Where do grads for BSc Politics and Philosophy go?

Hi there, I've applied to study for P&P at LSE, with PPE everywhere else. Though I know how employable PPE is, especially from places like Oxford and UCL(ESPS), I'm not sure exactly how useful a P&P degree from LSE is.

Are politics and philosophy strong departments in LSE? I was only aware that LSE was particularly world-class for economics and related subjects.

What careers have been historically attained by P&P grads, and what does my foreseeable future look like? I've found the LSE government page for career destinations, but I'm pretty sure most of the good jobs on there are by Government and Econ grads as opposed to P&P.

I'm not too sure what I want to do career-wise. I will most likely pursue higher-paying fields like investment banking, financial services, private equity, corporate law etc. How will a Politics&Philosophy degree prepare me to try and get these types of jobs?

Thanks.

Reply 1

avash27

11

Well, considering it is the London School of Economics and POLITICAL SCIENCE, the government department is indeed a strong one. Well, to be honest, if you're looking to go into those types of fields, then surely you'd be better off doing a degree where you learn the knowledge for them? Why have you even applied for Pol and Phil if you don't even seem interested in the course material? Why didn't you apply for Govt and Econ, or Philosophy and Econ, if you were interested in pursuing something corporate or finance related? Also, the first batch of politics and philosophy students have just graduated, so there is not much info on their job choices.

Sorry if this sounds harsh or rude, I'm just trying to figure out why, if your interests lie with the econ bit of PPE, that you've not applied for a course with econ in it?

Reply 2

lifeisgood.

OP

12

Original post by avash27

Well, considering it is the London School of Economics and POLITICAL SCIENCE, the government department is indeed a strong one. Well, to be honest, if you're looking to go into those types of fields, then surely you'd be better off doing a degree where you learn the knowledge for them? Why have you even applied for Pol and Phil if you don't even seem interested in the course material? Why didn't you apply for Govt and Econ, or Philosophy and Econ, if you were interested in pursuing something corporate or finance related? Also, the first batch of politics and philosophy students have just graduated, so there is not much info on their job choices.

Sorry if this sounds harsh or rude, I'm just trying to figure out why, if your interests lie with the econ bit of PPE, that you've not applied for a course with econ in it?

I wanted Government & Econ, but I don't have Higher Level Maths.

Is P&P that new of a course? Wow I didn't know that.

Reply 3

avash27

11

Original post by lifeisgood.

I wanted Government & Econ, but I don't have Higher Level Maths.

Is P&P that new of a course? Wow I didn't know that.

Fair enough, but they do have a special maths course for those who have not taken further maths (if that is what you're referring to you not having). Have you taken maths in general at a higher level? One of the required first year modules is Logic, for which it does help to have somewhat of a mathematical background (though it is not essential).

Yes, it was created about 4 years ago. However, there has been a lot of interest in it, and in general it is a highly regarded course. The philosophy department was founded by Karl Popper, and the government department attracts a lot of big name political scientists, the most recent addition to the department being Soskice, who left Oxford to come here.

Reply 4

TheMeister

15

You'll be hard pressed to be stimulated by the Government side of things; can't comment on the Philosophy element but, believe me, the courses provided by the Govt. department are appallingly small-minded. At LSE, it's imperative to study the subject by which you're most enthused - given the course structures.

Reply 5

lifeisgood.

OP

12

Original post by TheMeister

You'll be hard pressed to be stimulated by the Government side of things; can't comment on the Philosophy element but, believe me, the courses provided by the Govt. department are appallingly small-minded. At LSE, it's imperative to study the subject by which you're most enthused - given the course structures.

I am very much interested in both Politics and Philosophy.

But I am also aware using these disciplines in a high-paying job in the future will be unlikely.

Does anyone know of any graduates from BSc Government going into finance and banking?

Reply 6

TheMeister

15

Original post by lifeisgood.

I am very much interested in both Politics and Philosophy.

But I am also aware using these disciplines in a high-paying job in the future will be unlikely.

Does anyone know of any graduates from BSc Government going into finance and banking?

