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King's College London
From The Student RoomTSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > King's College London
 King's College London (KCL) is one of the oldest and largest colleges of the University of London. It was founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829 as a university college in the tradition of the Church of England. It now welcomes staff and students of all faiths and beliefs. Today it has 14,750 undergraduate students and some 7,005 postgraduates in nine schools of study. The staff and alumni of King's and its constituent institutions made major contributions to 19th-century science, medicine and public life in general. In the 20th century eight people from these institutions were awarded the Nobel Prize.   The Student Union is one of the oldest in the country and the oldest in the University of London, and a KCLSU President was also the first ever president of the NUS (Sir Iveson Macadam). Famous People from King's:
King's College London is also the 24th best university in the world (Times 2007). FacilitiesLibrariesKing's College's main library is located on Chancery Lane, about a five minute walk from the Strand Campus. It is home to the American studies, Australian studies, Byzantine & modern Greek, classics, cultural & creative industries, digital culture & technology, English, European studies, film studies, French, geography, German, history, linguistics, music, philosophy, Portuguese & Brazilian studies, Spanish & Spanish-American studies, theology & religious studies, war studies, law (including the Institute of Taxation's Tony Arnold Library), medical ethics, computer science, engineering, mathematics and physics collections. Extensive and specialised library collections also exist at King's other sites (Guy's, St. Thomas, Denmark Hill and Waterloo). Guy's Campus has two libraries, one in New Hunt's House and one in the Hodgkin Building. The one in the Hodgkin Building is open 24 hours a day, though the one in NHH is only open until 9pm. The NHH library is, however, open 24 hours a day during the exam period. IT and ComputingSportsKCL has a wide range of Sports clubs. Four sports grounds New Malden and Cobham in Surrey and Dulwich and Honor Oak Park in south London cater for hockey, football, rugby, cricket, tennis and netball. Rowing takes place on the river Thames by Chiswick Bridge, 800m from the University of London boathouse. The nearest station is Mortlake. The Strand has rifle ranges and Guy's Campus has a swimming pool and gym. There is a KCLSU gym at Waterloo campus just round the corner from Stamford Street Apartments. For more information on Sports at King's, visit www.kclsu.org
WelfareHealthcareThe King's College Health Centre is located on the third floor of the Macadam Building (student union building) on Surrey street. Any King's student can register there and receive treatment from any of their several doctors and nurses. The health centre won the “Quality Practice Award” from the Royal College of General Practitioners in 2006. There is a walk-in clinic every weekday from 11:30 to 14:00. You can also, of course, make an appointment. They also host a sexual health clinic every Friday from 9:00 to 11:00 (although an appointment for a sexual health checkup can be made anytime). There is also a free counselling service. ShopsThere are student union shops in the Strand, Waterloo, and Guys campuses. There, you can buy snacks, drinks, stationery, college merchandise, and other miscellaneous items. At Guy's campus, the shop is also where you go to buy event tickets, to join clubs and societies, and to get your TFL form stamped. You can also apply to work part-time at any of the shops. At the Strand, there is also a Blackwell's bookshop, Endsleigh Insurance, and a Natwest branch. There is also a Blackwell's on Guy's Campus. RestaurantsThere are two restuarants located at the Strand campus: Chapters, in the main building, and the Terrazza, in the student union building. There is a restaurant on the ground level of the Henriette Raphael building on Guy's Campus. There is also a café inside New Hunt's House, also on Guy's Campus. BanksThere is a Natwest on the first floor of the Macadam Building on Strand Campus. There is a Natwest cash point at Guy's campus. Alternatively, you can take a very short walk to Borough High Street where there are many cash points for many different banks available. TransportThe Strand Campus's nearest tube is Temple, but it is also walkable from Covent Garden, Holborn, Charing Cross or Waterloo. It