Academic and intellectual activities

Living at Goodenough College gives Members the opportunity to enhance their studies through a diverse range of academic and intellectual events and activities.

Goodenough College is a thriving academic community. Our competitive admissions process ensures that our community is made up of exceptional and diverse postgraduate students from around the world, studying a wide range of academic and professional disciplines at major London universities.

Each term the Dean organises a busy schedule of lectures, colloquia, volunteering and skills sessions open to all College Members, known as the Dean’s Programme. Goodenough Members have every opportunity to grow a valuable personal and professional network through their participation in the Dean’s Programme and the many exclusive and subsidised opportunities it offers.

Educational trips in the UK and Europe

Goodenough Members get many opportunities to join heavily discounted educational trips both within the UK and in Europe, called the Dean’s Trips. Recent destinations included: Athens, Berlin, Budapest, Cambridge, Dublin, Edinburgh, Florence, Gibraltar, Venice, Paris, and Rome.

Prestigious guest speakers

Throughout the year, the Dean, assisted by the Members of the College’s Academic Committee, invites prestigious speakers to give talks and lectures – known as Port Talks.

The distinguished speaker series features business leaders, current and former Government officials and best-in-field cultural practitioners.

Recent Port Talk speakers included: Lady Hale (British judge who served as President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom); Professor Liam Smeeth (the Director of London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine); His Excellency Vikram Doraiswami (the High Commissioner for India); and Sir Paul Nurse (Nobel Prize winner).

Networking opportunities

By getting involved in the Dean’s Programme Members get many opportunities to grow a valuable personal and professional network. Recently our Members met Lady Hale (British judge who served as President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom); Fabian Picardo (a Gibraltarian politician and barrister, serving as Chief Minister of Gibraltar); Sir Paul Nurse (Nobel Prize winner); and many other distinguished guests invited by the Dean.

Members also get opportunities to meet the College’s Fellows (65 distinguished academics and experts) who take part in talks, trips and seminars. The Fellows help to create the unique intellectual environment for which the College is internationally renowned.

Visits to key British institutions

As part of the Dean’s Programme, Members have many opportunities to join guided tours to key British institutions helping them to find out more about how they work and their significance in British life. Some of the institutions Members have recently visited are the British Museum, Supreme Court, National Gallery, the V&A, Science Museum, and the Natural History Museum.

Getting involved in intellectual life

At the beginning of each College year, Members are invited to apply for roles on the College’s prestigious Academic Committee. Those selected after interview may function as ‘Faculty Representatives’ or ‘Special Advisors’ in a number of areas such as Diverse and Inclusive Programming or Interfaith Programming.

Developing new skills

The annual Good Skills Week in College hosts several free skills acquisition sessions delivered by College Members and Alumni. Most sessions provide deeply interactive, small group experiences to help participants develop their skills. Some of the previous sessions included: Writing a CV for Success with Alumnus Cameron Dadkhah; Speaking with Confidence with Member Sarah English (Actor); Disagreeing Agreeably with Alumnus Nathaniel Beckett; and Basic Financial Literacy with Alumna Hwee Pee (Manager, Prudential Banking Supervision at the Bank of England).

Volunteering opportunities

As part of the Dean’s Programme, we provide a range of opportunities to enable Members to volunteer in the local community. In recent years Goodenough College has worked especially closely with the C4WS Homeless Project in King’s Cross, with Coram’s Fields after school club and in providing ‘study buddies’ for Argyle Primary School. Volunteering opportunities are promoted at special events when Members join the College and throughout the year.

Learning and sharing is such a central part of the Goodenough Experience: it helps you step outside of your comfort zone, to experience perspectives that may well be new to you, and to do it in a respectful, engaged environment.

Apply to Goodenough College

The 2025-26 accommodation application portal is now open. You are advised to apply as early as possible.