London School of Economics as an undergrad, any insights?

[Anonymous]

DD got in and is interested but I'm not sure what the undergrad experience might be like. It's more of a grad school in my experience. Anyone have a sense?

thanks

[Anonymous]

congrats.

schools outside the US provide a lot less oversight and nurturing. if your kid isn't ready for that, I'd worry about sending him abroad.

otherwise, I think it is a pretty good program.

[Anonymous]

I think it is better for public policy than economics, oddly, for undergraduate.

[Anonymous]

Thanks.

She's very independent and I think could fare well in a situation with autonomy. But she's also looking for a vibrant undergraduate experience. She would be doing their BSc in International Relations and Economics.

[Anonymous]

OP, here's where I'm coming from: Undergrad in the US, master's degree from the LSE. Spouse is English, many relatives and friends in England including a nephew looking at colleges there right now.

Has your DD researched the difference between how undergrad is structured in the US and the UK? This is THE key question here and if she has not looked very carefully into how her three years in UK undergrad will be different from four years in the US, she needs to get that information and take time to think about it.

If you and she know this already, apologies, and skip this, but here's the short version: In the English and Welsh system (Scotland and Ireland are a bit different), she would go to school for three years in ONE subject. There is no "general college" and no arrangement to take various courses and then "declare a major" after a while; you go in knowing (or thinking you know) exactly what you want to study. Undergrad is not a time to try out new subjects as it can be here in the U.S. If she enters to study, for example, econ, then all she will do for three years will be courses related to econ. In the U.S., even if she's not in a liberal arts college, she still likely would have to do at least some distribution requirements to take some classes outside her major, so she'd be both exposed to something besides her major subject and she'd also have a bit of an academic break from her major subject. That is not the case in undergrad in UK schools.

If she absolutely knows what topic she wants to do, and is ready to commit at that level at age 18, and wouldn't care about not doing other topics or electives, she might like the system there very well. And she'd be done in three years and not four, and could go ahead to grad school all the sooner, if that's on the cards for her.

"Changing majors" seems to be mostly not done, or if a student realizes a course of undergrad study is just the wrong one, he or she then has to reboot largely from scratch and probably at another school--at least that's what our relatives there have said. Of course, if she started in (for instance) econ and realized she really preferred political science, she could probably make that happen as the LSE teaches both, but very likely it couldn't happen in just the three year time frame.

If she wants a four-year experience somewhat more like a US college, she could look at schools in Scotland and Ireland. The Fiske Guide to colleges lists some Scottish and Irish universities and notes how they differ from the US but also from English and Welsh universities.

I hope this doesn't come off as negative about the system over there (and I am not familiar with the Scottish and Irish systems, I only know my friends there say "it's more like the U.S."). It would have had all cons for my own DC who is looking at colleges and likes to taste a lot of different subjects and take things for fun as well as for requirements. But it would fit for other kids who are focused, I'm sure. It's just important that she fully understand the differences.

The PP who says that there is "less oversight and nurturing" is right, by the way.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in London and my BF went to UCL - all the London universities have to work hard to create a student atmosphere because they are competing with everyone else in the city.

There will be a student union building with bars, cafes, offices for clubs and information to help students (subsidized priced food and drink) and there will be help with housing if she chooses to live outside of dorms for any of the years.

Its a very prestigious place - and huge congrats to your kid for getting in, especially from an American HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in London and my BF went to UCL - all the London universities have to work hard to create a student atmosphere because they are competing with everyone else in the city.

There will be a student union building with bars, cafes, offices for clubs and information to help students (subsidized priced food and drink) and there will be help with housing if she chooses to live outside of dorms for any of the years.

Its a very prestigious place - and huge congrats to your kid for getting in, especially from an American HS.

Yes OP it is an amazing accomplishment. I am following this thread because my younger child wants to go to school overseas. We've been told that in England you are just paying for the education and the level of student support is really minimal. If you need healthcare, for example, the student would have to navigate that on their own, instead of just going to the health clinic on campus.

Anyway, until we go across the pond for a visit, I'm encouraging my DD to look at schools in Scotland because those more closely mirror US colleges.

[Anonymous]

Ask Monica Lewinsky

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in London and my BF went to UCL - all the London universities have to work hard to create a student atmosphere because they are competing with everyone else in the city.

There will be a student union building with bars, cafes, offices for clubs and information to help students (subsidized priced food and drink) and there will be help with housing if she chooses to live outside of dorms for any of the years.

Its a very prestigious place - and huge congrats to your kid for getting in, especially from an American HS.

