| Full-Time Master's Economics |
Quality of life: LSE is NOT a conventional campus. It is a collection of
non-descript and rather rundown buildings in the heart of London. Don't
expect green swards and gentility here. In fact don't even expect to
find a free computer on most days. Facilities are strained, the
budgetary woes of British universities a bit too obvious for comfort.
But, but, but: this is London. The world's most cosmpolitan city. The
dead center of the world geographically and a cultural mecca like no
other place. Who cares about campus life? If you can afford it, London
is the ultimate campus. LSE is the most international university going,
making Harvard, Yale and Princeton seem ridiculously parochial. Only 30
percent of students are British, another 40 percent are from Europe, and
30 percent come from everywhere else. You will hear many different
languages spoken here and many different kinds of societies. There is
some debate as to how this all adds up- if it does at all. Inevitably
people gravitate to their own ethno-nationalistic grouping. This is less
true in the Econ master's. If you are an economics graduate student,
most of your peers are very smart and super-motivated to do well in
life. Plus what you are learning is so specialized and technical that
the very intensity of your academic experience makes it easier to work
across cultural barriers, because what you share is so much more
profound than superficial differences. LSE can give you a great academic
training, but living in London will make you street smart.
Dining- again, this is London. The choices and price ranges are endless.
There are dining facilities on campus that are not at all great, but not
too expensive either. Starbucks is ubiquitous.
Neighborhood- Holborn/Aldwych. Mostly somber offices although the BBC is
the LSE's immediate neighbor. Pretty dead at night. But there are other
areas- like nearby Covent Garden- that are absolutely throbbing with
activity. Crime and safety are not as major concerns in London as in
some American cities. Pick-pocketing ,mugging and drunken brawls are
more common here, but not the really heavy duty stuff. Thank god.
Housing: most people live off campus. There is some LSE housing. This is
usually fairly close to campus. Bankside and High Holborn halls are the
two best ones. English residence halls come with a bar and dining room.
They also have en-suite flats and kitchens. Although American students
like to turn their noses up at everything at the LSE, I suspect they are
being a bit deliberately snotty here. These residence halls were far
better than ones I had as an undergrad for sure. They're not cheap
though, at ??110 per week. The advantage is that you can walk from either
of the above-mentioned to LSE. If you are registered for the September
course check out these halls by booking into them for a temporary stay.
Most of us live off campus. In either Zone 1, or more commonly, Zone 2
of the Tube (you will surely know a bit about London if you're
considering LSE). The rents are variable. Shared accomodation in
a "flat" (apartment) can run between ??70 and ??150 (for a fashionable
address, that) per week. Most pay around ??100 to ??110. A nice thing
about London: there are blocks of subsidized housing ("council housing")
even in "posh" areas. So you can live in an overall nice neighborhood,
just in a cheap building.
London doesn't have the levels of racial segregation, and concentrations
of extreme violence (although there are some avoidable areas like
Brixton) that scar American cities. It's all quite harmonious really.
Rich and poor, black and white- they live in close proximity. Living
here is great, even if you're poor. The atmosphere is just unbeatable.
The British media is pretty amusing and lively too.
|
London School of Economics: Graduate Business/Economics Degress (Non-MBA) Admission & Application Surveys
