<p>I keep saying this, but I will repeat it again: unless you want a job that DEMANDS a graduate degree at a premiere university (i.e. consulting at McKinsey) head up to Canada and mooch of their dirt cheap education. I kid you not, if you are trying to get a job in the public sector, where your salary probably won,t be amazing anyways, just go to Carleton, U of T or Simon Frasier, get a Public Policy/Public Administration degree for 1/10th the cost of going to Michigan and then work on furthering your career. I know alot of people on here will say "Look, there are opportunities available to the Harvard, Princeton, Stanford people that are not available to anyone else." This is true, but only for a very limited amount of jobs, in very specific sectors. The only reason I would ever consider paying 50 Large to go to LSE is for the networking opportunities. That's it.</p>
<p>I realize this argument isn't going to carry much water on here, but I stand by it. If your goal in life is just to get a pretigious degree, than go to LSE or Cambridge or whatever. But if your goal is to graduate with as little debt as possible and be able to start your career off right, why would you want to blow 50K plus on grad school?</p>
<p>Consulting at McKinsey demands a graduate degree at a premiere university? Cool, I guess the University of Amsterdam is a premiere university then, judging from the number of people from here who get jobs as consultants before they've even finished their masters degree. lol. Or maybe McKinsey aren't that obsessed with brand names either?</p>
<p>What opinion do you guys have of management consulting? A lot of people seem quite critical of it. I once hear someone referering to it as "stating the obvious with powerpoint".</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for all the comments guys. I think we have raised some very good questions and issues here.......especially in the regard to the highway robbery that is grad school costs of attendance. </p>
<p>I am happy to say that I have been able to track down a few LSE students who have or are completing the IR program now. I plan to ask them some tough questions about LSE just to try and make sure it's the right decision for me. Based on the time and $, I think I will prob. end up going with LSE. It's true......no master's degree isn't worth 80-100k.</p>
<p>Haha yeah that's certainly one way to look at it. Powerpoint is awful.</p>
<p>Or how about computer programmers; they study four years so that they can spend the rest of their lives staring at a computer screen, digging a digital ditch.</p>
<p>Doctors go into massive debt and sacrifice the best years of their lives for medical school, so that they may one day have the privilege of sticking their fingers in strangers' bums.</p>
<p>Investment bankers compete like mad so that they may work hours equivalent to working two full time jobs (in one of the world's most stressful working environments), and receive a salary equivalent to working two normal full time jobs. They then have the opportunity to compete some more if they want to make money beyond that.</p>
<p>Every job has its drawbacks. People just learn to pretend those drawbacks aren't there, so that they can appear as happy and successful as possible.</p>
<p>Regarding McKinsey, and your response, two things:</p>
<p>1) Amsterdam is a good university, so I am not shocked that some UofA grads end up a McKinsey.</p>
<p>2) The point I was trying to make is that, beyond some exceptions, the vast majority of McKinsey consultants are from Harvard Business School or Wharton. Not all, but most.</p>
<p>JMleadpipe, I think you may miscalculate the cost of going to canadian university.. 1/10 of michigan is like 10k US dollar? but actually international student pays 15000 CAD dollar+++ for only tuition and books if you go to CAD university.. (not including housing / food / transportation / etc).. in the end.. a master degree in Canada will cost around 20k canadian dollar+++ which is not equivalent to 1/10 of Michigan cost. However, it is still cheaper compared to US or UK schools.</p>
<p>You are right, but a few things I might add:</p>
<p>1) I was exagerating to get my point accross.
2) I live in Quebec, and my resident tuition really is about 1/6th of what in State Americans pay to go to State schools, and about 1/20th of what some undergrads pay to go to private Universities.
