This is an excellent university especially because it is one of the top 50s in the world. You get to be an alumni from King’s! That’s big. I truly appreciate and admire the experience I had as a student at King’s. The resources were wonderful. There were plenty of opportunities for everyone. I definitely recommend King’s College London for higher education.

Ever since I started my academic journey in September, 2021 at department of geography in King’s College London, challenging and upgrading myself become parts of my daily routines. During a typical day on campus, I have empowered to absorb the most advanced and pioneered knowledge through thought-provoking lecturers and classmates; late at night, I have built the habit of going to libraries, especially New Hunt’s House

Despite ranking as one of England’s oldest institutions, King’s College London is one of the most ethnically diverse. Some may argue that it might not have a “university feel” being located in the heart of London, with its campuses being stretched from Denmark Hill all the way to Strand. Though I personally feel that this makes the social life that much more fun, travelling from campus to campus for social events, meeting students across different courses and feeling content in the knowledge that we’re all part of the same whole. From a young age, I have always looked forward to the prospect of the university but my first year at King’s felt like being bound and thrown into the deep end. A result of Insufficient and inadequate help from lecturers and personal tutors who I initially thought would act like university guides. The bottom line is that there is no ‘how to survive university rulebook” or “how to achieve a first” guideline – you are forced to learn the ropes as you go along and while some may thrive in such a situation, not everyone does. A little help can go a long way. I do believe increased contact time or a better form of student-professor outreach can help solve this. Being a university student, you’re in a bubble. For the most part, students are just trying to pass and complete their degrees, some have concrete postgraduate plans but others don’t. King’s needs to do better at bridging this gap. Mental health is another issue a number of university students face and as a result has impacted their studies significantly. Many may even feel like their university outreach for mental health is poor. Surprisingly, I cannot say I have had a single negative experience with King’s outreach on this and in fact have found their team to be extremely helpful, understanding and lenient in all our interactions. To summarise my experience at King’s and something I’ve learnt along the way, I’d like to quote Dumbledore “Help will always be given at Hogwarts (King’s)…to those who ask for it”.

This university has an amazing social life with a huge range of students. Definitely the most diverse environment you could be in. I love the location of King’s as it has its perks. Not being a campus university is a very small sacrifice when looking at the bigger picture. The heart of London is the best place to be. However, I think King’s takes independence to a whole new level. Personally, I feel students as individuals do not get pushed to grow as much because of the extensive freedom. More guidance would be great, especially in regards to career options and post-uni paths. There is also an urgent need for the university to be more attentive in regards to the mental health and well being of their students as university can be an extremely pressurising time of their lives and I don’t feel like students get enough attention from professional counsellors. Additionally, it is FAR too expensive. I regularly question what we are paying for, and the £9.25k per year alongside maintenance loan impacts those with low-income backgrounds disproportionately, putting students like myself at a huge disadvantage as the student debt is ridiculous. This ultimately widens the gap between the ‘rich’ and the ‘poor’. I am a Young Carer, so home responsibilities have negatively impacted my education, focus and ability to manoeuvre relative to other students. King’s has paid no attention to this whatsoever and I’ve been completely alone with my problems. Whilst paying so much money – you’d think you’d get some benefits. I’ll end this review with a quote which perfectly summarises life at King’s:

“We are travelling on the same river, with different boats”

Overall, the university was excellent. It was well located in central London, which is of an advantage for many career paths when students are looking to get part-time work or internships. Its facilities were excellent and the Student’s Union provided an excellent variety of societies as well as support, both personal and academic. However, when looking closer, say at individual courses and year groups, student satisfaction and learning experience could be quite low. While it varies from course to course, in my experience studying BSc Geography, I found the first year very impersonal as the structure of lectures of groups of ~200 students resulted in a disconnect between students and lecturers, making it hard to engage with the course content. Furthermore, the facilities that were available, for most students, were barely utilised, which seems like a missed opportunity. However, the course itself still had some amazing aspects, such as module options, coursework formats, and field trips. While it is simple to look up university rankings, the issues that can often impact your learning experience most have little available information for prospective students.