In a complicated situation... please chance me for LSE?

Economics is very competitive at LSE and there are people rejected with A-Level grades like yours. You do have a chance though, especially since you're an international student.

Know someone who used to be directly involved in BSc admissions and they said its a fair process, if you have the grades then they'll consider how 'passionate' you are about Economics and references etc.

Yes and that's what I'm concerned about because I bombed my IB exams last year. I'm not sure if good A Level results will make them up.

They wont care about that. They'll tick your grades off and then focus on the 'gut feeling' they get from your PS/reference. This from the mouth of someone who used to run the admissions until recently.

May you explain their attitude towards grades more? Do you mean that they don't care the old grades? Thanks.

Not sure. But Ive been told that grades a hurdle to be passed to be considered. My grades for BSc Econ werent as exceptional as many who got rejected because I had a brilliant reference from my Econ teacher and things like AEA econ which gave the impression that I was passionate.

OK, so you mean that as long as you have grades that match their requirements (for example, 38 IB points with 7 on HL Maths), they will make their decision based upon the "soft" things such as personal statement and reference rather than scores, right?

Hello everyone,

I am an international student who finished IB exams on May, 2012. However, I did not get the diploma because of a 2 on one of my HL subjects... The scores were:
HL Maths 5
HL Physics 3
HL Chemistry 2 (why I failed)
SL English 5
SL German 5
SL Economics 4
Those scores were terrible. I went to a uni in the United States but later I found I don't like it, so I self studied A Levels and took it this summer, the scores were:
Maths: A*
Further Maths: A*
Geography: A*
Economics: A
My IELTS scores is 8 with 7 in speaking, 7.5 in reading, 8 in listening and 7.5 in writing.
I want to apply to LSE's Economics course, and I think I have to send them both my IB and A Level results. Please tell me how likely I will get accepted. Thanks!

Wow, you actually went through the A levels again. That's really a huge effort. But may I ask,what do you not like about the US system? Both of them are different, but this is not to say that the British system is better. It has it's many faults too. In the US , you have time to decide your major. Even if you decide to change your major later on, it gives you leeway to do it. For the British system, you need to start all over from year 1 if you dislike your course. Also, transferring to UK means you lose 2 years? Whereas with your A levels you may be able to transfer credits in the US system? lSE is a great uni with a worldwide reputation. But tbh, it doesn't really have the best lecturers overall nor tutors. It's like hit and miss... Some great ones out there and many not the greatest. Another alternative you can consider is to transfer to a better uni in the US, in a city you think u like. That way you do not need to start from scratch as you can transfer credit and save time.
With regards to application, I honestly think that they will consider you. Just write an excellent personal statement with passion for the course you apply. You may call the admissions to check on ur situation as well.

Thank you for your reply. I didn't say that I hate the US system, I just didn't like the school. I'm also applying to some other US colleges and see which ones I will get in. I had a choice to transfer out my old college but they will look at my IB scores as well. So I did A-Levels first: to make my academic records look better; second, to apply to the schools worldwide including the UK, US, Canada, etc. I know with my IB scores I wouldn't get anywhere.