LSE vs. US colleges
Welcome to the LSE forum: where prospective and current students can discuss everything from the library stairs to the admissions process and the relevance of GCSEs.
-
- Reputation:
- Thread Starter
- New Member
- Posts: 19
Re: LSE vs. US collegesThank you all,
I am actually from China. But I have been schooled in US for the past 4 years, and I will get my green card in few months.
I will probably go back to China after I graduate. Or I might go to grad school.
I really don't give the **** of reputation, cost, or getting a job.
I am only concerned with college experience, teaching quality and how strong the department of philosophy and of politics is .
It seems that all you guys place Harvard in the 1st place, but Harvard's professors rarely teach undergrad courses. So I don't think Harvard would be a good choice for me.
Anyway, it might be meaningless to compare them right now as I haven't hear any result from those US colleges.
But thank you again -
- Reputation:
- Overlord in Training
- Posts: 2,726
Re: LSE vs. US collegesChicago is pretty much a non-name outside of the US and outside of academia. Harvard is the world's most famous university. Go figure.(Original post by danny111)
And you don't think Chicago has enough brand value? Sure Harvard probably has "more" but to what extent that it will affect OP? My guess, not. -
- Reputation:
- Full Member
- Posts: 144
Re: LSE vs. US collegesOMG. Some people around are really deficient on certain physiological activities.
The thing about "See who won most Nobel Prizes" was the dumbest comment ever.
First, if you are going to pick a school by that trait, you should go to Columbia in NYC which has several times the number of LSE.
Second - this is dumb. Very dumb. In the case of LSE especially - I do not care at all about the Nobel Prize winners because these are Ph.D. students most frequently whom I will have no interaction with. In fact, while at Williams ALL classes are taught by professors and you might have a Nobel Prize winner actually teaching you, in LSE the odds are...zero. No Nobel Prize winner will bother teach you...
And if I were ignorant enough and short of any brain activity to counter your arguments I would say "Who cares about Nobel Prize winners?" following the trend of "Who cares about Wall Street?"...
Seriously. Learn to shut up. -
- Reputation:
- Overlord in Training
- Posts: 2,726
Re: LSE vs. US collegesIn that case go to a small liberal arts college in the US. Williams, Swarthmore, Amherst, Pomona etc...(Original post by censorshipsuks)
Thank you all,
I really don't give the **** of reputation, cost, or getting a job.
I am only concerned with college experience, teaching quality and how strong the department of philosophy and of politics is . -
- Reputation:
- Exalted and Worshipped Member
- Location: 11.750007,9.533338
- Posts: 1,041
Re: LSE vs. US colleges(Original post by censorshipsuks)
xThis if you really just want a good undergrad experience, not a future-life-depends-on-college.(Original post by BigFudamental)
In that case go to a small liberal arts college in the US. Williams, Swarthmore, Amherst, Pomona etc...
(though I hear Williams & Amherst are better for their social areas than the others.)
And I wouldn't really go for Dartmouth over LSE. -
- Reputation:
- Full Member
- Posts: 142
Re: LSE vs. US collegesI remember on College Confidential (basically an American Student Room), there was some thread about how, on average 4/24 (or some similar number) people at Harvard were unhappy. There seems to be a big consensus of this over there, whether or not it's justified.
I also wouldn't agree that Chicago is unknown outside of the US. Sure, if you asked some layperson about it, they might be clueless. But if you asked anybody in a relevant field, they would probably be aware of its reputation, history etc.
OP if you're really not bothered about Prestige/ Reputation/ getting a job out of it, and you just want to enjoy your time, then Columbia sounds pretty incredible (though again, you do hear stories about how they (like Harvard) focus more on Post-Grads).
To be honest, you'd do very well to pick a bad College from those mentioned. -
- Reputation:
- Thread Starter
- New Member
- Posts: 19
Re: LSE vs. US colleges2300—(Original post by benq)
A little off-topic but may i ask what SAT did you get?
I don't think scores are that important anyway. -
- Reputation:
- Adored and Respected Member
- Posts: 504
Re: LSE vs. US collegesLSE=Columbia=Chicago>Williams>Da rtmouth>Cornell>Rest
LSE, Columbia and Chicago all benefit from being in badass cities. The rest can suck it. Harvard undergrad education is horribad, but reputation-wise is above all of the colleges listed. -
- Reputation:
- New Member
- Posts: 11
Re: LSE vs. US collegesI assume that none of you are US students. I'm an American student who applied to and got offer from unis acroos the pond, such as LSE, UCL and KCL. I also applied to Oxford but was cut after the interview.
A few things:
1. I'm really frustrated by the preocupation with Harvard. Harvard is an incredible university, but it is crucial to remember that its reputation comes from its graduate programs, and not for undergrad. Undergrad at Harvard is actually said to be the worst of all the Ivies, because Harvard professors have very little concern for their undergraduates. They're top researchers in their fields, and there are a million other things they'd rather be doing than wasting their time with undergrads. Harvard is still a good school, and the academic environment (being around genii) is definitely a positive. Did I apply to Harvard? Yes, partly out of curiosity and also because of parental pressure; however it's still near the bottom of my list. I just think you should make an educated decision.
