LSE is a diverse university that can sometimes feel a little divided, as a student coming from a northern background in the UK, I felt intimidated by the university at the start. However, everyone is from everywhere in the world so I imagine many people feel the same way. LSE has a strong reputation for academic rigour and careers focus, which I can confirm is true from my experience. LSE also has a reputation of being a bit socially boring in terms of student life, but I would argue quite the opposite, there are many student societies and political campaigns as well as a thriving sports union, the LSEAU. LSEs location in the centre of London means there are clubs, bars, museums, shops everywhere so you can never get bored, which I loved especially for going on a night out. I study Environment and Development Bsc and have found the Geography and Environment Department to be truly excellent in terms of teaching. The Anthropology, Geography and Social Policy departments are the best in the country and are worth applying to. There is a big buzz surrounding careers at the university, so even if that is not your focus at university, I ended up learning a lot about internships, spring weeks, assessment centres purely through conversation, this may be something to consider when applying.