10 things you need to know before coming to King’s College London in September 2025

It’s that time of the year again, A-Levels have finished and UCAS offers have already been accepted.

If you were like me this time last year then you’re probably got your offer from King’s (congrats btw) and are now waiting in anticipation for results day whilst wondering what your university experience will be like.

As I enter my fresher veteran era, sadly leaving my days as a silly fresh behind me, I think it’s safe to say that I’ve learned a lesson or two.

From uni rivalry to packed study spaces, here’s a guide to everything that you need to know before coming to study at King’s College London in September 2025.

Money, money, money

And no, we don’t mean the ABBA song unfortunately, although you will find yourself singing it at every karaoke night.

London can be a bit spenny at times where a single shot drink can set you back an eye watering £8.

Frankly nothing will prepare you for the shock when you see the prices in London. However, make sure that you budget enough money and don’t spend all your SFE in one go despite how tempting it may be.

Lenny the cat

Studying in London is already an experience and a half but to really top it off we have our own furry friend Lenny the cat, who regularly visits Guy’s Campus.

As a humanities student, I have never wanted to study at Guy’s more. He’s even got his own Instagram with over 6,000 followers so make sure to give him a follow and to stroke him if you’re lucky enough to pass him.

Societies

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Before joining King’s I genuinely didn’t realise how many societies the university had to offer.

With over 400 societies, ranging covering themes from Taylor Swift to politics, there really is something for everyone.

Societies are also great as you’ll undoubtedly find opportunities to meet people that share the same interests as you, so don’t worry about not being able to make friends!

Strand Greggs

Greggs is a London student staple and we’ve all fallen victim to the unbelievably long queues at the Strand Greggs where queuing for a sausage roll can take over 10 mins.

Definitely bring something to do whether that’s a podcast or just mentally preparing your order as you’ll be there for a while.

What can we say? We love a Greggs at KCL.

The Vault vs Guy’s Bar

These are the two Students’ Union bars.

Guy’s Bar is home to Wednesday’s sports nights where seeing people dressed as giant bananas and Troy Bolton is a regular sighting. Whereas The Vault (arguably the better of the two) is home mostly to arts and humanities students.

The best part is that these bars are right by the uni so you don’t have far to go if you want to catchup up with your friends post-seminar.

Missing seats at Maughan

Take this as a warning that you probably will never find a spot in the Round Reading Room despite how much it looks like something out of a Harry Potter film. However, don’t take the lack of seats in there as a sign to not study as there are plenty of other locations to study in.

Location, location, location

When studying at King’s I’ve never felt so lucky with the location of our campus.

With the West End a stone’s throw away from Strand Campus, Borough Market right by Guy’s, and TFL buses arriving pretty much every minute, you’ll find that your friends that decided to go to university up north will envy you so much.

Waterloo Bridge

Waterloo Bridge will become the bane of your existence if you’re a Strand regular as the combination of nearly being blown away by the wind and tourists blocking your way will undoubtedly make you late to your 9am and wishing you’d just spent the £1.75 on the bus.

KCL x UCL

This is probably one of the biggest things that you need to know and I’m sure the student ambassador at your open day will retell the story with great delight.

We King’s students essentially have beef with UCL after both universities fell out over a mascot (Reggie the Lion) with the saga continuing back and fourth for years and years. The feud continues yearly with our Varsity season being played against UCL.

The King’s Tab

Last but not least, if you’re joining King’s College London in 2025, make sure to follow The King’s Tab on Instagram and TikTok!

Here at The King’s Tab we are your number one source for all the latest memes, news and gossip on campus.

We also host regular socials and are always on the lookout for new writers so send us a DM on Instagram if you would like to write for us-  we would love to have you!