LSE is one of the most prestigious universities of all time and getting to do my master’s in comparative politics from the university was an honour.

The professors are all experts in their respective fields and often have authored seminal works in those fields.

The student body is very international and you get to meet and interact with people from all parts of the globe.

Having an LSE degree is an advantage in terms of job prospects as well.

LSE prepares its students by challenging them to think critically.

I came to LSE on a one year exchange program for the US. My time here has allowed me to immerse myself into the campus and student life. I must say, compared to my uni in the US, the LSE fosters individual and original thought. They host a ton of talks and lectures that create an atmosphere that makes you feel like you’re involved in the future of different discussions.

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!

LSE has great facilities but your academic experiments really depends on what department you’re in Some departments pay greater attention to supporting students academically and invest a lot more in good quality teaching. I’ve enjoyed my programme so far and I feel adequately supported in my studies. However, the major drawback of my degree is that it is too Eurocentric and the readings are not diverse, even on topics that necessitate it. I understand that it takes a while for the curriculum to change but I am not seeing much effort being made in this aspect. The student life is really what you make of it. If you join societies and make efforts to meet people then you’ll be alright.