is likely that you would only walk from Waterloo after getting off of a train that got into Waterloo station, as there are certainly much closer Underground stations than Waterloo. Aldwych is a central point and is served by a multitude of buses - see www.tfl.gov.uk Including: 1, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 23, 26, 59, 68, 76, 87, 91, 139, 168, 171, 172, 176, 188, 243, 341, 521, RV1. Guy's Campus's nearest tube/rail is London Bridge, but it is also walkable from Bank/Monument and Borough. Buses include: 17, 21, 35, 40, 43, 47, 48, 133, 141, 149, 343, 381, 521, RV1. St Thomas' Hospital can be reached through a free shuttle bus that leaves from Guy's Campus every half an hour (and every 15 minutes during peak time, which seems to be from 5-6pm). The trip takes 15 minutes. Anyone can use this bus - you don't have to be medical students. King's College Hospital can be reached by bus (the number 40) or by train (Denmark Hill). As of 2nd June 2008, there is a new shuttle bus service to King's College Hospital from Guy's and St Thomas campuses which runs every 30 minutes from each site. Waterloo Campus's nearest tube/rail is Waterloo. There are regular buses from Waterloo campus to London Bridge, and alternatively you could also walk to St Thomas' Hospital to use the free shuttle bus if you want to avoid paying 90p (this assumes you don't have a Travelcard). www.tfl.gov.uk answers any transport questions you might have. Careers servicePart-time jobsPart-time jobs are available through the student union. You can work in one of the retail shops, at reception, or at one of the bars. Hours are very flexible. You can get an application on kclsu.org. Religous facilitiesAt Guy's campus there is a chapel on the 1st floor of the Henriette Raphael building. There is also a chapel on Strand campus. SocialBars, Pubs and clubsAs the name suggests, the Waterfront is a gorgeous, recently refurbished bar that overlooks the Thames. It is in the Macadam Building, on the 2nd floor. They also sell coffee, pastries, sandwiches, and snacks (such as nachos and curly fries. I really recommend these). Guy's Bar is in the basement of Boland House at Guy's Campus, which was also recently refurbished (and from the sounds of things it was fairly grotty beforehand). Guy's Bar also sells coffee, pastries, sandwiches, paninis, snacks, and if you're really lucky, absolutely gorgeous chocolate cake. Guy's Bar normally shuts at 11pm. However, on Sports Night (Wednesday nights), it's open until 1am. I believe this is the same for the Waterfront, but I'm not sure. Tutu's is a club located on the fourth floor of the Macadam Building. The club for Guy's Campus is Inverse, and it lies opposite to Guy's Bar in the basement of Boland House. EventsThere are several regular club nights, the most popular, arguably, being Phase which is hosted at Tutu's at the Strand every Friday. Tickets cost 6 pounds. Phase features "pop, chart, cheez and Phase classics." For those into "UK garage, hip hop, r'n'b, swing, bhangra," is Fuse, which is hosted at Tutu's on sporadic Thursdays. There are also many bands (some very well-known) that play at King's. 4th floor is an indie night which occurs on Saturdays at Tutu's. Truffle Shuffle is an 80s night which occurs on sporadic Thursdays at Inverse on Guy's Campus. Inverse is also used after the Christmas Show and Sports Hop (Sports Hops occur in Fresher's Week and Rag Week). Clubs and societiesKCL Dance Society: One of the largest most successful societies at KCL, Dance Soc is a great place to meet loads of new people. We offer a variety of dance styles, including street jazz, salsa, ballet, ballroom, and hip hop. In the second term we rehearse and perform our sell out dance show. We have regular socials including the amazing Christmas and aftershow parties! Check out the website for more details. KCL Dance Soc AccommodationAccommodation policyMost students will only receive university accommodation for one year (generally, their first). Priority is given to international students and students living outside the M25. FacilitiesResidencesThere are seven halls of residence at King's. They are: Great Dover Street ApartmentsLocated off of Borough High Street, within easy walking distance from Guys Campus, Great Dover Street Apartments boasts 769 en-suite rooms within 113 apartments arranged around a courtyard. It is a self-catering accommodation. GDSA has 10 blocks. Blocks 9 and 10 have bigger rooms than Blocks 1-8 and are also off the main alarm circuit. Thus when alarms go off in blocks 1-8, blocks 9 and 10 are left in peace. Bikes