeinstra

I might go to King’s depending on my grades and I’m trying to find reasons not to be upset if I end up there. Could you give any?

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 39

Anonymous #1

Hey!

I'm a KCL alumna, having done my BA and my MA there in the History Department, which I loved.

Over the years, I've gone back and forth on my opinion of KCL and, having been part of three departments at one point or another owing to my changing course in my first year as an undergrad, my opinion of the university on the other side of it is generally very positive. I think it varies a lot depending a) on your department and b) on how much effort you are willing to put into your experience there.

Positives first...

I loved the content of my BA and my MA and that carried me through the whole experience there.

It's great to be near to museums and the cultural wonders that London has to offer. I love London and it's great to have the time as a student to get to know it. This is a life skill in and of itself!

In my second year, I considered a legal career and being in central London was extremely useful, as I knew the city well and was able to go to events held by law firms easily. Learning to navigate London is also a skill in itself and you will definitely learn it at KCL!

I have always had very positive experiences with lecturers, who always made time for me and were generally really lovely people, but I know that this varies by department culture and the individual academics themselves. I have friends who did War Studies who struggled with the department culture, for instance, but I always heard good things about Biomed, for what it's worth.

Now to the negatives...

I lived at home and sometimes struggled to maintain a good social life, which only really came into its own in my MA where I met more like-minded people. On my first course, which was joint-honours, I *really* struggled socially as it was hard to make meaningful connections with people and I became quite depressed at this time. I hated my halls (Great Dover Street - which they have since re-decorated) and wasn't very keen on my flatmates (nothing against them - they were just very different to me), plus I had an awful lot going on at home as my dad was dying of cancer at the time. I also really hated the courses I was on which didn't help! My experience at KCL changed completely when I was on the 'right' course for me.

London is more expensive, there's no getting around that. I worked part-time through my degrees and managed fine, getting a first and then a distinction. I know people who worked a LOT more than I did and still came out with good 2:1s. Being in London, there are plenty of great part-time jobs that can work around a student schedule. I'm also lucky to have been able to live at home with a supportive mother, so there's that to bear in mind.

When I joined KCL, they had a 'London is your campus' campaign going on. This is just ridiculous. London is such a big city and the individual KCL locations are too dispersed for there to be a campus feeling. I was based at Strand and only went to Guy's for certain career/extra-curricular activities a few times.

And, finally, down to your personal input into your university experience...

University is what you make of it, ultimately. If you put in little effort into your experience (be it academic, social, career, or anything else), you will get little out of it. Trust me on this: I learnt it the hard way. Maybe if I'd have been more interested in societies and activities, I'd have found friends more easily on my first course. If you think you'll be happy and more productive at King's, then go to King's. If you think you'll be better served at Warwick, then go there. There's no typical experience of any university, as other posters have pointed out here, so (in spite of spending time writing this post, haha!) I wouldn't read too much into other people's experiences at either KCL or Warwick. It's your experience and it's up to you to determine what that means.

Hope this helps and best of luck.