What Students Say?
Likes
- King's College London is an esteemed college, has a good world ranking, and is quite well known so that is beneficial.
- Academically, the structure of the syllabus is very clear. You will always have an idea at the very beginning of the course, about when you submit each assignment and where the exams will be held.
Dislikes
- There is no placement as such. You can find career fairs happening on campus and career mentors. However, there is no placement cell.
- The lab experience for everyone will be different. Which can be considered good or bad. However, for a dissertation, you can rank the projects you want to work on, and if you end up getting a lower rank of your preference, then you might not get the kind of research experience you want. You can always opt to reach out individually to researchers in that case.
I chose this college as I really loved their website specifically for Neuroscience. Exposure to using fMRI, and brain histology really motivated me to apply for an MSc in Neuroscience at KCL. This course allowed me to choose a speciality out of neuroimaging, neurodegeneration, cognitive neuroscience and neural stem cells - all topic very much in demand in neuroscience research. Out of three offers that I got, KCL was the best university ranking wise, exposure wise, location wise. My overall experience was definitely very good especially because of the support by teachers, who were always very helpful and kind.
Course Curriculum
The course curriculum is definitely very sorted and systematic. By the very start of your course, you will know, by what time you have to submit what, and which exams will be held when. There is usually no overlap of assignments. So did not find the course hectic. You might find time to also work part-time. Dissertation is very necessary part of the curriculum. So the last three months are totally dedicated to your research work. The course also makes you develop scientific communication skills, with different kinds of documents to be written in different assignments. Since most of the course discusses new research work and different researchers teach you what they are currently researching, the course is definitely updated research-wise.
Exams
- I think 2:1 is required to get into college. English test (IELTS) overall should be at least - Band 7 - 10th - 10 CGPA; 12th - 81% BSc (St. Xavier's College, Mumbai) - 2:1 - Requirements: I had to submit at least one LOR, I submitted only 1. For this, I directly provided my reference's email address, who received a link to submit the LOR themselves. I submitted a CV and a SoP (motivation to apply). For my SoP, which I believe is the most important of all, I mentioned what motivated me to pursue neuroscience, what have I done till now to keep my interest in neuroscience, and what I like about the course and curriculum. I also mentioned, what I aim to do with my degree and how this will benefit society. I did not have any interviews. My admission was very straightforward on the basis of my application. After receiving a conditional offer, I had to pay a small fee and keep my grades consistent. Once my final grades were out, I got an unconditional offer.
Placement
There is no placement cell as such. However, there are career fairs for part-time and full time where you can find good companies. Research-wise, it is easier to get research assistant/technician jobs through MSc Neuroscience degree.
Fees
Fees for MSc 2022-2023 - 33 lakhs INR (must have increased now) Student accommodation - 12 lakhs for a year
Faculty
The faculty is quite big in terms of support. There are teachers, admin groups, graduate teaching assistants and class representatives for help. Our main course leader is Dr. Eamonn Walsh. He is pretty kind and warm. Very helpful. Even though the class strength can be big, he always caters to everyone and is quick with replies.
Campus Life
There are definitely lots of clubs that you can be a part of. However, I find that bachelor's students are more part of these clubs than master's students. However, you can become a class representative. Infrastructure-wise, very developed. Many extracurricular activities as well. Neuroscience Society specifically keeps having weekly and bi-weekly activities which would be definitely something to look into.
Hostel
I live with a family in London, so I do not have idea about college accommodation prices. However, renting costs per month can be around 50,000-1,00,000 INR. You can always look for apartments to share with three four people, which would be feasible compared to renting one room. Sharing a flat of 3-4 rooms would mean, per person 50,000-70,000 INR per month.