are kept in a room on the ground floor in each block. There are stands to padlock the bikes to. Security is high at GDSA. To get to their room, a student must use a swipe card to get into the foyer, a swipe card to leave it to get to the courtyard, a swipe card to get into their actual block, a key to get into their apartment, and then a key to get into their actual room. Despite this, it's fairly easy to smuggle visitors in. This is not true at Stamford Street. (Smuggling visitors in, not the high security) Stamford Street ApartmentsUndoubtedly the most convenient residence for students at the Strand and Waterloo campuses, Stamford Street Apartments is located just a couple of minutes' walk from Waterloo Station. It is right across the street from Waterloo Campus and a 10-15 minute walk from the Strand. It has 548 en-suite single bedrooms within 89 apartments. It is arguably the most sought-after hall of residence at King's, closely followed by Great Dover Street Apartments. The RectoryBrian Creamer HouseLocated very near Lambeth Bridge, it is a self-catered hall for KCL students, a walk or cycle ride away from the Strand along the South Bank. Rooms do not have ensuite showers but most do have washbasins, and showers are shared between only a few people. The advantages of a halls layout and shared kitchens make BCH particularly sociable. Wolfson HouseWolfson House is the closest accommodation to Guy's Campus. The rooms are not ensuite. The building is literally right next to the Greenwood Lecture Theatre, and so is ideal for anyone whose course uses this lecture theatre (ie medicine, biomedical sciences, neuroscience in their first year). Hampstead CampusFurther away than most halls, but easily accessible via Finchley Road / West Hampstead tube stations. Quieter but a very nice area, most people dread it going then miss it leaving. King's College HallKing's College Hall is situated close to King's College Hospital. It is the only accommodation to have its own bar. Private sectorPrivately renting accomodation in London will generally cost from about £90 a week upwards, depending drastically on how far out and how big places are! The University of London Accomodation website has a database of landlords/landladies, but searching websites like Gumtree also brings up results. Remember to budget for bills and travel, and that if you're all students sharing, you don't have to pay council tax. Student unionThere are 2 main unions - Boland House at Guy's Campus and the Macadam Building at the Strand Campus Boland House: Guy's Bar, a lot of society facilities. Guy's Bar holds some club events. Macadam Building (Main KCLSU): 6 floors - this building houses music practice rooms (B2) a large study area (B1), The Terazza Cafe (G), Blackwell's Bookshop, various financial services and a cash machine (1), The amazing Waterfront Bar, with panoramic river views (2), KCLSU health centre (3), Tutu's (club and gig venue) (4) and upstairs on the balcony of Tutu's, a shot bar. Tutu's hosts 2 weekly nights - Phase on Fridays (general pop/chart music), and 4th Floor on Saturdays (Indie). There is also a monthly 80s night called Truffle Shuffle (on occasional Thursdays), as well as other events, and public music gigs. PricesDrinks: Vodka + Mixer: £1.80 Double Vodka + Mixer: £2.80 Gin + Mixer: £2.05
Food: Large Sharing Platter of Chips/Curly Fries: £1.75 A Slice of Chocolate Cake: £1.10 EnvironmentArchitectureParticular interest: The Maughn Library in Chancery Lane, KCL Chapel. Local areaThe Strand Campus is located on Aldwych, a sort of oddly shaped roundabout connecting the Strand (going west towards Trafalgar Square), Kingsway (going North towards Euston), Fleet Street (going East towards the city) and Waterloo Bridge (going South to Waterloo and the South Bank). This places it just on the corner of Covent Garden, and theatreland. Going slightly north and west leads to Leicester Square and Soho, and a bit further to Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road. These places are walkable in 10-15 minutes, going through Covent Garden. This places KCL in very close proximity to London's favourite shopping areas, markets, and tourist attractions such as monuments and art galleries, making it arguably the best located college in the University of London.
Applying to King's CollegeThinking of applying to King's College London? Why not read some Personal Statements which were used for applying here? Other King's College ArticlesWhy not read these other King's College London Articles? Links | 
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