The King's College, NYC Student Blog

New Video on Interregnum at King's

2010-05-17T11:04:00.000-07:00

The students at King's pick a theme each year that they want to discuss as a school. The theme and the idea together are called Interregnum, and Interregnum culminates in a three-day break from classes in the spring semester, where students debate, make art, give speeches and lectures, flex their intellectual muscles, and invite an outside speaker to engage the school on the topic. Check out some highlights from this past year's Interregnum!

Message from future King's student, Catherine Ratcliffe!

2010-04-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon! Hopefully the spring semester is beginning to wrap up nicely for all of you! The admissions office, faculty, students, and everyone else at The King’s College are getting excited about officially welcoming the class of 2014 in just a few months. For those of you who have deposited and been placed in houses already, be prepared to get lots of Facebook friend requests from upperclassmen in your house, particularly your house executive team. We are excited to put faces with your names! Hopefully you have also been able to stay in contact with friends you made at Inviso or during one of your other visits. I would like to share a message with you from one of your future classmates: Catherine Ratcliffe! I met Catherine at the February 12-13 Inviso. She is a wonderful young lady and I am excited to get to know her more in person this fall! But I’ll let her share about herself and why she chose King’s:

My name is Catherine Ratcliffe and I will be a freshman at The King’s College this fall. I am from Dallas, TX, was homeschooled my whole life, and plan to major in Media, Culture, & The Arts with a possible theatre emphasis. This post was originally a Facebook note but I am thrilled to share my decision process with the TKC student blog! If you are still figuring out which college to choose I pray this post encourages you – I know exactly what you are going through. And for those of you who will be King’s freshmen this fall have an awesome summer and I can’t wait to meet you in August!

After months of prayer, college visits, and discussion with friends and family God has brought me to my college decision. It was the hardest choice I have ever made especially when it boiled down to my top schools these last few months.

The top 3 reasons I chose The King’s College are:

1) It is the most unique school I visited. I have strolled through numerous campuses these past few years trying to find The Right College and a few amazing schools felt like they could be “the one”. But King’s allure is not only the location but also the driven, passionate Christian atmosphere that permeates the college.

2) The Core Curriculum grounds students in the Western Tradition and enables them to critically think, write, and debate. Its devotion to Christian truths, great books, and important philosophers forms a practical and unique education. King’s boasts distinguished, enthusiastic faculty and I will be learning with intelligent students who discuss life’s deepest questions with honesty and faith.

3) The mission statement:
“Through its commitment to the truths of Christianity and a biblical worldview, The King’s College seeks to transform society by preparing students for careers in which they help to shape and eventually to lead strategic public and private institutions, and by supporting faculty members as they directly engage culture through writing and speaking publicly on critical issues.”
When King’s students told me they were attracted to King’s because of the mission statement, I was thinking, “Who seriously even remembers their school’s mission statement?” But the King’s family completely proved me wrong. This mission is the heartbeat of the institution. King’s focus is to mold leaders who will engage in the culture and are characterized by faith and devotion to excellence.

I am thrilled and honored at the prospect of attending King’s. Other important factors went into my decision, including essential scholarships. While I will miss Dallas with all of my heart and hope to always consider it home, I am prepared to follow God’s will into New York City and The King’s College!

If you would like to formally introduce yourself in a blog, feel free to email me at ccarter@tkc.edu. You could be on the TKC Student Blog too!

Enjoy your last few weeks of school!

Christina Carter
House of Queen Elizabeth I

New Video: Student Organizations at The King's College

2010-04-21T10:40:00.001-07:00

There are many ways of getting involved within King's as a student, and most of those happen through student-led organizations. Check out a video on the things King's offers its students and how you might be able to get involved!

Springtime in New York!

2010-04-06T11:27:00.000-07:00

Hi! My name is Alexandra Harrison and this is my second semester at King's. Being from Colorado, I assumed that all states experienced all four seasons simultaneously, with variations in average temperature and humidity. So, when my mom told me that New York’s winters would be shorter, I scoffed. Please! They’re in the northeast. Obviously, it would be an arctic wasteland from October through April. But then, lo and behold, she was right. It’s April 6th, and it’s a balmy 78 degrees. Tomorrow it’s supposed to be 83. It’s like Honolulu or refrigerator!

So what do we at TKC do to celebrate? We have class outside, that’s what! But not just outside—yesterday my modern philosophy class met on the roof of the Vogue apartment building! We discussed the effects of Hegel and Kant in our lives today while being part of the skyline, getting to see the Empire State Building from the outside, and enjoying springtime in the city. I also got a little bit of color, had a piece of gum, and we saw an adorable little girl playing with her mom. It was blissful.

New Video: Student Life and the House System

2010-03-04T07:17:00.000-08:00

Student life at King's is organized through the House System and the King's Council. Check out a few of the basics by watching this new video!

Song: "All the Greatest Things" by The Northern.

