I love it here! The student life exceeds my expectations – a great social atmosphere and a supportive network. The courses are extremely engaging and the academic mentors are here for your every need. I would highly recommend LSE to any prospective undergraduate.

Access to resources via the library is substantial and easy to navigate. There are lots of online as well as physical materials one can use for their studies which go beyond the reading list provided by your course tutor and it is extremely helpful when writing essays as it can give you and edge not found within course reading lists. Furthermore, the library staff are always on hand to help if you are confused with the cataloguing system etc and so are course tutors. Whilst you may find yourself worried or apprehensive to approach tutors or lecturers from your course, LSE provides an atmosphere in which one can do this on an equal and respectable level playing field. No tutor I have encountered has even been arrogant or scary etc which is often the worries of people coming into higher education. I think overall LSE provides a friendly and approachable environment in which one can learn.

I love being at LSE for its internationalism and the amazing options, both in my degree and as extra curriculars. However, it can be difficult to build a sense of community, because the university seems disinvested in the student experience – it prioritises careers over wellbeing, despite lots of amazing people working really hard to change this culture.

My experience at LSE is limited to my course and department. I say this because at LSE, individual departments appear to be the controlling factor behind a student’s experience. Most of their staff in the History department is very knowledgeable in their field and almost if not all are helpful and readily available. Having a wide range of professors and teaching assistants also allows them to focus on their areas of speciality and provide courses that are very focused. They also have a wide selection of courses which allows students to choose according to their interests. These courses range from early modern to 21st century history which I enjoyed since my interest lies in modern history. However, it does seem exceptionally difficult to gain a first in qualitative degrees atleast compared to other universities and the atmosphere is almost too academically charged with little focus given to anything outside of careers and studying amongst the student body. I initially did struggle to adjust to this and would have preferred a more relaxed setting that allowed me to give some more time to outside interests as well. With regards to campus life, LSE does not really have one outside the few buildings designated to it since it is based in Central London. While this is an advantage for me since I love city life, those looking for a quieter more campus-based university experience might not really enjoy it. Overall, I would definitely recommend LSE for anyone wanting to study liberal arts in particular. Being in London in such a central location also gives students a lot of exposure. Given its connections, LSE is a good platform to explore career options for anyone planning on staying in London.

The course content itself is very interesting and takes a more international viewpoint on history then other courses my friends have taken. However, there is not much engagement between students in the actual classes.__

I chose to study history at the LSE because I was attracted to Social Sciences as a whole and it scores very high in global rankings. I like the fact that we are allowed outside options, and non-degree language courses – this diversifies our degree and broadens our learning in my opinion. The teaching staff is always very understanding and willing to help. Obviously, living in London has also been a dream because there is always so much stuff going on – whether academic, social or anything else really that you might find interesting. I love LSE buildings which have a few lovely rooftops. On the other hand, I found that there were not enough study spaces! And not enough contact hours but that probably comes down to the UK education system as a whole. I expected to have learned more about history, but the emphasis is put on the development of transferrable skills.

The LSE is a great university for those who are self-motivated, curious and willing to learn new things. It is definitely a studies-focussed institution so if you’re looking for a wild social life, this probably isn’t the place for you. Having said that, societies and clubs offer great opportunities to meet new people and have loads of fun!

LSE is a great university academically. Socially, which is especially important to undergraduates, LSE still has a lot to improve on. ____In terms of academics it is great and will definitely challenge the average student. Some courses, in particular, the 1st and 2nd year courses that are compulsory are not taught as enthusiastically as one would hope to see from a university with such renown. During my time at LSE I definitely felt that more effort and enthusiasm was put in by tutors for 3rd year courses and postgraduate courses. LSE is a research and postgraduate heavy university. ____Socially and in terms of having a welcoming/healthy community the university is still quite lacking, which could be related to the fact that it’s not a campus university. I take a significant amount of initiative to find a good community to be part of.

Personally, the lectures in my department were always useful and informative and I have had a good experience with seminar leaders, who have always provided helpful and detailed feedback on essays and submitted work; in that way, I cannot fault the History Department. What LSE fails to accomplish is a sense of community, and the lack of communal areas (except maybe the Tuns bar) and university-wide activities contribute to a sense of loneliness at the university despite being in the heart of the country. The campus does have good facilities and the on-site study areas and cafes are pleasant places to be, but unless you are a very extroverted and outgoing individual you may struggle to find a community for yourself unless you join clubs like the Athletics Union (AU) – I highly recommend joining the AU if you attend LSE as it is predominantly through the AU that social activities are presented.

The LSE offers a very high-quality education but the social and mental health challenges of attending the university are very real. I am far more intelligent about the world from having attended the LSE. However, I also directly attribute my development of panic attacks and anxiety to its unsupportive student culture. Course load is very high, mental health support poor, and the student body largely career and money driven. LSE student satisfaction rankings are consistently extremely low. If you are looking for an excellent education alone, attend the LSE. However, if you are looking for an enjoyable and supportive social and mental health environment, I would strongly suggest you research the student experience.