<p>If anyone's got any questions, fire away. I will do my best to answer.</p>
<p>The MSc in Finance and Economics, the MSc in Finance. The Finance and Economics degree is more well-regarded from where I'm sitting, and appears to be more competitive. Is that the case in reality, and is that program as tough as people think it is?</p>
<p>The MSc in Economics and Philosophy is also highly-regarded, but the coursework is obviously not as 'applied' when considering finance. Are recruitment opportunities the same for Econ and Philosophy students as it is for Finance and Economics students?</p>
<p>Do you have any sense of whether or not someone spending a year at LSE (general studies program) in their undergraduate years increases the chances of graduate school acceptance (for a doctoral program)?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The MSc in Finance and Economics is indeed very well respected, maybe a small step down from the MSc in Economics. The MSc in Finance is new I think, while the MSc in F&E has been around for a while. As a result, I don't know anyone who's gone through the MSc Finance program. I do know a lot in F&E though, and most of them are having a heck of a time with all the math involved. Yes it's competitive to get in, but not as competitive as the LSE website would have you believe. The most important thing is that you have top grades. At least one person in the program this year didn't even have an econ/fin/math/eng background; she studied polisci at undergrad. Even the GRE doesn't really matter as long as you've got a great GPA.</p></li>
<li><p>Recruitment opportunities are virtually the same for everyone. There are plenty of people who study government, geography, anthropology, etc, who get many interviews and land IBD and trading positions at the top banks, while a considerable number of the F&E students have to settle for second-tier shops. Of course there are plenty of F&E folks going to front office positions at top banks as well, but basically the most important thing is that you attend LSE. Your program doesn't really matter all that much for recruiting (although it may give you a leg up for more technocratic firms like DE Shaw or Lehman Brothers).</p></li>
<li><p>The following is pure speculation, as I don't know any grad students who did the general course previously. The only way I could see a year of General Course helping with doctoral admissions is if you come from an unknown undergrad institution of the kind where adcoms might be doubtful about the rigor of the grading standards. Getting excellent results in your year at LSE might in a way validate the grades from your unknown or less-respected university.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>
[quote]
There are plenty of people who study government, geography, anthropology, etc, who get many interviews and land IBD and trading positions at the top banks
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This is actually good to know, because I'm exceedingly interested in this program MSc</a> in Law, Anthropology and Society and my undergraduate degree will be in economics. I don't suppose you happen to know much about this program?</p>
<p>I figured the year long course really wouldn't help in admissions since you probably wouldn't have a lot of time to build a rapport with people who'd matter in the admissions process.</p>
<p>I guess a final question would be outside the realm of finance, how is the strength of recruitment in consultancy or management work in larger corporations? I assume non-econ and finance students would do slightly better than they do with recruitment into the financial world, but you seem to say they do pretty well there too.</p>
<p>Do grad students even get funded?</p>
<p>I'm going to LSE this fall to study for a MSc in Politics and Communication.</p>
<p>What are the best and worst things about the LSE? How have you found the academic environment? Social scene? </p>
<p>I would be interested in hearing a bit about your experiences in general</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
This is actually good to know, because I'm exceedingly interested in this program MSc in Law, Anthropology and Society and my undergraduate degree will be in economics. I don't suppose you happen to know much about this program?</p>
<p>I figured the year long course really wouldn't help in admissions since you probably wouldn't have a lot of time to build a rapport with people who'd matter in the admissions process.</p>
<p>I guess a final question would be outside the realm of finance, how is the strength of recruitment in consultancy or management work in larger corporations? I assume non-econ and finance students would do slightly better than they do with recruitment into the financial world, but you seem to say they do pretty well there too.
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<ol>
<li><p>A friend of mine who did anthropology is now an FO analyst at Barclays Capital. As for the content and quality of anthro/law programs, I don't have any experience with that sort of thing.</p></li>
<li><p>Admissions to what? Ph.d programs? Or job hunting?</p></li>
<li><p>Your question isn't very clear. Consultancy is massive on campus. Large corporations try to recruit as well, but they seem to be overshadowed by top banks and consultancies. LSE students get jobs in pretty much organisation you can imagine. Graduates of LSE are rated as having the best job prospects of any university in the UK, and have the highest average starting salary of any university in the UK.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>
[QUOTE]
Do grad students even get funded?
