King's College London (UK)
Founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington, King's College London is five years away from its 200th anniversary.
King's was also one of the founding colleges of the University of London federation, which now has 17 members.
It has since developed life-changing therapies, conducted research that led to the discovery of the structure of DNA and now has more than 250,000 alumni across the world.
Here are some of the highlights from my visit in June 2024!
London
First things first -- let's talk about what it means to be a student in London.
Sure, it's the most expensive city in the UK, but you get what you pay for -- and that is a vibrant experience surrounded by 400,000 other university students, where there is never nothing to do.
And for the average American, there is more history on one corner of London than there is in many parts of the U.S.; in some ways it's like stepping back in time.
The other thing about London is that if you attend a university like King's, which is part of the University of London federation, you get access to U of L intercollegiate dorms, libraries and other facilities, making your experience all the richer.
Strand campus
Since its founding in 1829, King's has seen a lot of changes, including mergers with a number of other institutions.
It's now made up of five campuses across London.
Located on the north bank of the River Thames, the Strand campus is home to its courses in arts, sciences and business.
The area is very busy, just around the corner from the London School of Economics, and it's a lovely part of town.
In fact, the area between two of its buildings was recently closed to car traffic, giving students more places to rest between classes.
The Bush House is a central part of the Strand campus and used to be home to the BBC, where Winston Churchill often delivered speeches.
Now, it's home to the Students' Union, the student bar, a dining hall and other academic facilities.
King's is made up of 33,000 students (20,000 undergraduates) across its five campuses, so it feels much smaller than it seems.
Two of the bigger departments at King's are for English and history (Virginia Woolf is an alum!).
King's was also the first UK university to offer a degree in Liberal Arts.
This interdisciplinary degree features the unique module 'Lives of London,' which includes a number of site visits around the city to examine gentrification, war damage, migration and more.
One of the most beautiful features of campus though is the chapel.
I'm also told that if two King's students marry each other, they get to use the chapel for their wedding for free!
Now that's quite a perk.
The facilities are beautiful and feel quite stately; it's easy to see why an American would want to come here!
Summary: King's College London (KCL)
King's College London is a comprehensive university offering courses in the humanities, sciences, medicine and more.
It's a regular on the college lists of many Americans, but it's also competitive when it comes to admission.
Students should expect to present at least three AP exams and a high SAT/ACT score.
Worth trying though -- because it offers quite a unique student experience with a high quality education.
And if your goal is to study in central London, there's no campus more central than the beautiful and historic Strand.
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