Tristan Permana has recently finished the Advanced Level Foundation programme with Kings Brighton, although due to the Covid pandemic had to complete it entirely online from his home in Indonesia. He will be starting a degree in Law at the University of Sussex this autumn.
We recently spoke to his proud mother, Ms. Maya Dewi Armananty, to get her thoughts on his experience.
Thanks for talking to us! There are lots of UK-based education providers — what made you choose Kings?
Given that choosing a suitable education provider is crucial decision, both Tristan and myself considered many other providers. However, after doing careful research, we chose Kings as we believe that this institution is the most suitable for Tristan.
Firstly, classes are very small, with no more than 12 students per class. In fact, I can recall Tristan mentioning that his classes (albeit online) were no more than 8 students, thus enabling a higher level of focus and attention from the teachers.
"Each time Tristan needed help from the teachers in his classes, he was able to receive so much assistance, which would not always be possible at bigger institutions with larger class sizes."
Secondly, flexibility in choosing the 3 elective subjects meant that Tristan was able to explore his passions to the fullest extent, whilst at the same time possessing the breadth of knowledge and skills to fulfill university requirements. Prior to securing Tristan’s place on the program, Kings’ Regional Manager for Indonesia and Principal Nigel Addison were very helpful in supporting Tristan to choose his elective subjects. One would think that if this level of attention was delivered from such an early stage, we could expect the same once program had commenced, and this was definitely the reality.
Thirdly, Kings’ alumni progression rates to the Russell Group universities was also a factor that both myself and Tristan took into consideration. This not only showed progression flexibility, but also a solid curriculum. Last but not least, both Tristan and myself chose Brighton as we believe this city offers the right environment for this type of study experience.
Are you happy with your choice?
Definitely!
"Over time, Kings has proven not only to be an academically strong institution, but also a caring institution. As a parent, I am very touched by Principal Nigel Addison’s continuous assistance; he has been extremely helpful, communicative and incredibly fast at responding."
Prior to confirming Tristan’s place at Kings, Principal Addison took the time to speak to us and provided incredible insights into the UK education system, how to choose various UK universities, and life in Brighton. Furthermore, COVID has presented many challenges, and due to personal reasons Tristan decided to defer his Sussex University enrollment to September 2022. Once again, Principal Addison did not hesitate to spare his busy time to talk to us to provide insights re deferral and re-doing the UCAS application. He even went the extra mile by contacting Sussex University to get further feedback. For that, both Tristan and myself thank him very much, our only regret is that we did not get the chance to meet him in person.
Kings’ Regional Manager for Indonesia has been very supportive all along too, she provided continuous guidance, and continues to do so now, even though Tristan is officially an alumni of Kings! I look forward to meeting her in person one day.
I also received Tristan’s progress reports in a timely fashion and processing deposit refunds was no hassle at all.
What were the main challenges with the all-online course provision brought about by COVID?
Tristan completed Advanced Level Foundation programme completely online. We knew from the start that adjusting to the different time zone may present a minor challenge but it did not bother Tristan much. The biggest challenge was actually with the local infrastructure, as internet connection in Jakarta was often unstable.
What advice would you to give to other parents considering sending their child to Kings?
I would say that it is important to, first of all, choose your agent carefully. Secondly, I would suggest that they speak to Kings’ Regional Manager to obtain full information and lastly, that they do their own research too.
