Hi Laurie,
Thank you for getting in touch. I am a current second year student at King’s and I would say there are a lot of students who live at home during first year. On my course, Geography, I would say around 1/3 students live at home and there is a great student network that helps with any of your worries. KCLSU has a Live at Home Student Network which is a virtual community for all King's students who do not live in halls and it is an opportunity to network with other similar students, meet new friends and find people who live in your local area. You can contact:
[email protected] to find out more.
There is nothing you can do to increase your chances but I know quite a few people who live in London and have managed to secure accommodation so definitely apply! Although you will not be guaranteed accommodation you still have a chance, and you will be considered in the second round after people outside the M25 have been given accommodation offers.
Regarding travel you will be entitled to apply for a student oyster, information can be found here:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14312.aspx. This will entitle you to up to 30% off Travel cards, Bus and Tram passes etc.
Expenses for students vary as it will depend on individual choices made. A guideline is given on this website:
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/ug/funding/living-exp/expenses.aspx, however you will need to remember this is a rough estimate as it will vary according to your own circumstances and lifestyle. You can also use this:
http://www.studentfinance.direct.gov.uk/portal/page?_pageid=153,4680089&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL which is a calculator for expected livings.
All students mix with each other, not just people who are in the same course or accommodation. During Freshers week there will be events throughout the day and nights where you will be loads of friends (regardless of course, where they live etc.) There will also be specific events for Live at Home Students. There will be Fresher’s Fair where all societies will have stalls (and you will probably sign up for all! hehe) Societies are a great way to make friends!! I have met some of my best friends through societies. There are societies for everything, take a look at:
http://www.kclsu.org/landing.asp?section=48§ionTitle=Activity+Groups to see all the different societies we offer at King’s along with student media groups and volunteering.
Some textbooks can be found online and as you will be a university student you will receive your own login details which allows you to access journals etc on different databases such as Jstor. You can take out books (some short term or long term etc depending on the book’s demand). It will cost you money if you do not return the book on time but this is the same with all libaries.
Hope all this information helps and thank you for getting in touch.
Paige