LSE

There are loads of wwwdot websites that help provide cheap travel. Buy an AtoZ (said, 'A to Zed') map, sold at newsagents. It's a comprehensive London Street Guide. A computer isn't necessary here.

It's a great school, and you'll have a great experience - with a few big caveats. LSE is not for everyone. It's very independent and research-focused. If you're used to a system where you're given constant access to professors and are, for lack of a better phrase, 'spoon fed', you will not be happy at the LSE - or anywhere in the UK, for that matter. There's fierce resistance to this approach within the LSE. On top of that, the grading system is quite strange. If you get a 68 or above in an International Relations course (and many other courses, for that matter), you're doing exceptionally well. Very few students get to that level, and anything above that is truly exceptional. LSE is quite rigid in this way, and often times you're not entirely sure what it takes to get a top grade like that. You really have to do it by trial and error - and keep pushing yourself harder and harder. You'll get there, but it might take some time (especially if you're from an inflation-heavy school like some sister schools of Columbia I need not mention here). You can attending office hours of both teachers and professors, but they rarely give you past papers as examples. Certain degrees can be seen as very theoretical and abstract. This is often a shock to American students (like myself) who study subjects like International Relations. In the USA, IR tends to be quite behavioralist/scientific and policy-focused, whereas at the LSE it tends to be very historical and theoretical focused. Either way, it'll certainly broaden your horizons and introduce you to a new way of thinking. Bottom line: do a fair amount of research before you go - speak to students who've attended the LSE both full-time and for a year abroad. The more views you collate, the better prepared you'll be for the LSE's strengths and weaknesses - which are, as always, all relative.

Take care of housing as soon as you kno you're going to LSE. In a general way, you won't have a lot of courses. So try to have them on 2 or 3 days, to be able to visit London, and travel a bit. London ih THE hub. So, do use low cost airlines !! Clear ?

Studying abroad will completely enrich you and give a wider perspective on so many things. You will also meet loads of people from all over that you can plan to visit around the world later :) Travelling while a student is great because you get all sorts of discounts on admissions and you have long enough breaks to travel....when will you ever have such a chance again? (and believe you'll meet people once you're here that would only be sooooo happy to show you their home country!)