Birch Coffee

2010-02-04T15:02:00.001-08:00

Hello there! It's Holly again. I just got home from a delightful coffeeshop here in Midtown, Manhattan and wanted to share it with you guys.

It's called Birch Coffee, and it's located on 27th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue. It's a quick walk from the Empire State Building and is home to a cozy atmosphere and yummy coffee. They even have sandwiches and snacks available.

My favorite part is the "library" upstairs. You walk back into the hotel lobby and up some stairs to the right to an area with couches, love seats, pillows, and desks. It's quiet and well lit, which makes it the perfect study spot. There's a bathroom upstairs too, which is one of the cleanest bathrooms I've ever seen in New York City!

Here's the website if you want to check it out: Birch Coffee.

As I was sitting there, I could only think of 2 things I would improve:

1. They don't have free wi-fi. I didn't mind it today because I was just reading, but it isn't ideal if you have work to do online.

2. Music. When I first arrived, they were playing the radio--not the best coffeeshop music. However, right as I was thinking about how I didn't like that they were playing the radio, they changed the music to Phoenix, one of my favorite bands! :)

I hope this gives you one more reason to come to college in NYC! One of my favorite parts of the city is finding new places to study. I'll let you know more of my favorites as the semester continues.

New Internship Video!

2010-02-01T12:57:00.000-08:00

Here are a few highlights of students who completed their internships this past semester. Enjoy!

Living in King's Housing

2010-01-29T16:07:00.000-08:00

It was great hearing from all of you who emailed me with questions about TKC housing! Not only do King’s students have the opportunity to go to college in the Empire State Building, they also live just down the street from it. The King’s College rents apartments for its students in The Herald Towers and The Vogue. The Herald Towers, where I live, is on the same block as the ESB and the Vogue is just a couple of blocks away. The purpose of this blog is to give you an idea of what it’s like to live in King’s housing and to be a part of the fast-paced, energizing, life-style of midtown Manhattan.

Each apartment has a bedroom, bathroom, living room, and full kitchen. The college furnishes the room with four beds, four desks and chairs, a couch, several dressers, and multiple light fixtures. The kitchen is stocked with plates, bowls, glasses, coffee mugs, silverware, and a set of pots and pans. There is also a microwave, oven/stove, dishwasher, sink, and refrigerator. King’s does not have a meal plan, students are responsible for their own meals. There are several nearby grocery stores within either walking distance or a short subway ride. The Trader Joes in Union Square is a favorite shopping place for King’s students. Even if you’re not at home in the kitchen, there are dozens of nearby restaurants, cafés, and fast food places. There is also a student-initiated organization called Bread Breakers. Students form groups of six people and each person takes a turn cooking one meal a week. Not only do you enjoy five free meals, you also get the opportunity to meet people and build new friendships!

Having a living room is especially nice and makes living with three other girls or guys much more manageable. For example, if one of your roommates needs privacy to study or sleep, it’s not a problem to have people over like it would be in a small dorm room. I’m frequently asked if King’s has any policies concerning guys being in girls apartments and vice versa. There are really only two things that King’s asks its students concerning this question: No sleepovers in rooms of the opposite sex and to be mindful of privacy hours. Privacy hours are 1 A.M on weeknights and 2 A.M on weekends. Other than that, everyone is free to visit whenever they please.

The Herald Towers and Vogue offer some other great features. The Herald Towers has a laundry room on the third flood, dry cleaning service, free exercise facilities, and a roof deck. The Vogue has laundry rooms on every floor, walk-out balconies, and a landscaped roof with trees and benches. Each of the apartment buildings have twenty-four hour concierge and security services. These features along with all the utilities are included in the housing cost, details for which can be found on the TKC website.

Midsummer you will find out who your roommates are. The four of you can spend the remaining months getting to know each other and making plans for apartment decorations and what each person will bring. King’s apartments in the Herald Towers have a variety of different floor plans but once you know your apartment number you can generally get a pretty good idea of what to expect. Larger apartments are available to choose from at the end of each year you live in student housing.

King’s apartments are home for the tight-community at King’s. Whether they are used for dance-parties, movie nights, dinner parties, study groups, Bible studies, or worship nights, the apartments are always a place to form and deepen lasting relationships.

My next blog will answer some questions I have received about the House System at King’s and adjusting to the city. Here is the link to check out on the website. TKC Houses. If you have any questions about the House System, please email me at ccarter@tkc.edu.

Also Leah Guaglione, a sophomore at King’s will be writing a blog about MCA (Media, Culture, and the Arts). Here is a link to get you started on learning about the program: Media, Culture, and the Arts. If you have any questions for her about the program or her experiences with MCA then email her at lguaglione@tkc.edu

Have a wonderful weekend!

Why I chose King's

2010-01-13T13:21:00.000-08:00

Hi! My name is Christina Carter and I am just starting my second semester at King’s. Being a college freshman, the stress of applying to schools is still fresh in my mind. After applying came the long wait and frequent trips to the mail box to check for responses. Out of all the steps of the admissions process , I found the final stage – choosing the college, the most difficult. No matter how many schools you have been accepted to, the decision of where to invest your money and the next four years of your life is a challenging question. Having walked through the season you are in, I want to share with you why I chose not only a college in New York City, but more specifically chose The King’s College.

