What’s it really like to study at King’s? Inside King’s:Student Voices cuts through the prospectus-speak to bring you honest answers from current students navigating life, work, and study in London.
Tell us a bit about yourself
Hi! I’m Youssef Bentley, and I’ve just graduated with my Mathematics degree at King’s College London. I grew up in London, and early on I realised Maths was the subject I wanted to study. From competing in the UKMT Mathematical Challenges at school to earning A*s in both A-level Mathematics and Further Mathematics, Maths has always been part of my journey. Currently, I’m tutoring GCSE and KS3 Maths and building my own tutoring and education brand called Youssef Maths. It’s a way for me to refine transferable skills and explore entrepreneurship.
What led you to choose KCL?
During my A-levels, I was fortunate enough to be taught by a former KCL professor. As the only one doing Further Maths in my year group, I had the unique opportunity for one-on-one lessons. Every lesson was tailored entirely to me, and learning directly from a KCL professor, I experienced a masterclass in Mathematics every class. He encouraged me to consider KCL for university, which sparked my ambition to study here.
What was the academic experience really like?
My experience at KCL has felt like a challenge that I have beaten. During one exam period alone, I sat through eight papers. Also had times where I had three exams within 24 hours. I even booked a hotel near the exam centre to ensure I was fully prepared and rested. It has taught me how to focus under pressure and push through when I can’t afford to stop. Those moments were challenging, but they made walking across the stage for my degree feel so rewarding, because at King’s, they don’t hand out degrees for nothing, and that’s what makes it worthwhile!
What advice do you have for new students?
Try everything and be proactive. There are so many societies, sports groups, events, and people to meet at KCL, and it’s your job to find and do what you enjoy. Nothing gets handed to you on a silver platter, but there is a whole buffet of opportunities if you go after them. The Welcome Fair is a great chance to learn about groups to join, events run, and services offered, with lots of free stuff given out too! The groups I explored were Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), Boxing, Chess Club, and Barbell Club (Powerlifting). I even did American football training to find out if it was for me.
As for studying, control what you can control. During your time at university (and your life), there will be things totally outside your control, whether that be the number of exams or what can appear on them. You must accept that you can’t control them and instead focus on what you can control. Do everything you can to stack the odds in your favour. Are you studying enough? Are you using all the resources available to you? Are you reviewing past mistakes and learning from them? Booking a hotel near the exam centre would be an extreme example of me controlling what I could. I hope it still highlights the idea that you can’t change some things and instead should focus on ways to optimise your position.
What are three ways to make extra cash while studying?
Tutoring: I cannot recommend tutoring enough. It’s a fantastic way to build soft skills such as patience, communication, planning, and so much more. Being a good tutor is more than just explaining ideas. It means recognising when and where a student is struggling, understanding any frustration or confusion and adapting your approach to help them learn best. This strengthens skills that are invaluable in personal and professional life. If you want to get started, the website I used to start tutoring was MyTutor. They only accept students from the UK’s leading universities, so as a KCL student, you’re in a perfect position to apply and start making cash while studying.
Restaurant work via Stint: Stint is a great app I used to make cash while at university. Restaurants need an extra hand during busy periods, and the app stint allows you to do one-off jobs called stints to help them deliver good service during busy times. I even did a shift at Pizza Express, where at the end I was given a menu to pick a free pizza!
KCLSU job opportunities: Keep an eye out for student vacancies at KCLSU. They’re flexible, look great on a CV, and are a fantastic way to meet people across campus.
Thank you for reading this post, we hope Youssef's expereince helps you navigate yours! If you liked this, you can learn more about our other students Aneira, Yazid, Kritika and Ryan on this series further!