That's nonsense and don't let anyone tell you any different. Banking/finance institutions have a multitude of uses for graduates who don't have economic-oriented degrees. If you don't believe what I say, take the LSE at its word; you can contact its careers department (google it) and/or look at the LSE website itself where they have a list of graduate profiles. Admittedly, a Government/Pol&Phil degree may not obviously lead to a job in the City, but in practice I would argue that this is of little to no relevance.

Reply 7

whaledunnnnn

This thread is FANTASTIC. I was going to ask a question but had a feeling no one would reply in time. I'm going to apply to LSE, Durham, Warwick, Exeter and KCL this year. I'm applying for Political Economy at KCL, Politics and Philosophy and LSE, PPE at Warwick and Exeter and a Combined Honours degree involving philosophy, politics and economics at Durham. I'm not applying directly for PPE at Durham as they require HL Maths.

Like the starter of this thread, I was considering applying for Government and Economics, but I don't have HL maths! HL Maths seems to open a ton of doors for people!

I just emailed LSE last week and I've posted the reply below:

"Many thanks for your enquiry.

All applications must be submitted through the UCAS process, and as such we do not accept any additional documentation provided directly to the institution. You will therefore have to apply with the personal statement you are using for PPE; this will still be considered although you may be disadvantaged due to the focus on Economics that will not necessarily be relevant to the subject you are applying for here.

Yours sincerely

Hannah Baker
Student Recruitment Office, LSE"

I've discussed links between philosophy and politics in my personal statement, but I've had to mention economics as well! I'm very interested in the P&P course at LSE as I'll probably study some economics anyway. I hope I won't be too disadvantaged! If anyone needs to see my personal statement to give advice, please let me know!

Reply 8

avash27

11

Original post by whaledunnnnn

x

Many people who apply to LSE for P&P/G&E/P&E/etc have applied to PPE/PPS (or whatever it's called now at Cambridge) and so do not have strictly politics and philosophy in their personal statements. You will be fine.

Reply 9

whaledunnnnn

Would you happen to know anyone who has gotten in with a PPE personal statement? I don't want to apply only to be rejected because my personal statement is off-topic.

Reply 10

avash27

11

Original post by whaledunnnnn

Would you happen to know anyone who has gotten in with a PPE personal statement? I don't want to apply only to be rejected because my personal statement is off-topic.

Yep I personally know of 2 people who got in with PPE and 2 who got in with PPS for pol/phil (including me), and LOADS others who have gotten in with PPE statements for phil/econ and gov/econ. Seriously, the admissions dept knows that students will be applying to these courses at other unis and won't immediately reject you just because you include some econ in your PS.

Reply 11

whaledunnnnn

Hello, I ended up applying to LSE for P&P, but they've taken ages to get back to me. Everyone who has applied from my school has received a reply, and out of 8 students only two have got offers for their own respective courses. No one from my school has applied for PP. Does LSE take longer for this course or could it be because my personal statement is slightly troublesome as it's strong but not specifically for this course?

By the way, thanks for your encouragement, it's given me hope as I've only heard from Exeter so far, and am still waiting for KCL, Manchester, Warwick and LSE. I'm guessing these unis take a while to reply, but many of my peers have received all their offers.

Reply 12

avash27

11

Original post by whaledunnnnn

Hello, I ended up applying to LSE for P&P, but they've taken ages to get back to me. Everyone who has applied from my school has received a reply, and out of 8 students only two have got offers for their own respective courses. No one from my school has applied for PP. Does LSE take longer for this course or could it be because my personal statement is slightly troublesome as it's strong but not specifically for this course?

By the way, thanks for your encouragement, it's given me hope as I've only heard from Exeter so far, and am still waiting for KCL, Manchester, Warwick and LSE. I'm guessing these unis take a while to reply, but many of my peers have received all their offers.

I applied in October and received an offer in March, so just sit tight. The Government department is the second largest at LSE - it takes time to sift through the thousands of applications they get. Almost no one's PS is specifically for the course, as I said before.

For what it's worth, I was still receiving replies from unis in May, so don't worry.

Where do grads for BSc Politics and Philosophy go?

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