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>Yes of course they do. Funding in Europe works differently from in the US; the student must apply directly to the relevant research funding body (the ESRC for example) andalso be accepted to an approved course of study at a university. It isn't like US universities where getting accepted to a Ph.D. program means you are automatically considered for funding from the university; funding comes directly from the granting organisation, without a "middle man". Put simply, Ph.d and MPhil students are all eligible for funding. MSc students are only eligible for funding if they are doing a 1 + 3 program of MA/MSc + Ph.D. All this information is available on the LSE website and the ESRC website if you're worried about funding. I didn't even bother to apply for funding since I have no interest in doing a Ph.D.</p>
<p>^Or more precisely, do internationals (non-EUs) get funded?</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
I'm going to LSE this fall to study for a MSc in Politics and Communication.</p>
<p>What are the best and worst things about the LSE? How have you found the academic environment? Social scene? </p>
<p>I would be interested in hearing a bit about your experiences in general
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>Best things about LSE: location, professors, access to top recruiters, guest speakers (check the website to see who gave free lectures this year), global reputation, job prospects, freedom to choose more than half of my courses from any department at any university in the entire city of London. Student newspaper is better than any other I've ever seen.</p>
<p>Worst things about LSE: I personally think a lot of the people here are very self-absorbed and obsessed with prestige, be it of their university, employer, job title, neighbourhood, you name it. Superficial people. Obsession with careers. Competitive, rather than collaborative attitudes among a significan proportion of the students. Tuition is too expensive. Some of the best courses are not offered every year. (This year was not a good year for people interested in the history of economic philosophy and thought.) London is overcrowded and pollution is very bad in some areas. Library needs more holdings of course materials. Campus is small and crowded. Classrooms are small and crowded.</p>
<p>Academic environment: I don't really know how to describe this. Top researchers giving lectures, some people asking questions after class, some heading to the pub, others to the library, others to group study sessions, others to recruitment events, etc. One way or another though, people here study really hard. More books per capita are checked out of the library each year at LSE than any other British university, by a large margin.</p>
<p>Social scene: Honestly, I don't like the social scene. Sure there are plenty of parties, clubs, associations and other diversions, but at the end of the day I don't like most of the people. However I think I am in the minority. Most Americans from typical American colleges seem to love it. I think I would not enjoy typical American universities either though (I did undergrad at a typical European university). Anyway, I knew what the social scene was like here before I came, and I decided on LSE anyway. Why? Because I'm here for a year of intensive study. Social scene doesn't really matter for that.</p>
<p>General experiences: I liked undergrad much better. Like many top universities in the US and Europe, a lot of the hype about the reputation is just that: hype. But like well-regarded schools anywhere, it's hype that attracts recruiters to the campus and gets students loads of interviews for the most sought-after positions. And to be fair, the reputation of the school isn't without reason. It produces a ton of high quality research in a variety of fields, and also attracts/produces driven, careerist, ambitious, and somewhat mercenary graduates who go on to do very well in the banking, consulting, corporate, government, international org, and NGO sectors.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
^Or more precisely, do internationals (non-EUs) get funded?
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>Yes. Please look at the website, as I don't have first hand experience with funding that I can share with you.</p>
<p>And please understand that nobody is "entitled" to funding. Nobody just "gets funded" as if it's owed to them. It is something you apply for. Lots of non-EU internationals do get funding.</p>
<p>^ I understand that.. thanks a lot.. it takes effort to look for things you want</p>
<p>When you say tuition is too expensive, how expensive is it exactly? How's access to scholarships and whatnot?</p>
<p>Also, you said GPA is the most important - can you explain a bit?</p>
<p>Tuition for overseas students taking masters degrees (non-UK, non-EU) ranges from $15k to about $34k, depending on the program. Check the website for exact numbers on the program you're interested in. Maybe you Americans don't think it's expensive because you're used to $40k+ per year of private undergrad; but in the Rest of the World university isn't normally anywhere near that expensive. Scholarships are available, but only for merit. And you're gonna need quite a lot of merit (compared to other top calibre applicants) if you want to get one of those.</p>
<p>GPA is most important thing in your application. How else can I explain it? At graduate level nobody is interested in your extracurricular activities, the volunteer hours you logged, the teams you were on, the clubs you started, the trip your parents paid for to pad your resume, etc. What counts is your aptitude for graduate level academics in your chosen field. If you happen to have work experience (or very top quality research/volunteer experience) that is directly related to your proposed degree program, this will obviously be looked on favourably. But other than that, if it's not academic then admissions officers aren't interested. There is no affirmative action for "URMs" or affirmative action for "legacies" or special admissions or special deals for special people. Applicants are considered on their individual merit and that's about it.</p>
