Kings College: War Studies/History

I just received an offer for War Studies and History at Kings College today!

Predicated grades: AAA
Conditional offer: AAA

I've also received offers from Sussex and SOAS and I'm waiting for offers from SOAS and Goldsmiths.

Has anyone else applied to Kings for War Studies or History? Or anywhere else for that matter?

Reply 1

Grav3

Congratulations! I have just rejoined TSR to see if anyone else has received offers for War Studies at KCL in 2018. I have received an offer too and it is my first choice. I just have to hope I'll meet the conditions of the offer, now.

Nice to hear from other prospective students, anyway.

Reply 2

Realitysreflexx

sounds so interesting guys!!!! If i wasnt so career enamored with my business degree, i even looked into doing a terrorism MA if i decided to work in government....but ahhh not for me :smile:

though i would dig to do that course in another life!

Reply 3

TangoWhisky

I'm a first year BA on War Studies at KCL. Feel free to ask any questions and I'll answer them best I can.

Reply 4

Grav3

Original post by Realitysreflexx

sounds so interesting guys!!!! If i wasnt so career enamored with my business degree, i even looked into doing a terrorism MA if i decided to work in government....but ahhh not for me :smile:

though i would dig to do that course in another life!

Haha thanks, its certainly interesting if you have a passion for the field, which I do. I think War studies is a course suited for people with a distinct interest in the niche and is certainly not as fruitful for someone with just a general intrigue. You may very well be studying War in another life, in the Multiverse :wink:

Good luck with the Business degree, anyway.

Original post by TangoWhisky

I'm a first year BA on War Studies at KCL. Feel free to ask any questions and I'll answer them best I can.

That is cool! Thanks for the outreach. My first and most obvious question would be; have you enjoyed the course so-far and was it what you expected it to be like?

Reply 5

TangoWhisky

Original post by Grav3

That is cool! Thanks for the outreach. My first and most obvious question would be; have you enjoyed the course so-far and was it what you expected it to be like?

The course so far has been very good! The teaching is world class and the lecture content in very, very interesting.

As for is it what I expected, yes and no.

As I'm straight War Studies, I didn't get any module choice this year. Therefore my modules are:
・Art of War (one term)
・Contemporary Security Issues (one term)
・Causes of War
・Conduct of War
・Experience of War

As you'll be joint honours, you'll have Art and Security as compulsory as well as one of the other three. Causes is very theory orientated. It is more of an IR module rather than a module about what how wars have actually been caused. I wasn't really expecting that. In all other respects, pretty true to my expectations.

Any other questions, fire away!

Reply 6

Realitysreflexx

Original post by TangoWhisky

i feel like, correct me if im wrong, after the intial studying of war and drawing conclusions arent you going to end up going in a circle, yes war is bad, yes war is necessary, yes war solves disputes and protects freedoms from one perspective... you could go on and on, but i feel like either you come out with a love of war or a severe hate, neither of which is healthy. I remember reading a book about hitler and needing to stop because my mom and bestfriend noticed i was becoming very cynical and mean lol.

Reply 7

Realitysreflexx

Original post by Grav3

Good luck with the Business degree, anyway.

That is cool! Thanks for the outreach. My first and most obvious question would be; have you enjoyed the course so-far and was it what you expected it to be like?

Business degrees really are the best :smile:

you learn some technical skills, some economics, some critical analysis, research into modern issues.

the perfect degree for me :smile:

Reply 8

Grav3

Original post by Realitysreflexx

Business degrees really are the best :smile:

you learn some technical skills, some economics, some critical analysis, research into modern issues.

the perfect degree for me :smile:

I can imagine that the skills you learn in a business degree, will be some of the best to help you in the real world after University. I would personally however, have a difficult time studying it for for three years, due to my lack of interest in the field.

Original post by TangoWhisky

That's good to hear! I am straight War Studies too actually. All of the modules sound very interesting to me. I am actually quite interested in International Relations, so I'm sure the causes module will be of interest to me.

I'm guessing you moved to London? or did you already live there? How has the experience of attending a University, in the heart of central London been? Lots of activities to participate in I imagine.

Reply 9

TangoWhisky

Original post by Grav3

Well, you can love war as an art form but recognise the consequences of it are undesirable and use your adeptness in it to try to avoid it. Ironically, Hitler is an example of how not to conduct warfare. His boldness that paid off in France, would prove later disastrous in Russia.

''To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.'' - George Washington

I can imagine that the skills you learn in a business degree, will be some of the best to help you in the real world after University. I would personally however, have a difficult time studying it for for three years, due to my lack of interest in the field.

That's good to hear! I am straight War Studies too actually. All of the modules sound very interesting to me. I am actually quite interested in International Relations, so I'm sure the causes module will be of interest to me.

I'm guessing you moved to London? or did you already live there? How has the experience of attending a University, in the heart of central London been? Lots of activities to participate in I imagine.

Hi, I'm actually from London so I'm living at home and commuting. I do miss out a bit on the 'uni life', but I think it's worth it to save £7.5k a year! Unfortunately, I can't say much for the experience of a central London uni as I've nothing to compare it to. However, my brother reads at Durham and alcohol there is a lot cheaper! To be honest, everything in London is fairly expensive, but once you're familiar with the area, you'll find the cheap places to eat and quick routes between campus and halls.

Reply 10

briefschreiben

I am strongly struggling to set the BA War Studies & Philosophy as my firm choice. After attending the Offer Holder Day a few days ago, the impressions I went home with were quite gloomy.

I had spoken to a student ambassador who told me that most undergraduates (taking the single honors, as there are only approx. 15 WA & Ph students each year of which she didn't know any personally) were solely interested in military history, the ways in which battles are conducted, etc. She assumed that I would not enjoy my time there (as opposed to Social Anthropology at LSE, which is my other choice), as I told her I am personally more interested in human rights, empathy towards civilians living in conflict areas such as the Middle East, and establishing peace by art, journalism and publicity work. She said that both students and lecturers were mainly interested in and focusing on opposed fields.

However, the combination of Philosophy and the WA courses, which, according to the Course Descriptions, sound very much as if topics I am interested in – sociology, the experience of war, etc. – sounds great.
I would chose Contemporary Security Issues, The Causes of War, Intelligence in War Studies, War & Society, War on Terror, War & International Relations.
They would introduce me to very new fields I belive I am highly interested in, although I did not have much to do with such topics so far, leaving aside my regular reading of newspapers and political magazines. Social Anthropology would be a safer choice in this regard, and also students I met there seemed to be my kind of person. But the programme lacks a more politics-focused perspective for me.

Furthermore, I also experienced the King's College's campus a little bit outdated – especially when compared to LSE's bright and modern facilities.

Could anyone please support me with insights that may help me with my decision? Does any current student know someone with motivations similar to mine? What are your experiences?

Thank you!

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 11

TangoWhisky

I've just finished my first year in WS BA, I believe there were only 2/3 people in my year who read WS with Philosophy.

Regarding your module interests, I can't provide any information about the later four, but I did take both CSI and Causes this year. Though after the first year, you can really tailor your modules to what suits you. You can focus on stratagem or the human impact of war. These were most of the modules I was able to choose from:

Attachment not found

CSI is very heavily IR based, focusing on themes such as Right to Protect (R2P) and international law/morality. Lectures cover 8 topics: Nuclear Proliferation, Global Insurgency, Human Security, Human Intervention, Gender, Migration, Cyber Security and Environmental Security.

As for Causes of War, it is a module heavily influenced by theory, especially realism and liberalism. It focuses more broadly on the underlying causes of war, not specifically individual wars. My year looked like this: https://prnt.sc/jg14av

Feel free to ask any other questions you may have. (Excuse the picture formatting, but TSR picture insertion into posts is an absolutely detestable piece of software)

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 12

briefschreiben

Original post by TangoWhisky

I've just finished my first year in WS BA, I believe there were only 2/3 people in my year who read WS with Philosophy.

Original post by TangoWhisky

These were most of the modules I was able to choose from:
Attachment 743816

Is there any chance that you try to upload that again? The link does not show any courses.

I hope not to be too demanding ... but can I ask you about your experience regarding personal motivations of other War Studies students? I think that this is the most important thing for me to understand the subject now, as it is the only information not available on the internet :-)
Obviously, many want to get into high ranks of the military or the defence ministry, but is the course also suited to those who are interested in a sociological perspective on war, or in journalism?

I think what is also important in this regard is whether teachers are available for personal talks. Can I approach experts and ask extensive questions I am interested in, even if these are not directly linked to the course?

Thank you so much for your time and efforts! Looking forward to your reply.

Reply 13

TangoWhisky

Original post by briefschreiben

Hey, thank you so much for your super kind answer. I am glad to receive it as I have only three days left to make my final decision between War Studies & Philosophy and Social Anthropology – which sounds ridiculous, .as the courses are so different from each other!

Is there any chance that you try to upload that again? The link does not show any courses.

I hope not to be too demanding ... but can I ask you about your experience regarding personal motivations of other War Studies students? I think that this is the most important thing for me to understand the subject now, as it is the only information not available on the internet :-)
Obviously, many want to get into high ranks of the military or the defence ministry, but is the course also suited to those who are interested in a sociological perspective on war, or in journalism?

I think what is also important in this regard is whether teachers are available for personal talks. Can I approach experts and ask extensive questions I am interested in, even if these are not directly linked to the course?

Thank you so much for your time and efforts! Looking forward to your reply.

Good morning,

I hope this picture has uploaded this time! To reiterate, this was the lecture structure for the Causes of War module this year:

Screen Shot 2018-05-10 at 10.15.43.png

Regarding people's motivations, there's a broad mix. You have a lot of people looking to join the forces and a few people with aspirations to work in security sectors. You've also got a couple of people looking to enter government/civil service. On the other hand, the course also has pacifists reading it with their focus on humanitarianism and ethics. People such as these look towards think-tanks/NGOs/charities etc..., though I can't say for definite as the course is quite cliquey.

Hope this helps!