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Heythrop College, University of London
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TSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > Heythrop College
Heythrop College is a constituent college of the University of London situated in Kensington Square, Kensington, London. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in philosophy, psychology and theology, as well as research in related fields. It was founded in 1614 by the Jesuits in Leuven, Belgium, then moved in 1624 to Liège. During the wars surrounding the French Revolution, the college moved to Britain - philosophy was taught at Stonyhurst in Lancashire and theology in St. Beuno's in North Wales. In 1926, the colleges came together in Heythrop Hall, Oxfordshire, then moved to London in 1970. It became a college of the University in 1971, and moved to its current Kensington location in 1993. The College started admitting non-Jesuit students in the 1960s. However it remains largely Jesuit-funded and led. The college Principal is always a Jesuit priest. It also retains a strongly Roman Catholic ethos. A huge misconception amongst potential applicants is that ths is an exclusively religious college; in reality, this is barely noticeable in day-to-day life. The college library houses an enormous collection of early theological texts, mostly held off site. The college also runs the Heythrop Journal and hosts a Centre for Christianity and Interreligious Dialogue. Heythrop College is also ranked second in the "push" league table (Heythrop doesn't appear on the Times or Independent due to it's specialised status) with a total score of 3,793:
FacilitiesLibrariesHas a large on-site library covering the two main disciplines of philosophy and theology (split across two buildings, although each containing related sub-disciplines and subjects such as psychology; this is subject to change with a merger into one main library). The main building contains Heythrop's Philosophy collections, Psychology and bound periodicals from the last 20 years. The Theology collection, older periodicals, History, Social Sciences, Language and Literature are in a separate building in the campus grounds. Both sites of the Library have photocopying facilities and computer terminals to search the INNOPAC online catalogue.   The Library has some 200,000 volumes in its collections, and is one of the finest libraries of theological and philosophical books in the UK. We subscribe to a range of scholarly periodicals in Philosophy and Theology. Heythrop's INNOPAC online library catalogue contains details of books catalogued since 1990; books in the Library from before that date are being gradually added to the online catalogue. So far about 30% of the Library's collections are catalogued on the computer. There is a card catalogue for books not yet catalogued on the automated system. We also have a separate card catalogue for pre-1801 books - only a small percentage of the pre-1801 collection has been catalogued on the computer system. In May 1999 the Library began a five-year retrospective conversion project to convert our card catalogue to computer records. The Library dates back to the founding of the College in 1614, and has an important collection of pre-1801 imprints (some stored off-campus). Both libraries contain texts, books and journals ranging from 1400 to modern day in a variety of languages. Students are also able to use the library facilities of the University of London, including Senate House Library in Malet Street and the SOAS library. IT and computingThere are computers available in both library areas which provide (filtered) Internet access, word-processing and printer facilities, as well as a dedicated computing room on the top floor. There is a wi-fi network, but it is not always widely available. SportsAll Heythrop College students are members of the University of London Union (ULU), which at the time of writing had no less than 26 sports clubs, offering an unparalleled range of opportunities. All the more exotic sports will welcome novices: this is a good chance to meet students from other colleges and learn a new, possibly expensive sport like rowing more cheaply than you will ever be able to do again! Contact ULU on 020 7664 2000 or email general@ulu.lon.ac.uk . Heythrop Student Union is keen to set up sports clubs within the College according to student interests. WelfareThe college Union has a Welfare officer and the College provides access to chaplains, student support and counselling. HealthcareNo special provision except as through the University of London. New students are urged to register with a Doctor and Dentist upon arrival and are given details of one particularly good for students Student SupportThe Student Support office offers a range of support to make sure the conditions are right for you to reach your full potential at each stage of your academic career. They aim to anticipate and respond to your support needs, providing a warm welcome when you first arrive, and offering advice and guidance on study skills, disability issues, student finance, and health matters.  Study Skills Students at all levels of experience and ability need to develop their skills as learners. Whether you are a recent school-leaver or a mature student returning to study they are keen to help you to make the most of your course. The College provides specialist study skills materials for undergraduate and postgraduate students during induction, and also makes these accessible via the student intranet. There are further workshops and short courses available throughout the year according to student need.
Heythrop College is committed to making the adjustments needed to ensure that students with disabilities are fully included in the life of the College.
The Student Support Coordinator together with the College Finance Office can help you to minimize the risk of running out of money while you are a student. They are also able to offer advice on matters such as money management, sources of funding and help with funding application forms.
We hope that you will find your time at University to be a rewarding and exciting experience. However it is only natural that being a student can also lead to uncertainties as you are presented with challenges and stresses that you haven’t come across before. The Student Support Coordinator is available to see you for an initial discussion to explore any difficulties. If it is decided that you would like a full course of counselling you will be referred on to the Gower Street Practice, where all Heythrop students are eligible to receive psychological treatments. This is a free service.
As a first year student you will be matched with a mentor from the College’s Peer Mentoring Programme. The mentor is someone who is trained to help you to find your way around the College and to make you feel at home more quickly. On-site FacilitiesShopsThe Student Union operates a shop service selling mechandise and stationery on site. RestaurantsThe building contains a refectory serving freshly-preared hot and cold food throughout the day as well as sandwiches and snacks. Religous facilitiesHeythrop College has a distinct character within the University of London, partially thanks to its Jesuit past. This heritage produces a unique religious ethos, which is nurtured by all members of staff including the Chaplains. The chaplaincy has an explicit religious and spiritual purpose. It may be described as a pastoral, spiritual, prophetic and educational mission: offering, supporting and enhancing appropriate forms of pastoral care; providing support to various denominational communities, the wider Church community and to those of no specific faith affiliation; witnessing to the Kingdom values of trust, hope, love, justice, forgiveness and community; endeavouring to develop human potential while reflecting on spiritual, moral, social and political dimensions.  The chaplain helps to maintain the Christian ethos based on the College’s mission statement and vision. Further objectives are:
The college are guests of the Sisters of the Assumption who live on the site and who are an important part of our community life at Heythrop. During term time a weekly Eucharist takes place on a Thursday at lunch-time, in the chapel.
Include a Muslim Prayer room. The Chapel is also available to all faiths or none as a place of quietness. There is also an Ecumencial Christian Union. Local FacilitiesThere are banks very close-by on High Street Kensington where you can also find plenty of shops, restaurants etc. TransportHeythrop College is serviced by excellent transport links via tube, bus, and train. Students also have access to many open green spaces, namely Hyde Park, Holland Park, the many squares and gardens of Kensington, and the secluded and peaceful gardens on campus. Tube: Heythrop's nearest tube station is High Street Kensington, which is in Zone 1, at the bottom left corner of the circle line. This means that you can travel from Heythop to any major train station in London within approximately 45 minutes. For more information, see the London Underground website. Bus: High Steet Kensington is a hub for the bus network in London, as is Gloucester Road, which is a short walk away. For more information, see bus routes (.pdf) on the Transport for London website. Careers serviceAs a student of the University of London, you have access to one of the biggest and best Careers Services in Europe. The University’s Careers Service (the Careers Group) provides a huge range of on-line and face to face services. Specialist staff will support you in finding vacation or part-time work, postgraduate study and training, “gap year” experience, internships and voluntary work, the hunt for the “perfect career”. Through Heythrop’s membership of the University’s Careers Service, you can access employers presentations, specialist careers fairs, libraries and information resources. You can drop in for informal “quick query sessions” which may be followed by longer guidance interviews. You can rehearse your interview techniques before doing it for real in front of an employer, and you can participate in careers skills sessions – on everything from writing the best possible CV to practice psychometric tests.  Getting involved with the Careers Service starts in your first year, with talks on CV building, help in finding part-time work, early warnings about employers with exceptional requirements or procedures (for example, did you know that if you want to apply to become a solicitor, there are some critical application deadlines before Christmas of the second year and you should have arranged some persuasive work experience for the summer vacation following the first year…..). In the run-up to your graduation you can use the Service to focus increasingly on your options, whether you want a “conventional” career or any of the alternatives. Almost all of these services are free to Heythrop students (there are very occasional, minimal charges for – e.g. specialist MBTI personality typing tests). Heythrop’s careers adviser is on site every Wednesday afternoon during the autumn and spring terms, from 1.30pm to 5.00pm in the Student Support Service Resource Centre (formerly the Cardinal Bea Room). In between the on-site sessions, you can use all the resources available on-line or by calling in person to the Specialists Institutions Central Service, based in ULU on Malet Street (or by phoning 0207 866 3600). Part-time jobsStudents can find a range of jobs available throughout London. SocialHeythrop itself offers a social atmosphere where students can relax with their friends after a day of thinking deep thoughts. The Heythrop Student Union (HSU) works to promote an active social life in the college and organizes social events during the academic year. There are three Junior Common Rooms (one loud, one smokey and one quiet), financed and maintained by the HSU. Facilities in them include FREE pool table, FREE table football, FREE tea & coffee and FREE use of the microwave, fridge, TV and music systems. The bookshop offers the chance to purchase your stationery as well as texts at reduced prices. The Maria Assumpta campus has a beautiful garden to which students have access. EventsThe Union organises events ranging from pub crawls through to formal balls including a huge variety of things to do during freshers' week. Clubs and societiesA variety of societies exist including the Philosophy Society, a Chess Society and a Jazz Society. Students can also join clubs and societies through the University of London Union. Bars, pubs and clubsSecond to none. Students have access to the University of London's bars and ULU venue, but Kensington itself is an affluent area with more than its fair share of clubs, bars and restaurants. The Albert Hall is just 15 minutes away, and the bright lights of the West End are also within walking distance, offering bars, theatres and clubs galore. Nothing on-site however. AccommodationFacilitiesThe College is on the same site as the Maria Assumpta housing facility which provides limited places of female-only, catered accomodation. Students can also get accomodation through the University of London Accomodation Office including intercollegiate halls. Private sectorStudents may wish to rent privately and this is easily do-able in London. Student unionThe HSU arrange a variety of events and are located in an office (funnily enough). EnvironmentThe environment of the college includes a large open garden and has been described as being an oasis of calm right in the middle of a bustling city. ArchitectureLocated in Kensington Square, very nice buildings sourrounded by former homes of esteemed people.  Local areaThe Kensington area is upmarket and close to the center of the city. The College is about five minutes walk from High Street Kensington station on the London Underground's Circle and District line. It is also well-served with bus routes. Nearby public landmarks include the Kensington Roof Garden, St Mary Abbott's Church and Kensington Town Hall. Teaching qualityThe teaching quality at Heythrop is widely recognised to be high, being one of the few places outside of Oxbridge to offer one-on-one tutorials for all undergraduate students. Exam results are extremely high, and many students carry on to further study. Results of last QAA inspection were 23 out of 24 for philosophy and 22 out of 24 for theology. Students have around eight one-on-one tutorials per term. Because of Heythrop's size there is a strong communal atmosphere, and the eclectic mix of ages, cultures and opinions makes for lively common room interaction. As Heythrop has only 800 students, small class sizes are guaranteed. This also results in one-to-one tutorials with specialist lecturers, many of whom are national names in their subject. Applying to Heythrop CollegeThinking of applying to Heythrop College? Why not read some Personal Statements which were used for applying here? Other Heythrop College ArticlesWhy not read these other Heythrop College Articles? Links |
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