King's College London

London

KCL Postgraduate Applicants/Offer Holders 2015 entry

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Reply 80

Josb

Original post by ahllb

Hi all, I've just submitted my application for War Studies MA. Fingers crossed!

Competition must be tough, KCL is world famous for that one.

King's College London

London

Reply 81

kalechip

anyone know anything about international students using their US federal loans for accommodation? how is accommodation billed for the residence, or maybe partnered ones like orchard lisle?

i know you can use loans for tuition, but i worry that the October dispersal wont help me pay for accommodation up front. it's fine if I have to pay rent at a king's residence monthly, i can swing it until loans arrive.
but if i want to rent a couples flat for me and my boyfriend, it seems that student accommodation agencies want six months of rent in advance, plus a UK guarantor. which is ridiculous, I don't need a cosigner, I'm 29 years old with great credit coming to the UK with my partner. i'm a freaking grown up. :angry:

Reply 82

santi_92

Original post by kalechip

Hey, I'm a current KCL postgrad. A friend of mine on the course gets a U.S. federal loan and uses it for accommodation at the Denmark Hill halls. Regarding a couples flat, do you have to go through a student accommodation agency or can you do it independently? Also, I'm pretty sure KCL have options for couples (there are couples flats).

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Reply 83

Josb

Original post by kalechip

Obviously, we don't want to go to the UK for its housing. Landlords are ridiculously demanding. Even students on full scholarships have to pay the rent upfront; paying only six months is already a concession for them.

Reply 84

kalechip

Original post by santi_92

thanks! it's nice to know its an option to use loans at kcl residences. i know that kcl has some couples flats, but i looked at some places like crm and scape to widen the search and i wanted to hopefully be able to pick my neighborhood (closer to my campus at strand) and space. if those places accepted monthly rent rather than in a large installment, I'd be fine with that. maybe i'll just have to stick with kcl locations.
i could look for a privately rented flat but from what i can tell they make it really difficult for international students to rent.
a flat share would be the last resort, we really don't want to live with other people if we don't have too, roommates can be a drag.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 85

kalechip

Original post by Josb

my friends here think that Europe is a magical wonderland where rules and regulations make so much sense and everyone is happy with government, health care, public transit, housing and schools.

i'm finding otherwise, but it's STILL CHEAPER than a masters program in the US.
either way, i'm excited to live abroad again.

Reply 86

Josb

Original post by kalechip

my friends here think that Europe is a magical wonderland where rules and regulations make so much sense and everyone is happy with government, health care, public transit, housing and schools.

How much is a master in the US? :confused:

Reply 87

kalechip

Original post by Josb

How much is a master in the US? :confused:

it varies, but i can give you an example in my field.
most masters are two years, require a GRE exam (200 US dollars and pretty grueling) and cost over 100 US dollars to apply. if youre applying to multiple schools, its just absurd.

a one year environmental science masters at Columbia in new york costs 60,000 USD for tuition alone, and has a comparable cost of living to London. :eek:

the program at kings I got accepted to costs about 25,000 USD for overseas student, depending on conversion rates. for EU students it's half that.
in state tuition in my state of Oregon is a little cheaper at 35,000 USD a year, but those are all 2 year programs.

also unless youre getting a phd, there is barely any funding for masters students. but that seems to be the same in the UK too.

Reply 88

Josb

So you pay about $100K for a Master at Columbia (fees+rent+living)? :yikes:

In France, I paid 400€ for my current master (archival studies), 350€/month for the rent (4200€/year for a 28m² self-contained flat), and live with 170€/month - given by the welfare State. :tongue:

My problem is the job prospects. I have the choice between McDonalds, short-term-half-time teaching contracts in dodgy high-schools, and paperwork for the minimum wage in villages lost in the middle of nowhere. :s-smilie:

I think you have better prospects with a degree from Columbia.

Reply 89

Josb

Original post by kalechip

also unless youre getting a phd, there is barely any funding for masters students. but that seems to be the same in the UK too.

