LSE

Like most research universities, the LSE favors graduate students. The best courses and the most professor-student interaction are found in the masters degrees. That's not to say that undergraduates are short changed, but when you realize just how many courses are on offer for grad students, you do feel a little left out. As a case in point, there are over 50 full-year courses on offer to masters students in the International Relations Department alone; however LSE undergraduates have about 15 full-year courses taught specifically within the IR Department. To be fair, though, you are still allowed (and encouraged) to take courses otherwise related to International Relations, e.g. courses in the International History, Government, and Law departments.

Who likes exams? The LSE operates on a very rigid assessment system. Continual assessment is frowned upon because the undergraduate BSc seeks to achieve a breadth AND depth of knowledge within subject matter, and there's a general feeling across the school that mid-terms and continual assessment inhibit that type of learning. There are also concerns over plagiarism and favoritism. For these reasons, very few schools in the UK followed an American-style continual assessment system. Aside from these reasons, the LSE also hopes to hone its students' research skills. To that end, so much of the work throughout the year (e.g. continual essays, et al) is done independently. I'd say you definitely have to be mature and disciplined to succeed in this type of an environment because I have many friends who fell behind quickly - b/c they felt they could just study at the end of the year before exams and still do well.

too much reading + tough exams. If you can't write 12 pages of literary English in 3 hours DON'T THINK OF COMING HERE!

improvements to LSE?? are you kidding??? :)))....well, I should say that the campus architecture is a bit shocking for newcomers, but they get used to it very quickly.

I chose "Politics of Global Finance", and was lucky enough to be in a course with only 13 students coming from 13 different countries! So I was able to learn about different university systems and academic expectations, and that was very rewarding.

no! LSE is simply a great school!

I would not consider the work here especially rigourous. Classes for first years are not taken very seriously but second and third year classes are more competitive.

Better access to teachers, please. Let course work shoulder the burden of the final grade instead of 100% weight on final exam.

You make the difference but still a good option to think about

The english style is very different than the american way of assesing, you have to write like mad on the exams to get a good grade, that lowers quality and encourage to memoraize like crazy.

Some of the advanced Economic courses are VERY intense. Don't expect to have much free time at all if you take these.

Rigorous though not at the same level as full time LSE students. It is a summer programme after all.