3) If you go to UBC, study for a year then get resident status, your tutition will drop to where it will be costing you about 1/5th or less what it would cost to go to a school in the US. (I think, but I dont know UBC's tuition details that much).</p>
<p>That's awesome you're going to be at LSE next year also. When did you hear you were accepted? I got in off the wait list so I am still waiting for my packet in the mail. Where are you from originally? Sorry for all the questions, I'm just excited to speak to someone else who is going to LSE.</p>
<p>I found out really early in January. I'd heard that if you apply early, you have up to a 50% better chance of being accepted, so I rushed my application out in November. I still had a good statement of intent and recommendations, though. The packet should come about a week after the LSE for You thing updated your status.</p>
<p>It was a hard choice between LSE and Michigan....still is actually, I don't have to decide for sure until Monday..so it's coming down to the wire. I have a lot of questions for LSE that I want to get answers to before I make my final decision. However, LSE has been closed for Easter Break ever since I found out I was accepted. They re-open tomorrow and I plan to call a few departments to try and get some answers. Hopefully my packet will come soon!</p>
<p>That's right, how could I forget you were already an LSE student yourself? Well which program are you in and how do you like it? Did you do your undergraduate work at a U.S. institution? Any idea what the career services and alumni networks are like at LSE? I would assume they are pretty good, but I want to find out for sure. </p>
<p>Also, is there anything you now know, that you wish you had known before you decided to attend LSE? Also, how are you paying for it (if you don't mind me asking)?</p>
<p>I'm doing a MSc in the sociology department. I really like my program. The professors are really good and I enjoy the topic. I have taken two classes that are not in my program (half unit ones) and I really enjoy them as well. The only course I do not like is a general statistics one that loads of LSE courses have as part of their Masters. But I guess you can't like everything.</p>
<p>I did not do my undergraduate at the USA. I did my BA in Europe.</p>
<p>Regarding the Alumni network I'm not really sure as I'm still at the uni. There are however many famous people who went to the university.</p>
<p>The careers service is good. They have many careers fairs and have many how to apply to jobs, write a CV and stuff like that classes. The one objection I have with it is that they seem to be obsessed with I Banking. However, that seems to be changing and they are deffo broadening out. In the office they have loads of files on all type of careers.</p>
<p>The library is really good and there always have the books I need plus it is open 24/7. I also like my dorm Grosvenor House.</p>
<p>The facilities at the LSE are not the best. And some of the buildings are kinda crapy. They are however opening a new one in the summer of 08. Kinda late for us.</p>
<p>Loads of famous speakers are always coming in to give lectures which in general are really well attended.</p>
<p>The people in my class are all really nice and intellegent.</p>
<p>Thanks for answering my questions psmyth. I was able to come up with a few more also......Do you happen to know offhand if career services can only help you with jobs in England or Europe, or can they help students find jobs in the U.S. also? </p>
<p>Also, do you know what kind of reputation LSE has with students getting aid? I didn't receive aid from LSE, but I definitely plan to look for any scholarship I can find. Do you find most students there find some way to get some kind of aid (like scholarships from other sources)? Or do all the intl. students just pay the enormous amount of $ necessary?</p>
<p>psmyth000, I'm going to be in Grosvenor House next year, how's the social life there? I'm kinda young for a postgrad (I'll be starting at age 21) so will I be a little out of place? Also, what's the res. like? Clean, spacious? Near cool things?</p>
<p>Not sure how good the careers service is on getting jobs in the USA. I would guess that if you are loooking at large multinationals with USA HQ's like The Boston Consulting Group and Hilton they would be able to help but not totaly sure. They do also have a lot of info on stuff like the UN and NATO. Ypu can always apply online to these positions.</p>
<p>Most internationals just pay their fees. There are Graduate Merit Awards but you can't apply to to them. They are given when you receive your offer. I believe you can get a federal loan for LSE and they do have a fees office that knows more than I do.</p>
<p>I haven't been that helpfull with your last 2 questions!!</p>
<p>Grosvenor Hosue is cool. It's nice and spacious. Most rooms have double beds. It's kinda of a quiet dorm as 99% of people are postgraduates but if you wana be "social" there are always people up for going out and having fun.</p>
<p>There are a good few people aged around 21/2 so you won't be that out of place.</p>
<p>It's about 5 minutes away from the LSE and the area is great. You are in the heart of London and I almost never get a tube as I can walk to most places. SOHO with loads of bars and restaurants is also about 5 minutes away. Blomsburry where UCL, The British Museum and SOAS are about 10 minutes away as is Oxford Street.</p>