Well you can apply to this very, very generous £500 grant there:
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/graduate/funding/database/index.php?action=view&id=400
:rolleyes:

Reply 90

santi_92

Original post by kalechip

thanks! it's nice to know its an option to use loans at kcl residences. i know that kcl has some couples flats, but i looked at some places like crm and scape to widen the search and i wanted to hopefully be able to pick my neighborhood (closer to my campus at strand) and space. if those places accepted monthly rent rather than in a large installment, I'd be fine with that. maybe i'll just have to stick with kcl locations.
i could look for a privately rented flat but from what i can tell they make it really difficult for international students to rent. student
a flat share would be the last resort, we really don't want to live with other people if we don't have too, roommates can be a drag.

Original post by Josb

Well you can apply to this very, very generous £500 grant there:
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/graduate/funding/database/index.php?action=view&id=400
:rolleyes:

Yeah KCL aren't great with grants. My masters only offered 2 full tuition fee scholarships which was needs-based. Although for those of us that got a 1st in our undergraduate degree (I think the US equivalent is summa cum laude, at least for those of us with a 3.9+ GPA), we were given £800 off of our tuition fee which isn't amazing but it's something. I'd advise googling a bunch of organisations that offer bursaries/grants and see if you qualify for any?

Reply 91

Josb

Original post by santi_92

I've applied to a PhD, so I can have funding. The scholarship covers the fees (£4600) and gives a stipend of £16K. However there are only 80 scholarships in the Arts & Humanities, shared between KCL, UCL and SOAS. :s-smilie:

Strangely, KCL has decent funding for undergrads. http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/ug/funding/fees/index.aspx

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 92

kalechip

Original post by santi_92

Renting here is difficult for international student. I think most if not all landlords will ask you to supply a UK guarantor to co-sign. I think there are intercollegiate halls that KCL offers in conjuction with UCL and those may be closer to the strand. Ideally you don't want to flat share, hopefully it won't come to that.

Yeah KCL aren't great with grants. My masters only offered 2 full tuition fee scholarships which was needs-based. Although for those of us that got a 1st in our undergraduate degree (I think the US equivalent is summa cum laude, at least for those of us with a 3.9+ GPA), we were given £800 off of our tuition fee which isn't amazing but it's something. I'd advise googling a bunch of organisations that offer bursaries/grants and see if you qualify for any?

i would qualify for both merit and need based (i've got a 3.85 and live mostly on loans/grants/scholarships) if there were some available for international students besides the very few through king's. hopefully i'll get one of those! i applied for the fulbright, although that was a long shot and i didn't move to the next round. most EU scholarships dont give money to US students, and most US scholarships require a US program.

i've booked a flight to visit next month, staying in whitechapel, i think the trip will make or break my decision. i'll make an appointment with U of L Housing Services to look over my intercollegiate options the five days i am there. i'm also gonna check out ISH and goodenough, and any places that allow monthly payments (which i think is probably zero). so getting my finances in order before i go for a visit will help me determine what i can even feasibly apply for. overall, my neighborhood and personal space is very important to me and i am willing to pay $$$$ for it. but not all at once. :wink:

i've got the option of deferring and keeping a good paying job here for another year as a back up. although i think putting it off is not a great idea.

Reply 93

Josb

Strange, I don't have a deadline to respond to my offer. Is it the same for you guys?

Reply 94

windrainandbooks

Yes, there's no deadline posted on my offer. And, when I asked Kent, they said they actually don't have a deadline to respond...so maybe there isn't a hard deadline for KCL either.

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(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 95

dovidov

I got a deadline, online in the offer information and by post in the official letter. It's 30th april

Reply 96

B*Witched

Original post by dovidov

I got a deadline, online in the offer information and by post in the official letter. It's 30th april

Ditto.

Reply 97

Josb

Strange, because nothing is written in the 'Deadline to respond to offer' field. Must be different for PhDs.

Reply 98

windrainandbooks

I have nothing written in the deadline to respond section either, but I had a phone meeting with the North American rep yesterday and asked her if I had a deadline to respond - she said it was end of April too, so it might be a good idea to get in touch and clarify if you do or don't have a deadline.

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Reply 99

YulianaRus

Kings is being creepy. I saw an "updated" sign on my app lately but when I checked, nothing was different there. It was all the same. And last night I received an email saying I need to check my tracker, but again, nothing changed. Should I send them an email asking what exactly they were trying to tell me? :confused: