King's College (Cambridge) Students and Applicants

I got in for architecture! Wow september? Thats late..
Which accomodation band do you think would be Keynes? I don't think I'd like to be out of college at least in my first year, but I don't want to pay too much either.

Anyone else thinking about applying to King's for '09 entry? I've changed my mind a ridiculous amount of times, but I think I've settled on King's now.

Also, while I know that the stereotype of everyone at King's being eccentric and left-wing is becoming outdated, are there some people there like that? Because I'm a leftie, and I like company (but either way, I can certainly cope; growing up in a small town in the American Midwest is good for nothing if not teaching you how to deal peaceably with being surrounded by conservatives). :P

What are the chances of me getting an offer from kings with these AS grades i will be doin resists aswell

RS A
Computing D
Psychology C
CCNA Certification Pass << Meaning I have CCNA 1

The biggest shock cam from computing like how the ******* did i get a D I was predicted a B and in one of the module exams I landed an E The problem is that I really want to apply for kings next year to do computer Science but the thing is that, are my grades even good enough to go through the application process. I will definitely be doing some resits and boosting up my chances but i don't want to write on the application I will be doing resits beacuse i feel that it will decrease my chances. So please guys help me out here should i apply for kings or not?

And yh i checked there website and it said "candidates must have at least one full A level from Maths, Physics, Computing, Electronics or ICT" So i got computing thats what i'm relying on. But is still feel there might be somethin missing i hope computing and the rest of the subjects make up for it but what do you think of it? will i get rejected because of maths?!?!

Hey, I don't think there are any Computer Scientists from King's who post on here at the moment, so you might want to post this in the Computer Science thread (or make one if there isn't one). Or you could try one of the 'Are my grades good enough?' type threads. I go to King's but don't have a clue about what you'd need to get an offer for Computer Science.

Generally, though, applicants to Cambridge are going to be predicted AAA or AAAA and if you're offered a place it will be on the condition that you get AAA. So give it a go if you think you can manage that. However, Cambridge see your AS grades and considering that most applicants will have AAAA or AAAB at AS, with your ACD you will be at a disadvantage. Lots of applicants will have Maths A-level at grade A which sets them up well for the course, and although you have computing, a D isn't going to impress the admissions tutors.

Likewise, the fact you were predicted a B in computing doesn't look that good, considering applicants usually have an A grade (probably 90%+ UMS) in the subject they're applying for/the subject that is closest to the one they're applying for. Even if you were predicted ABC or ABB and were just unlucky with the exams, that's still nowhere near the average applicant.

Sorry if that sounds harsh, but although Cambridge interview most applicants, your AS grades might prevent you from getting to that stage. What GCSEs did you get? And what were your UMS scores?

After applying, Cambridge send you some forms to fill in which ask what your UMS scores are, and which modules you'll be resitting. So if you got, say, ABE in Computing they'll see you only messed up one module and that makes your D look better. On the other hand, I doubt they'll like it if you have to do lots of retakes (which you probably will in order to get predicted AAA)

Yh man most definitely I know what you are saying and I have checked kings website and apparently I don&#8217;t need an A level in mathematics, which I found it to be a big relief but they do require candidates to have a one full A Level from one of the following Maths, Computing, Physics, Electronics or ICT most importantly they asked for grades combinations of AAB/ABB/ACC in which I&#8217;m presuming the A to come from the subjects which they listed.
MY UMS were:
RS: Total UMS points 270/300
Computing: 185/300
Psychology: 200/300

I&#8217;m not looking to apply to Oxbridge because I want to stay in London due to the fact I like it better and also offer the courses that I want.

Jigglypuff, you seem to be quite knowledgeable on King's and Cambridge, if I were to apply post alevel with AAA and Distinction in AEA English, for English do you think the fact that I retook alot of my AS modules would count against me or maybe even prevent me from getting an interview? My As are in English Lit, Philosophy and Drama and Theatre Studies.

Keynes is band 4 (£917.46 per term), short-contract only (i.e. you have to go home after term ends in your first term to make room for the interview candidates, but after that you can stay an extra week after term ends each term)

TCR is band 1 (£680.82 per term short-contract, £780.62 per term long-contract)

Market varies from band 1 to band 4 (though I think all of the band 4 rooms and maybe the band 3s will have been taken by 2nd and 3rd years). Band 2 is £759.80 short-contract, £871.15 long-contract. Band 3 is £838.58 short-contract, £961.45 long-contract.

Lots of people go for the cheap rooms in first year allowing them to save a bit of money to have the amazing rooms in second and third year. If you're entitled to a bursary they take money off your college bill so you effectively wouldn't be paying for your accommodation (or only for some of it). I'd personally go for Keynes, but if you want to save money TCR and Market aren't too bad.

Thanks for your reply! I'm going go for short-contract, probably at Keynes. I get around half of the cost for accomodation off because of the bursary. How are the rooms there in Keynes? Are they much better/bigger than lower bands?

but as you have two "effective" courses as well as two "less effective" courses you should be okay
hope this all helps

Hi Jigglypuff

I'm coming up to study NatSci this October. For a form I'm filling in, I have to estimate my living costs for a year. I was wondering roughly how much you'd expect to spend on food per week, if you ate in the canteen. Is it fairly cheap?

On a similar note, roughly how much do people spend on books and course materials? Do most people borrow from the college library, or buy their own? I understand that that probably varies a fair amount by subject.

Thankyou, this thread's been brilliantly helpful!

Hey, food really depends on what you get...but I would guess if you ate in canteen for lunch and dinner you'd spend £5 a day unless you got dessert (not sure how much that is). About £2.50 a meal, I reckon. I wouldn't recommend eating breakfast there (apart from brunch at weekends which is better, mainly because it's at lunchtime so everyone is awake) as unless you want a fry-up or something it's cheaper just to buy stuff from Sainsburys. Not many people seem to go to breakfast anyway.

As far as I'm aware, people don't really buy books for their courses. I'm pretty sure my NatSci friends haven't bought books before. If you ever did need to, King's is really near the university book shop which sells them at a really cheap price. You shouldn't need to though, as King's library is really good, and there is always the faculty libraries, and the UL (which has a copy of every single book...the only downside being that you can't borrow them until third year so you have to sit and read it in the UL). Hope that helps

The accomodation website is very useful, thanks! Most of the rooms look as though they've already been taken. Haven't even received the form still, but I'm guessing first year undergrads pick last. How much do you think food will cost over a year on average? I'm trying to budget...

Hi Jigglypuff

Are any details available about activities for freshers week at Kings yet? I'm starting this year and some of my friends have heard stuff from their colleges, but I can't see anything on Kings yet. Just curious to know what happens.

Hi Jigglypuff

Are any details available about activities for freshers week at Kings yet? I'm starting this year and some of my friends have heard stuff from their colleges, but I can't see anything on Kings yet. Just curious to know what happens.