Why I Chose Kingston University

With the deadline to reply to UCAS offers fast approaching (if you've received all your decisions by the 14th May, the deadline for replying to your offers is June 5th), I thought I'd share some of the reasons I chose Kingston University London. I've absolutely loved spending my undergraduate years here, and I'm looking forward to starting my postgrad course at KU this September once I've graduated in July. :smile:

The main reason I first chose to come to Kingston was admittedly my course (BA Fine Art and Art History), my lecturers and the facilities I would have access to during the course. Aside from having the chance to talk directly to my lecturers and course leader on the Offer-Holder Day, having a guided tour of Kingston's Knight’s Park workshops - seeing the printmaking workshop, the photography studios and talking to the 3D workshop technicians - was what ultimately swayed me towards choosing Kingston. There had been a recent £29m renovation of the workshop area, which made me feel confident that the arts was an ongoing area of investment for the university, and there was a wide variety of workshops on offer, ranging from ceramics, plaster, wood, metal, photography, digital making and 3D animation. I came from a relatively STEM-focused secondary school whose only visual art-related facility was a small kiln - so realising I'd have access to more workshops than I could possibly imagine if I chose Kingston was definitely a factor in my final decision.

Another reason why I chose Kingston was the location. When I first arrived in Kingston-upon-Thames for my Offer-Holder Day in March 2022, I absolutely fell in love with the area. Coming from a city centre myself, I knew I wanted an area with lots of shops and restaurants; I enjoyed the buzz of where I was from and didn't want to give that up when I moved away for university. Luckily, Kingston had everything I wanted; there was a big shopping centre (the Bentall Centre), a bustling high street, and lots of unique restaurant (e.g. The Giggling Squid, Poor Boys) and cafés (Marna, OLR Café). Kingston also had some huge green spaces nearby, which definitely appealed to me - for example, Richmond Park, which is one of the biggest parks in London and home to over 630 roaming deer.

As a London university, Kingston is also a short distance from central London (about 30 minutes on the train) - which is fantastic for going to art galleries and exhibitions as a Kingston School of Art student, or for planning nights out with my friends.

The final reason I chose Kingston was the part-time job opportunities available. After receiving my offer, I was posted a booklet outlining some of the accommodation options and facilities at the university. One thing that caught my eye was how many students were employed on campus, particularly as Student Ambassadors. On a practical level, I already knew that I'd need a job to help support myself due to my lower maintenance loan, so having flexible, on-campus work available from first-year was important to me.

Although the decision about which university is right for you is always a challenging one to make (especially if you have several close contenders!), it's important to think about what you want most out of your university. Are you looking for a campus or a city university; do you want a strong social scene or are you looking for more parks and scenic spaces?

I hope this was helpful, and best of luck to all of our offer-holders with any upcoming exams!
Eve (Kingston Rep).