Borrowing some very LSE terminology, the returns that you see from your time at this uni are highly based on how much you invest in the first place. If you engage with the incredible societies, go to office hours to talk to world-class academics, and throw yourself into what London has on offer, you’ll have one of the best experiences of your life. But, this uni is also quite difficult as very little is easily accessible (especially the social life which can feel isolating unless you take the initiative).

LSE is a really cool place; there are lots of interesting people, the classes are good and the courses cover a wide range of material. It’s also amazing to live in Central London, there is always so much going on. The campus, however, doesn’t really have a social hub and so most big friendship groups are made in halls. I was in an intercollegiate halls so didn’t really have this. It can also be a bit intimidating because everyone is smart so you just have to remember that you also do belong there!

When applying to such a renowned institutions as LSE, people always highlight the stereotypes of LSE being an overly competitive university with rude, arrogant, and unfriendly people. While, yes it is true LSE is very competitive and the student body is very career driven and very determined; but to my surprise the people you met are actually extremely caring, helpful, and always willing to have a chat or grab a drink! The competitive aspect of LSE sometimes, a lot of the times, can be rather overwhelming I must say. When everyone is rushing so fast to fill out internship forms and going to interviews, you feel a bit lost— but then again, this super fast paced environment really encourages you to do research and find internships and experiences that suit your needs and encourage self- reflection about your career options! ____The academic level is very high at LSE, yet we do have very very very limited contact hours for the amount of money we are paying. It is usually one lecture ( 1 hour) and one class ( 1 hour) per each course each week. So there is a lot of content to cover in little time, so as you can imagine a lot is left to “independent studying” which basically means doing 50-80 pages readings and ‘teaching’ yourself a lot of the material! But LSE very much emphasizes independent studying which yes is good because it helps you with time management, nonetheless some times there isn’t enough time to do all the work set! ____LSE is in the heart of London, Holborn, yet it often feels like we are in the middle of a construction site, there are always construction noise distributing my classes or my study sessions in the library. The campus is filled with construction equipment. I completely understand that this is to expand the LSE campus to make it even more vibrant and dynamic, however it is definitely not the most appealing thing to walk around a middle of a construction zone to get to your next class.____But despite all these criticisms , I think LSE is a great institution where you will meet people from every corner of the world, and it will equip you with great tools, especially if you want to pursue a career in the politics/ economics environment!

Overal there’s no denying that LSE is academically a great uni, will open many doors, give you the opportunity to encounter some of the most renound figures in your field of study etc etc… But, being in London, it can also be quite a lonely and unwelcoming place unless you seriously put in the effort to make it otherwise. For qualitative degrees especially there is a very low number of contact hours a week (for my course, History and IR it’s 4 hours of seminars and 4 hours of lectures a week) which doesn’t give you much of an opportunity to see or meet people unless you get involved in university in other ways – sports clubs, societies etc.. That being said, there’s a huge mixture of people at lse, and probably a scene for everyone.