Albert Brotherton is now in his third year of studies with us at Kings. Here, he reflects on the differences between Kings and other schools he has attended, and shares his plans for the future.
Hi Albert. Where do you come from and what course are you taking with us?
I’m from London, England. I was born in Westminster. I’m currently living in the Kings Brighton residence.
I’m studying A-levels, in my second year, and I’m taking English Literature, Economics and Politics.
"This is my third year studying at Kings. It’s been good, I like the school very much."
Have you joined many clubs or attended many activities?
I’m currently Student Council President. It’s good – I’ve got a bit more on my mind because of it, for example the student newsletter that we’re working on — but it’s good and it gives me something to do. It’s a useful skill to learn, being able to manage the Student Council.
Have you attended any university talks or fairs this year?
I attended the university talks from Exeter, Manchester and Leeds. I haven’t had any UCAS Counselling sessions just yet.
Have you met many friends at the school?
I think I’m the most social person here — I’m on it! My friends are from Turkey, Albania, Singapore, Ukraine, China, Taiwan, everywhere really.
How do you find learning in an international environment?
It’s really nice. Especially the Eastern European side, as I come from an Eastern European family and am half-Romanian. My brother grew up in Romania, and I have a lot of Romanian influence in my life. Since I grew up mainly in England, it’s nice to have a change and to speak to people who have the same mindset as me.
Are you planning to go university in the future? Do you have any ideas about subjects or universities?
Yeah, I’m planning to go university if it’s possible with all the coronavirus stuff… I’d like to go to university in London.
"I want to study along the lines of Business and Economics, maybe the Management and Marketing side. I’m thinking of applying to King's College London, UCL, LSE and Imperial for my main choices."
How’s your Personal Statement coming along?
It’s going well. With the whole corona thing, I did a really good draft of my Personal Statement back in March before the school closed, but unfortunately, I lost it over the Summer. I’m rewriting it again now though! The deadline is pretty soon, but I think I’ll have it done in time.
Have you adapted well to school life with the new COVID guidelines in place? Do you feel safe?
Yeah, I mean to be honest, the only real difference for me is wearing a mask. Even before Coronavirus I was very hygienic and always washed my hands a lot. I’m a very social person and I like to go hang out with people on weekends a lot, which obviously I can’t do as much with social distancing, but as I’m in the Kings Residence I can still hang out with people. Overall, I’m fine, it hasn’t impacted me too much.
"The Kings environment is one of the safest ones to be in. I have a lot of friends in London who’ve had lots of school closures this term due to Coronavirus outbreaks, but here it hasn’t closed once which is really good."
Last year you were commuting to school from London. Why did you decide to move down to Brighton this year?
I was yeah. It was about an hour and a half door-to-door. In year one [AS Level] that was okay as I didn’t have as much work.
But, because of coronavirus and losing a big chunk of my year last year, I just don’t have the time to spend 3 hours a day commuting so living in the residence has really helped me. I’ve boarded at schools before so it’s not a problem for me, I enjoy living in the residence.
How is Kings different to your previous schools?
That’s a big question! Kings is a lot smaller and a lot more tight-knit. For example in my other schools there were a lot of social circles, but at Kings, everybody is friends with everybody which is really nice because there is always someone to talk to.
"It feels more like a community than a school. It’s mainly a Sixth Form college, with students aged 16 – 18. A lot of schools in England have like 2,000 kids and it’s like a town where you walk around and don’t know anyone. Here, you know everyone which is nice."
Do you like the small class sizes?
It’s good as you can really talk to people in your classes and ask them about work or homework.
"You get a lot of attention from the teachers; you’re able to ask questions and they actually have the time to answer them for you."
You don’t just have to rely on your note-taking skills — if you don’t understand, you can get help.
Would you recommend Kings to other students?
Yes, especially Kings Brighton. I don’t know much about the other Kings schools, but from my experience, I like Kings Brighton a lot. It’s a really nice community. If the other schools are anything like Kings Brighton, then I’d recommend them too!
