<p>I would be really happy if any one could give me some sugestions about where to go. I have been accepted to the University of Cambridge and the London School of Economics for a master's and have no idea which one to pick. My situation is as follows:
-I will be studieng for a Social Sciences related subject.
-LSE costs about 5.000 pounds more for the year.
-I have been offeared accommodation at one of the best LSE dorms. I do not know which college I will be offeared in Cambridge at this moment and therefore do not know if I will be offeared a place to live.
-I would like to work in an international organization dealng with politics like the UN, EU, UNESCO etc...
-I like cities and have always lived in one. I have never lived in an university town but I'm open to the experience.
-LSE's course lasts 12 months while Cambridge's only 9.</p>
<p>I would be happy for any ideas and suggestions. If any one out there had to make a choice like this (between any two unis you would really like to attend). Please tell me what you took into account when you picked.</p>
<p>LSE, hands down. It's where I want to go to grad school, actually. But apart from my attempts to live vicariously, seriously, it's amazing. The city of London is fantastic, since you will be in dormitories your rent will not be of astronomical proportions, additionally, all the relevant NGOs and political bodies are in London and LSE is tremendously well-connected. </p>
<p>I would looooooove to be in your shoes a few years from now!</p>
<p>(Btw, what was your course of study like? How did you prepare for grad school?)</p>
<p>That is also my view Cambridge is Cambridge but LSE would offer me better oportunities in my field of interest. </p>
<p>Regarding my undergraduate I did Sociology and a Modern Language and got a 2:1 from a well known Irish university. Aside from my grade I wrote a 3 page long essay about how much I liked the course and how I was very interested in the subject. I mainly focused on what I wanted to learn.</p>
<p>I also had some experience working summer job's at NGO's. Although they were not connected with what I will study.</p>
<p>cambridge Ph.D. and undergrad are amazing but the masters degree just seems a bit fishy. oxbridge are causing much contraversy for offering 9month masters cause it just doesn't seem that you will learn a lot and also many think it's just used to raise funds. LSEs' masters degree is 12month so it seems more genuine and also it seems more competitive if you look at the admission rate while i know a lot of not so bright people with oxford offers.</p>
<p>I did not know there was a contreversy. But thanks for the info. Just out of curiosity do you have any link to an article about the master's controversy? As far as I know regarding my course: Cambridge's masters has 2 terms of teaching then one term for the thesis. There are no exams. LSE has 3 terms of teaching and then exams (some people have more some less depending on the subject they pick but at least one is pretty standard) then over the summer you research and then write the thesis.</p>
<p>I forgot to add that I had two letters of reference (as requested). One from a known Professor in the field and the other from a lecturer that was not related to what I will study. I am also fluent in 3 languages and have lived in many countries. </p>
<p>I have no idea what LSE saw as being good/or not but I was accepted with what I have told you. </p>
<p>Pss. I am an EU student therefore pay the minimum amount.</p>
<p>Since you said so yourself, you wanna work with NGO's like the UN and such, ergo LSE is a much better choice. I know I might just be echoing what others have said, but I just guessed that another voice wouldn't hurt anyone ^^.
Cambridge is Cambridge (my dream...) but LSE is on par when it comes to Social Sc. I think in this respect, LSE is more specialized both in its course and environment+connections. </p>
<p>And about your essay, was it an entrance essay required for both Cam and LSE? </p>
<p>I personally would choose Cambridge over London any day because Cambridge is a much MUCH nicer place to live. I haven't been to London in over a year and avoid it wherever possible. Cambridge is a small town and beautiful (more so than Oxford I think).</p>
<p>I sent LSE & Cambridge a personal statement (about 3 pages) as asked for in their applications. I also sent Cambridge a sample essay (A paper I did in my last year of undergraduate).</p>
<p>I do not really mind living in a big city. I know most of London is not exacly beautiful (when you leave the tourist beaten path) but It's only for one year.</p>
<p>I would say cambridge in most cases but it really depends what you think you'll gain from working in London. If you can make the right connections then maybe it will be worth it. Bear in mind that being in cambridge doesnt exactly mean it's difficult to make those connections in London</p>
<p>From what I know, Oxbridge's Masters courses appeal more to applicants who intend to continue to PhD but aren't quite sure yet at the time of application. A number of these Masters applicants face funding issues which prohibit them to start the PhD right away.</p>