LSE Visit Day 2006

Was the question directed to me or the American guy?

Reply 142

Sjb123

Xanthe

Was the question directed to me or the American guy?

uh, sweetalkin really, trying to help him choose where to go. :smile:

But hey, youre welcome to answer... what are your plans?

Reply 143

Registered _Me

Lewis_986

I can't believe anyone could fail to be impressed by the LSE campus. Everywhere me and Traum went was sparklingly new, as if they repaint daily. The uni must be absolutely loaded to afford all they invest and as for that library...all the other unis ive visited (my dad works in one too) all have a nice building but the rest are like 1960s prefabs or 1980s refurbishments. At LSE everywhere is well maintained which in turn makes for a more enjoyable environment, albeit an undoubtedly materialistic one!

Were you at the visit day, and in the government talk?

Seems like forever ago now....i was second row back towards the left (if you're facing the front) and i think i was wearing a brown polo t shirt.

To be honest, i didn't get a good look around the room - unless you were the boy who sat next to me (who I politely smiled at) or the guy with the v neck sweater, the pink t shirt and an earring (who i saw everywhere that day).

ho hum

Reply 144

sweetalkin88, how come you live in Surrey? Did your parents move to the UK or something?

Reply 145

Who?

caramello

Are we meant to receive confirmation for our place at Bankside after we send off our deposit & acceptance form? I thought that you would only receive confirmation if you sent them a self addressed & stamped postcard. I didn't so I haven't heard anything back (sent mine off about 2 weeks ago).

Thats what I believe was the case, which is why I am not so fussed about the confirmation e-mail. In addition to that, if you sent in card details, then you can check in your bank details :p:

Reply 146

he1c14h10

caramello

Yeah, I should probably also email the accommodation office to get confirmation for my acceptance form & deposit.

I just got a reply from the school:

"We have received your acceptance form and your accommodation is confirmed. We will send a formal confirmation of your arrival date in the next few days. "

Bankside it is... :smile:

Reply 147

To Sjb123 and Xanthe

- The connection between US academia and government is certainly undeniable and more than a bit sketchy (I also gush over Chomsky's eloquent attacks on just about every American institution) but that does not necessarily mean that the elitist neocons are not for me. at the risk of sounding to lofty, you have to be on the inside to cause any significant change right? Surely if you want to do something about the sleaziness of world politics and corporate dealings you have to be "taken seriously in washington". That is why I was so interested in how the LSE course would compare to an American course.

I will jump of my high horse for a second to answer your other questions:

-I have decided on LSE but it has been a tough call. The options in the US were Tufts Georgetown and University of Virginia. The first two are arguably the two main IR schools in the states and UVA has a gorgeous campus and way of life etc, so thats why the decision was so tough. But I am happy to stay in London and I think I will push myself further intellectually here.

-That choice means probably heading to the US for some postgraduate degree, just to get a flavour for both...

-No concrete plans for work or where. IR is just something I want to study. I guess maybe politics or int'l organisation, but completely uncommitted for the moment.

-To try and answer your question, I started at boarding school in Surrey a couple years ago and my mom recently moved here. Where I feel at home is Lausanne, Switzerland where I used to live, and Long Island, New York where I go in the summer. Then again, I lived in LA, California until I was 10 and usually say that as a compact answer for where I am from.

And some questions for you:

-What are your plans for further study/work??

-Which other schools were you considering?

-Where do you live currently? (only if you want to answer)

Reply 148

also couldnt find the link to the Chris Brown article?

Reply 149

Sjb123

sweetalkin88

To Sjb123 and Xanthe

- The connection between US academia and government is certainly undeniable and more than a bit sketchy (I also gush over Chomsky's eloquent attacks on just about every American institution) but that does not necessarily mean that the elitist neocons are not for me. at the risk of sounding to lofty, you have to be on the inside to cause any significant change right? Surely if you want to do something about the sleaziness of world politics and corporate dealings you have to be "taken seriously in washington". That is why I was so interested in how the LSE course would compare to an American course.