The King’s College is an unique school in many ways. Incoming students realize that they are not undertaking the typical college experience. I ended up choosing King’s for several reasons. The first of these was because of their high academic standards, one of the most important criteria for me. Visiting classes and speaking with professors, I was impressed with the faculty’s dedication to the each individual student’s success, both inside and outside the classroom. Now a student at the college, I continue to be grateful for the significant investment the professors are making in our futures. As my Politics professor, Dr. Innes, recently said, “This is a mission-driven school. Your success is our success. I am here to serve you and to help you develop and succeed. I invite you to make the fullest possible use of me and of what I can provide you.” The small classes enable the professors to engage every student in each comprehensive discussion.

The moral code at King’s is not founded on a lengthy list of rules, but instead on an honor code: “A student of The King's College will not lie, cheat, steal, or turn a blind eye to those who do. Every student is honor bound to confront any other student who breaches the Honor Code.” This was the second reason why I choose King’s. After one semester at King’s, I have discovered that the honor code prepares students for adulthood in a way that a rulebook cannot. Living in an environment of peer-accountability, King’s students are encouraged to shape their lifestyle around a Biblical worldview – not rules. As a part of the tightly-knit community King’s, I have built relationships based on accountability and encouragement.

Originally, I did not intend to apply to a college in the city, let alone New York City. I pictured the typical college location: a large campus, sports games and facilities, lots of property with wide, grassy grounds and trees, and thousands of students. Growing up in Avon, a small suburb of Cleveland, New York was a new experience for me. It didn’t take me long, however, to discover what an advantage going to college in this city is. Manhattan is the home of some of the most prestigious businesses, ambitious men and women, and offers one of the greatest selections of internships in the country.

The next four years of your life will be a season that you will only get once. King’s offers a chance for you to challenge yourself inside and outside of the classroom. I more impressed with the students at King’s than at any other college I visited. King’s students are committed to mastering the great ideas and understanding the current political and social issues in order to speak and write effectively and ultimately, to shape the world around them for the glory of God.

My next blog will be about student housing. If you have any questions concerning TKC housing, please email me at ccarter@tkc.edu.

American Folk Art Museum

2010-01-12T09:42:00.000-08:00

Hey there!

My name is Holly, and I am a first semester Senior at The King's College. I'm originally from Nashville, Tennessee, and am studying Business Management. I'll be updating this blog every now and then to tell you about my experience at King's and fun adventures I'm having in the city.

There are so many great museums here in the city including the Met, MOMA, and American Museum of Natural History. However, those are just a few of the popular ones. I had a friend visiting me from Nashville this weekend before classes started back up, and she wanted to go to the American Folk Art Museum. I had never heard of it, but I told her we could look into it.

Turns out, the American Folk Art Museum is free on Friday nights from 5:30-7:30, and it's right next to the MOMA which is free on Fridays from 4:00-8:00. The MOMA is always super crowded, but the American Folk Art Museum isn't! We walked right up to the front desk and got a free ticket. There was a band playing folk music in the lobby where a crowd of people sat watching them. You can hear the music from anywhere in the museum which set a relaxing atmosphere for observing beautiful art.

My favorite part about the American Folk Art Museum is that it is art from every day life. There are watering cans and chairs from early America that are beautifully painted. There are gorgeous landscapes of upstate New York painted by Thomas Chambers, like this one of Niagara Falls (below). There is also abstract art that is always fun to dissect and figure out what the artist was thinking when he or she created it.

The American Folk Art Museum is the perfect place to listen to music on a Friday night, stand in awe of art from America's past, or spend time with friends in the cafe.

Thanks for reading, friends, and let me know if there are any specific topics about NYC, King's, or student life in general that you would like to read about on here!

Kirsty Bleyl's 12 Days of Christmas Vlog

2009-12-16T11:18:00.000-08:00

Kirsty Bleyl, a sophomore from Texas, has entered the VLOG world yet again and is "Vlogging" her way through the twelve days leading up to Christmas. Her days began in the city during finals week, and they'll end with her family in Texas. Thought you'd all like to take a peek!

Vlog #4: Kirsty's last full day in New York

Vlog #3: Kirsty's last day of finals

The first Christmas Vlog:

Kirsty Bleyl's Vlog -- A month in the life of a King's student

2009-12-11T09:33:00.000-08:00

Back in October, a King's sophomore, Kirsty Bleyl, decided to video blog her life every day for the whole month. Thought we'd show you some highlights!

The first Vlog:

A Vlog about some concerts and school trips:

The 21st Vlog:

The 28th Vlog, with some fun grocery shopping:

The last Vlog:

Feel free to track along the whole month to see some of the things--both mundane and exciting--that Kirsty experienced in October!