2. I truly do not see the advantage in getting a bachelor's degree from a US uni over one from a UK uni, unless you plan to live and work in the US. All the schools you named, except for Reed, Oberlin and Wesleyan, are of a similarly high caliber for American schools. LSE is in that same caliber of schools, arguably even better then more than a few of those schools. Grad school is another matter, but for undergrad there are loads of advantages to LSE vs. US schools. LSE is 3 years of specialized study ina premier social science uni, and the US option is one more year at double the cost at least (plus they force you to spend the first 2 years unrelated to your major).
Sorry for the novel, but I just felt like you needed a more balanced perspective of this entire thing. -
- Reputation:
- New Member
- Posts: 11
Re: LSE vs. US collegeshonestly, I would pick LSE over all these schools for undergrad. All the unis you chose in the US (except for the liberal arts colleges) have strict core curriculums - ESPECIALLY Columbia and Chicago. Logistically it is impossible to specialize until at least your 3rd year at those schools, because you have to spend so much time satisfying graduation requirements. All in an effort to make you "well-rounded."
In terms of employability, I think your specialized degree from LSE would be a greater asset than one from those schools.
Also, this isn't exactly relevant to you, OP, but they say that the best Ivies for undergrad are among Dartmouth, Brown, Princeton and Yale. -
- Reputation:
- Overlord in Training
- Posts: 2,726
Re: LSE vs. US collegesGood post, but everything you criticise about Harvard applies just as well to LSE.(Original post by c1k1449)
I assume that none of you are US students. I'm an American student who applied to and got offer from unis acroos the pond, such as LSE, UCL and KCL. I also applied to Oxford but was cut after the interview.
A few things:
1. I'm really frustrated by the preocupation with Harvard. Harvard is an incredible university, but it is crucial to remember that its reputation comes from its graduate programs, and not for undergrad. Undergrad at Harvard is actually said to be the worst of all the Ivies, because Harvard professors have very little concern for their undergraduates. They're top researchers in their fields, and there are a million other things they'd rather be doing than wasting their time with undergrads. Harvard is still a good school, and the academic environment (being around genii) is definitely a positive. Did I apply to Harvard? Yes, partly out of curiosity and also because of parental pressure; however it's still near the bottom of my list. I just think you should make an educated decision.
2. I truly do not see the advantage in getting a bachelor's degree from a US uni over one from a UK uni, unless you plan to live and work in the US. All the schools you named, except for Reed, Oberlin and Wesleyan, are of a similarly high caliber for American schools. LSE is in that same caliber of schools, arguably even better then more than a few of those schools. Grad school is another matter, but for undergrad there are loads of advantages to LSE vs. US schools. LSE is 3 years of specialized study ina premier social science uni, and the US option is one more year at double the cost at least (plus they force you to spend the first 2 years unrelated to your major).
Sorry for the novel, but I just felt like you needed a more balanced perspective of this entire thing.Last edited by BigFudamental; 27-03-2012 at 13:10. -
- Reputation:
- Full Member
- Posts: 142
Re: LSE vs. US collegesI have to agree that I share a similar opinion (bases on no more than internet rumours I hasten to add!)(Original post by c1k1449)
I assume that none of you are US students. I'm an American student who applied to and got offer from unis acroos the pond, such as LSE, UCL and KCL. I also applied to Oxford but was cut after the interview.
A few things:
1. I'm really frustrated by the preocupation with Harvard. Harvard is an incredible university, but it is crucial to remember that its reputation comes from its graduate programs, and not for undergrad. Undergrad at Harvard is actually said to be the worst of all the Ivies, because Harvard professors have very little concern for their undergraduates. They're top researchers in their fields, and there are a million other things they'd rather be doing than wasting their time with undergrads. Harvard is still a good school, and the academic environment (being around genii) is definitely a positive. Did I apply to Harvard? Yes, partly out of curiosity and also because of parental pressure; however it's still near the bottom of my list. I just think you should make an educated decision.
2. I truly do not see the advantage in getting a bachelor's degree from a US uni over one from a UK uni, unless you plan to live and work in the US. All the schools you named, except for Reed, Oberlin and Wesleyan, are of a similarly high caliber for American schools. LSE is in that same caliber of schools, arguably even better then more than a few of those schools. Grad school is another matter, but for undergrad there are loads of advantages to LSE vs. US schools. LSE is 3 years of specialized study ina premier social science uni, and the US option is one more year at double the cost at least (plus they force you to spend the first 2 years unrelated to your major).
Sorry for the novel, but I just felt like you needed a more balanced perspective of this entire thing.
But an undergrad degree from Harvard supposedly will open many doors (though probably none that nowhere else can), e.g. It's heavily recruited for IB (sorry, had to go there).
However, the OP has said that they aren't worries about future prospects (admirably so), therefore Harvard should not really be high up on their list. -
- Reputation:
- New Member
- Posts: 11
Re: LSE vs. US colleges(Original post by NaaderBajwa)
I have to agree that I share a similar opinion (bases on no more than internet rumours I hasten to add!)
But an undergrad degree from Harvard supposedly will open many doors (though probably none that nowhere else can), e.g. It's heavily recruited for IB (sorry, had to go there).
However, the OP has said that they aren't worries about future prospects (admirably so), therefore Harvard should not really be high up on their list.
Yeah, I completely agree that a degree from Harvard still looks good on a CV and provides a certain advantage. My point was that an undergrad degree in Economics or Statistics from Harvard isn't any better than one from LSE, as both schools are at the top of their fields.
Now, for grad school? Harvard all the way for me