Of course. If you think you want to get into US govt/politics then maybe Georgetown would be better. Then again LSE is well known and (especially if you do more study (like in US)) I think having been in London would look good.

sweetalkin88

And some questions for you:

-What are your plans for further study/work??

-Which other schools were you considering?

-Where do you live currently? (only if you want to answer)

Im not sure. Possibly further study, If I do well at LSE.
I was pretty much considering LSE. :smile:

I had a couple of other UK unis down for IR but didnt even fill up my 6 choices on my UCAS form. Bit lazy.
I live around Portsmouth.

This is that article. It actually says:

"I teach very few Brits. The LSE has a heavily international body. The largest contingent in the course last year were Canadians, actually -- then Americans, then Scandinavians, and then Brits. These are the four main groups." (dunno if this applies to undergrads)

http://www.cceia.org/viewMedia.php/prmID/864

Reply 150

sweetalkin88

I have decided on LSE but it has been a tough call.

Good choice. :smile:

sweetalkin88

-And some questions for you:

-What are your plans for further study/work??

I'm not really sure. I want to study IR at undergrad level purely for my own interest, I don't necessarily want to work with an International Instution after I graduate. I'd like a high-flying career possibly in Mangement Consulting or something similar. I like the idea of possibly doing a post grad course but I'll be in soo much debt by the time I graduate, I doubt I'll be able to afford the cost of doing a Master's. Also, I want to live and work in New York City (apparently the easiest way to do that is to get a job with the UN, but as I mentioned before I don't necessarily want to do anything IR-related after I graduate).

sweetalkin88

-Which other schools were you considering?

BA War Studies at King's College, London which is somewhat akin to IR (although the War Studies course is much more focused, there are IR options available). It's a highly prestigious and competitive course. The department is renowned although it tends to attract a lot male students who are intereted in joining the Armed Forces (according to one of the students out of 70+ first year students on the War Studies and joint programmes course, there are only about 20 women students). The course also has a reputation for attracting war mongers!

sweetalkin88

-Where do you live currently? (only if you want to answer)

In London, baby! (I live 20 mins away from the School).

Reply 151

Who?

Xanthe

BA War Studies at King's College, London which is somewhat akin to IR (although the War Studies course is much more focused, there are IR options available). It's a highly prestigious and competitive course.

Despite all of that being true, I would not advise you to study on this course from the experience of a good friend of mine who graduated with a high first from KCL War Studies, and was unable to find a good job after that... Certainly that may have been due to other factors, but as far as I am aware, in terms of job prospects, especially in the high flying sectors you want to work in :p:

, this course is not regarded very highly...

Reply 152

At the interview they told us there was 750 applications for 70+ places with loads of foreign students applying and that a War Studies degree will hold anyone in high regard.

Reply 153

SevenDeuceOff

14

Xanthe

At the interview they told us there was 750 applications for 70+ places with loads of foreign students applying and that a War Studies degree will hold anyone in high regard.

Out of all the open days I've been to, not one Uni told us to brace ourselves for a life of unemployment should we take them up on their offer. Fancy that... :wink:

Reply 154

Hello, it is exam time this week and next, so haven't been going on the internet very much.

Thanks sjb123 for the article, I did know that LSE had a particularly large amount of Americans for a UK uni, and there was a comfort factor in that...also EVERYBODY in the US knows of LSE, while they generally haven't heard of bristol or warwick for example, even though they are also top unis. Over the past 6 months I have asked all sorts of people from the US about the UK schools I had offers from, when I've been in Manhattan, Washington, Florida, etc. and the only one people had had of was LSE, and they get very excited about it.

Anyway, interesting to hear about other people's ideas about the future, and which residences have you applied for? It would be nice to be with other IR people. I have put 1. Northumberland 2. High Holborn 3. Passfield with my main criteria being proximity to the school. Almost all of my close friends are going to be in London as well, and home is nearby so I didn't think the "community" atmosphere was as important..

Xanthe, War Studies sounds cool, but IR seems more balanced and better looking on the CV. Just out of curiosity, since you're a london girl, where do u usually go out? Are you a kingly street type person? Or a fabric devotee?

Reply 155