<p>^ Caltech’s very focused too. That doesn’t prevent it from being one of the best universities in the world, and having some of the best research of any university.</p>
<p>Perhaps it’s mostly an american thing, but most of our prestigious universities are VERY well rounded. But that might also be why are universities are considered to be among the best in the world.</p>
<p>goldenboy, the caliber of LSE students matches that of students at Columbia and Penn. The majority of LSE admits these days take 4 A Level subjects and are expected to get A<em>, A</em> and A in the subjects considered most important to the school. Generally speaking, most students take A Level Math (equal to Calc AB and BC), A Level Econ (equal to AP Macro and Micro) and two additional A Level courses. That’s like taking 8 AP courses Junior and Senior year, maintaining a 4.0 GPA and getting 5s in all 8 subjects. And that’s the lowest acceptable offer that LSE will make. </p>
<p>There are reasons why LSE does not enjoy the same reputation as Columbia and Penn, quality of student body is not one of them. </p>
<p>One of LSE’s major weaknesses is its lacks the resources to provide undergrads with the same experience as elite US universities. LSE’s endowment is 70 times smaller than Columbia or Penn’s, its campus and facilities are not on par with the better universities in the US.</p>
<p>Another major flaw, LSE is only strong in the Social Sciences, many of which are not considered that important to the progress of humanity. Top US universities have excellent Medical and Law schools, as well as top MBA and Engineering programs. They are also usually strong in the life and physical sciences.</p>