Anyone done BSc Psychology at Kings College London?

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Hi,I know this is a post from last year but right now, I’m trying to decide if I should firm King’s. Your insight as an undergraduate may help me. I’d really appreciate it if you could answer some of my questions regarding student life at King’s. So first of all, are you satisfied with the lectures, courses, labs and the academic aspect in general? What was the most challenging part of the first year? How are the social clubs, extracurricular activities? To what extent do they play a part in your adaptation to Kings and London? Thank you in advance.

Hiya, I’m afraid I can’t answer any of these questions - I’m in Y13 and also debating whether or not to firm King’s! My other options have been narrowed down to Leeds or Newcastle (if anyone has some info about these that would also be fantastic). If anyone has the answers to your questions, especially regarding to the quality of teaching/course and what it’s like to make friends then that would be greatly appreciated!

Reply 21

valeriayuen1

Hi guys,

Just wanted to answer a few of the questions you might had about King's. I've broken down the questions so let me know if you have any more.

Anyone who has firmed King's for 2018 should definitely check out the Facebook group for more information and 2 Q&A sessions every week - https://www.facebook.com/groups/531629460521152/

Are you satisfied with the lectures, courses, labs and the academic aspect in general?
Everyone in the department is a really great lecturer and in my opinion, the content of the module is only as good as how someone teaches you. In an average week, you can expect 6 or 7 hours of lectures, 3 to 4.5 hours of practical classes, and 3.5 hours of small-group seminars. Most of this teaching takes place at Guy's Campus, with half a day every fortnight at Denmark Hill. Everyone in the department is motivated in teaching you, they're always coming up with innovative ways to teach us. For example, our statistics lecturer (and everyone knows statistics is notoriously boring sadly) conducted an in-class experiment at the beginning of the module, and carried on using that data throughout the whole course. This meant that we knew exactly where all the numbers came and understood everything a lot better.

What was the most challenging part of the first year?
Personally, I think making friends was one of the biggest things I had do in first year. Trying out new things and not being scared to do so. Everyone is really lovely though, and finding your place at King's will be easy. When coming to university, everyone wants to make friends so while it seems quite tough in the beginning, you'll soon find your way.

How are the social clubs, extracurricular activities? To what extent do they play a part in your adaptation to Kings and London?
King's has over there are over 330 societies (check out https://www.kclsu.org/getinvolved/societies/joiningagroup/ under a guest login to look at them yourself). We also have over 70 sports societies; from snow-related sports to sailing and fencing. It's a really great way to get to know people outside of the course as well. Don't worry about feeling overwhelmed by everything else in first year, and only find time to join in second year. Everyone is always up for meeting new people.

What kind of preparation would you recommend before the course starts?
Over the summer the Psychology programme runs a Book Club that students can opt to join. You’ll have textbooks to read throughout your three years at King’s, this will just give you chance to read something psychologically related before the course. Then, during welcome week, you’ll have a chance to discuss the book with other students (and meet people there too!) Details of the books for the 2018 Book Club will be available around June 2018.

However, the books in the previous years have been the following:
- The Tell-Tale Brain by neuroscientist V. S. Ramachandran
- Mindset by social psychologist Carol Dweck
- Delusions of Gender by neuropsychologist Cordelia Fine
- Influence by social psychologist Robert Cialdini
- The Power of Habit by award-winning journalist Charles Duhigg
- The Brain: The Story of You by neuroscientist David Eagleman

Check out the offer holder page for more information (https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/offer-holders/undergraduate/psychiatry-psychology-and-neuroscience/BSc-Psychology-2018-Offer-Holders.aspx)

As the course is still fairly new, do you think the organisation and structure is fine? I imagine you must have had some issues being the first cohort.
By the time you arrive, course has been around for four years now - which means that it's really progressed and there aren't any issues. The course is adapted year on year based on feedback that they receive. The course directors are really receptive to our opinions and changing things to what is best for us. The course structure is great, I always describe this as an upside-down triangle - The first year is a great overview for people to gain a fantastic base knowledge, including biology and social psychology. In the second year, this builds up more specific knowledge, such as going into cognitive neuropsychology. In second term, you can choose optional modules including clinical psychology and philosophy of psychology. In third year, all options are option (as in you get to choose which modules you take), which showcases the breadth of variety we have. For example we have modules ranging from military psychology, organisational psychology to behavioural genetics.

Any other pieces of advice?
Just generally, university is what you make of it. Take all the opportunities that King’s provides to you, as it’ll definitely get a lot harder to get them after you graduate. On our course, we run a programme that connects researchers to students who are interested in helping in research which you can do alongside your degree, as well as of the summer. The IoPPN ranks 2nd in research in the world behind Harvard. You can work with these world renowned researchers who are at the top of their field. For example, I'm doing research with Francesca Happe, a top autism worker. I worked on research in my first year at a psychiatric hospital and now it's a published paper - I don't believe I would have had these opportunities elsewhere.