Politics - York/Sheffield/LSE?

Out of the five i have applied to these are the three i am looking to go. Have offers from both York and Sheffield. Still waiting on LSE even though it is beyond competetive.
Just wondering what department has the best reputation and what not and what the courses are like?

Reply 1

beatleboar

Krakatoa

1st LSE
2nd York
3rd Sheffield

Reply 2

Krakatoa

Cheers mate.
Thought it was pretty much like that.

Reply 3

Pee jay

LSE, though York is probably better for socialising.

Reply 4

[Shea]

I know LSE and Sheffield are both known for having good politics departments (LSE is particularly good at IR I believe?) but I've never heard much about the politics department at York, although it is obviously a highly regarded Uni in general. If it helps I'm doing politics at Sheffield and it's a very good department!

Reply 5

Krakatoa

[QUOTE='[Shea]']I know LSE and Sheffield are both known for having good politics departments (LSE is particularly good at IR I believe?) but I've never heard much about the politics department at York, although it is obviously a highly regarded Uni in general. If it helps I'm doing politics at Sheffield and it's a very good department!

Yeah I've heard really good things about the department at Sheffield. A friends brother goes there and speaks really highly of it.
Whats the course itself like?

Reply 6

[Shea]

Well I'm not really an expert as I only started in September, but it's been amazing so far. The lecturers are really good and the course itself is really interesting. All of the second and third years I've spoken to are still really enjoying it. It's a little harder than I first anticipated but the juice is worth the squeeze, as they say!

Plus the politics society know how to throw a party :wink:

Reply 7

CasinoBrawl

I'd guess LSE first, then Sheffield and then York.

Reply 8

wilson_smith

LSE <- York <- Sheffield

Can't really see a different order

Reply 9

Lucible

Sheffield's politics department is exceptional, that's why I see a different order from the classic expectation. York is still a very good university but Sheffield shines when it comes to Politics. LSE is obviously one of the best there is. I've researched Politics departments thoroughly and would generally conclude:
LSE > Sheffield > York. For Politics.

Generally:
LSE > York > Sheffield.

It depends whether you're going for general reputation or strong politics. :smile:

Reply 10

wilson_smith

Lucible

As have i (i've also visited both), and York teaching is second to none, and the university is generally stronger (which is a factor employment wise), so still, i'd rank it higher. That's why the average UCAS points of those at York are significantly higher than Sheffield, and graduate prospects better. I'm not saying Sheffield is bad, because it certainly isn't, it's top quality and one of the best departments in the country, and some people may prefer it.

Reply 11

Lucible

wilson_smith

Agreed that York would be better as a general prestige/prospects thingy. But I visited York last year and felt that it wasn't as good as others. But thats down to opinion I guess, as you pointed out. Opinions, opinions. :biggrin:

Reply 12

misternite

It depends on your interests. I believe Sheffield isn't actually very strong when it comes to IR and their strengths lay in British politics rather.

Reply 13

MagicNMedicine

Sheffield and Essex are the top Politics departments in the country for research:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/table/2008/dec/18/rae-2008-politics-international-studies

LSE comes 5th, York 26th

I know research rankings aren't everything, and LSE is probably the one which would look best on your CV in terms of "institution reputation", but its worth bearing in mind if you want to pursue postgrad study or further academic type work down the line, that Sheffield is the real deal when it comes to Politics departments in the UK.