Agree with all of this. I'm from London and some of my friends went to LSE, UCL and Imperial. (I went to Cambridge as I wanted the collegiate experience and I didn't want to stay in London.) My friends in London had a great time because of course London is a fantastic city - but the universities don't have that intimate university feel because, as PP said, there is so much else going on in London. For example, one of my friends who was a medical student was really into circus skills, and she and a few uni friends joined a London group for people to learn and practice circus skills and she made a lot of non-university friends through that, which was great but a slightly unusual experience to have at university. All of which is to say, London has a lot to offer generally and student life suffers somewhat because of it. Perhaps it is similar to going to university in NYC, though I don't know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, here's where I'm coming from: Undergrad in the US, master's degree from the LSE. Spouse is English, many relatives and friends in England including a nephew looking at colleges there right now.

Has your DD researched the difference between how undergrad is structured in the US and the UK? This is THE key question here and if she has not looked very carefully into how her three years in UK undergrad will be different from four years in the US, she needs to get that information and take time to think about it.

If you and she know this already, apologies, and skip this, but here's the short version: In the English and Welsh system (Scotland and Ireland are a bit different), she would go to school for three years in ONE subject. There is no "general college" and no arrangement to take various courses and then "declare a major" after a while; you go in knowing (or thinking you know) exactly what you want to study. Undergrad is not a time to try out new subjects as it can be here in the U.S. If she enters to study, for example, econ, then all she will do for three years will be courses related to econ. In the U.S., even if she's not in a liberal arts college, she still likely would have to do at least some distribution requirements to take some classes outside her major, so she'd be both exposed to something besides her major subject and she'd also have a bit of an academic break from her major subject. That is not the case in undergrad in UK schools.

If she absolutely knows what topic she wants to do, and is ready to commit at that level at age 18, and wouldn't care about not doing other topics or electives, she might like the system there very well. And she'd be done in three years and not four, and could go ahead to grad school all the sooner, if that's on the cards for her.

"Changing majors" seems to be mostly not done, or if a student realizes a course of undergrad study is just the wrong one, he or she then has to reboot largely from scratch and probably at another school--at least that's what our relatives there have said. Of course, if she started in (for instance) econ and realized she really preferred political science, she could probably make that happen as the LSE teaches both, but very likely it couldn't happen in just the three year time frame.

If she wants a four-year experience somewhat more like a US college, she could look at schools in Scotland and Ireland. The Fiske Guide to colleges lists some Scottish and Irish universities and notes how they differ from the US but also from English and Welsh universities.

I hope this doesn't come off as negative about the system over there (and I am not familiar with the Scottish and Irish systems, I only know my friends there say "it's more like the U.S."). It would have had all cons for my own DC who is looking at colleges and likes to taste a lot of different subjects and take things for fun as well as for requirements. But it would fit for other kids who are focused, I'm sure. It's just important that she fully understand the differences.

The PP who says that there is "less oversight and nurturing" is right, by the way.

I would agree with this post and actually think a good liberal arts education in the US followed by a graduate degree at the LSE might be better unless your child is a highly independent, self starter who is sure about what she wants to study

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD got in and is interested but I'm not sure what the undergrad experience might be like. It's more of a grad school in my experience. Anyone have a sense?

thanks

I did a master’s there. I don’t know if your kid will like it, as LSE has no campus so everyone is scattered throughout London. If she’s very social and outgoing, and very independent, then she’d be ok. I’d strongly suggest flying there and visiting classes and the campus. My masters is in IR and it’s a great program. It might be hard for her to break through as there aren’t many activities that naturally bond the students.

[Anonymous]

Great accomplishment and congrats to your dd. It is a fantastic opportunity. I would not miss it. As mentioned above, do visit.

Mine is finishing her second year at Edinburgh and we are very happy with her experience. She is, too

[Anonymous]

So what would you say are the differences between undergrad at lse/selective english university and undergrad in ireland/scotland? Do they take regular "classes" in ireland/scotland with homework problem sets and assignments or it is all based on 1 end-of-year exam like in england?

[Anonymous]

Where did she go to high school and what are her other college options?

I got my masters at LSE. If she went to a big three like Sidwell, she's basically already have the equivalent of a small liberal arts college education with nurturing classes and lots of attention to her writing etc. If she went a large public high school and has the option to attend someplace like Amherst,'I do think she would learn more at Amherst in many ways.

London is great. I had an amazing year.

[Anonymous]

3 years vs 4 years, a little bit more flexibility with course choices in Scotland. English unis are very fast paced, esp the top 5. Yes to classes, hw, tutorials and assignments in Scotland. Final exam is between 50-100% of the grade depending on a course. Read syllabuses for 2 similar courses at LSE and Edi to get a feel for the differences.