Student review [#10968] for Politics
at London School of Economics and Political Science - LSE

As a first year student in the Government department (though having never taken politics A Level or equivalent), I can truly say that the politics lectures and classes I have taken this year have impressed me more than I thought possible- for the core modules GV101 (introduction to political science) and GV100 (introduction to political theory), attending lectures was actually a pleasure. The only downside (apart from the occasional dry reading or two) is that it is very difficult to achieve a first in such modules. Half of my degree is also in economics (BSc Politics and Economics). This involves one economics module and mathematics and statistics half modules. Whilst these can be heavy going at times (although there are definitely some less orthodox moments, such as a week on the ‘economics of discrimination’!), mastering concepts to the tune of a high grade is easier, or at least this has been my experience so far.

Despite this, I fear the experience could have been isolating had I not lived in university halls. Here I was surrounded by other nervous freshers who quickly became some of my best friends, who I now study/brunch/club with regularly. The campus itself can be very intense, and the complaints that there is little community spirit at the LSE are not unfounded. However, societies, too, can help massively with this. As well as careers societies (which I do recommend, and am a member of multiple!), there are plenty of sports/cultural/arts/charity societies to explore. I can almost guarantee you will join *every single society ever* in Freshers Week, but sticking with a few throughout the year will definitely enrich the university experience.

I hope you can now better LSE(e) what a few years here might look like for you!