<p>Hope that helps.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>How are the classes in terms of size? Can professors get a chance to actually know you/learn your name/etc?</p>
<p>All my profs have known my name since basically the beginning of the year, and they know all my classmates' names too.</p>
<p>Class size varies depending on the program. Most courses have a lecture component and a tutorial/seminar component. You get to know your professors in the tutorials/seminars. (Or after the lecture please; nobody likes an interrupter. Write your question down and ask at the end to avoid annoying everyone who's trying to listen to the lecture. Seminars/tutorials are the places for discussion and questions.)</p>
<p>Tutorial = component of a math based course; spend the time going through assigned problem sets, presenting proofs/derivations/applications to the class. </p>
<p>Seminar = component of an essay based course; spend the time discussing readings, watching/discussing guest professor seminar presentations as well as student seminar presentations.</p>
<p>To give a rough idea of actual numbers, I would say 30-60 students is typical for a lecture (can be as large as 100, never had one of those though, and bear in mind that it may vary somewhat by department), and 15-30 students is typical for a tutorial or seminar (never larger than this, can be as small as 5). Lectures can sometimes be a bit of a squeeze because most rooms aren't particularly big. I mean, there are seats for everyone (just enough) but if you need to get up in the middle of a lecture you are really going to disturb your whole row. There's always lots of spare space for tutorials/seminars.</p>
<p>I personally find classes here to be on the large side as I attended a European public school for undergrad, with lectures typically 20-40 students, and tutorials 8-20 students (and much more comfortable furniture). But I suppose it's all relative to what you're used to from your own undergraduate university. Perhaps mine was not normal.</p>
<p>Hey man,</p>
<p>Out of experience, what have you heard about the 2 year MPA program for job prospects?</p>
<p>How is recruitment into European institutions within the EU for students who complete the 2 year MPA (public and economic stream)?</p>
<p>I start LSE in the fall, just trying to feel it out before I get there.</p>
<p>Cheers, and thanks in advance.</p>
<p>P.S. I have to ask, considering the huge debt i'll have, whats the average income for private vs public sector work that you've noticed amongst friends after they leave LSE? I checked the website, but I would rather hear it from someone without a conflict of interest. I feel dirty...i asked the income question. (Thats societal conditioning at its finest, no?)</p>
<p>First of all, I don't know anything about the MPA program, and none of my friends are doing it. Sorry.</p>
<p>Recruitment into EU institutions as well as world institutions is strong. I hope you are an EU national though, because that's a requirement for quite a lot of the EU positions.</p>
<p>Average income for LSE grads in private sector work is much higher than for those going public sector. If you go to the LSE Careers Service office you can look at salary stats for the last 5 years or so, disaggregated into industry, firm/organisation name, job title, and LSE program completed. The process of getting a private sector job is also quicker, and arguably easier. Anecdote: it is common for LSE students going private sector to have multiple job offers before they graduate. It is fairly common to start interviewing for private sector jobs in September/October (when the MSc program hasn't even started yet, or is just barely underway) and receive one or more job offers before the Christmas break. Many also attend interviews and receive offers between February and April. For public sector job-searchers, the hunt can go on for months after graduation. One guy I know didn't actually get to sign with this government organisation until 13 months after graduation. It's not because he was a poor candidate, that's just how long it takes some public sector institutions to hire a new employee.</p>
<p>Development jobs with global institutions or well-known NGOs, are in my experience around LSE more competitive to get than front office investment banking jobs at the top banks. Development positions frequently require a period of unpaid internships (up to 1 or 2 years) and a total of 3 years relevant work experience before a candidate will even be considered for a paid position. Don't ask me how people afford to live in NYC or Geneva while working for the UN on $0 salary, because I have no idea.</p>
<p>The LSE careers service likes to emphasize that recruitment at LSE is strong across all sectors, which is true. But recruitment is exceptionally strong for finance and consulting positions (arguably among the strongest in the world) while recruitment for other industries is still strong but not on the same level.</p>
<p>Disclaimer: I will be going private sector. However I come from a program in which roughly half or more of my classmates are aiming for public sector.</p>
<p>Hi, Nauru --</p>
<p>You say that you can take classes at other London institutions. I chose UCL over LSE because my program is fully funded; will I be able to take classes at LSE? In other words, can students at other London universities take classes at LSE?</p>
<p>I don't know. You'd have to ask about the policy on that for your program at UCL. But my understanding is that anyone in the University of London can use the facilities of any of the other University of London colleges, and can take elective courses there too (provided there's extra space in the class).</p>