Hello, I am Mizanur, first year historian at King’s College, Cambridge. When first learning that we had to pick our colleges, I decided I wanted a college that had a reputation for being open, progressive and with a high state school intake. As someone from a state school in a disadvantaged area, it felt personally important to me that the college environment had values that aligned with mine and could allow me to integrate more easily. From my research I discovered that Kings would be the ideal college choice as it had a reputation for being progressive. This was a great decision as I genuinely felt that the community in Kings do share the desire to make each other feel welcome regardless of where we came from, allowing for easier integration and community.
I believe someone should apply to my college as it genuinely is friendly and quite diverse. I have had nothing but positive and interesting encounters with my fellow peers at the college. The student environment is really inclusive, open-minded and welcoming. My favourite aspect of the college is easily the chapel. The Kings chapel is the most iconic building in Cambridge. It is amazing to be able to see such amazing architecture and design every day. I still feel a sense of awe every time I walk outside my accommodation to marvel at the chapel.
Although this is a clear positive, the worst thing about my college does relate to the prior point. As Kings is quite iconic, there are a lot of tourists and political protests that occur outside Kings. You do get used to leaving the college grounds and having to avoid getting into the background of tourist photos. The protests on the other hand can occasionally be quite disruptive, especially if protests use instruments and microphones; but generally, it is not too much of a problem and fortunately not too frequent.
A unique aspect about Kings is how central it is in Cambridge. It is right at the centre, which means you are not too far from the main areas you may wish to visit in Cambridge. Kings, prior to the pandemic, is also a route to the Sidgwick site where lectures would have taken place. As a result, Kings is generally quite a popular college amongst the overall student base. Accommodation in my college depends on which building you are situated in. As a first year, I was placed in the Keynes building and I am very happy with my accommodation. I have a fridge, desk and an en-suite in my room. Although this can differ depending on which building you are placed in, generally the accommodation is quite good and spacious. A popular stereotype of Kings is the idea that it is quite left wing and politically active. There is some semblance of truth to this. The political societies within Kings are very popular and active. Quite a few of the students in my year are very involved with different political issues and engage attentively with current developments. Although this is definitely not the case with all students the overall student base does seem to be more politically active than other colleges generally.
The vibe of King’s is overall friendly. I have enjoyed meeting new people and learning new perspectives from these encounters. Talking to fellow students in my year has been a very positive experience with an overall atmosphere of wanting to be a kind and welcoming community for every student to feel a sense of belonging to. I genuinely look forward to the next two years of my degree and to hopefully more positive experience at both my college and Cambridge overall.
Find out more at the King’s College website!