Warning about LSE

Like I said I'm not suited to LSE or the london lifestyle rn. Find it overwhelming at 19. In hindsight, I would have suited the london lifestyle later on in life (maybe 24/25). And again, I'd like to reiterate that I made this post to advise students especially those who want to attend LSE solely to break into investment banking; there are alternative unis which offer you the same prospects as well as providing you with the whole uni experience.

Thanks for the post.

I have got rejected from my firm uni , but been accepted by my insurance (LSE).
Is it really as bad as you say? Are there any positives of the uni that you may have not mentioned?
If you were in my position what would you do? That is being accepted into LSE, I do not want to spend £9000 at a university that I do not love.
Btw I have already taken a gap year. Thanks !

Thanks for the post.

I have got rejected from my firm uni , but been accepted by my insurance (LSE).
Is it really as bad as you say? Are there any positives of the uni that you may have not mentioned?
If you were in my position what would you do? That is being accepted into LSE, I do not want to spend £9000 at a university that I do not love.
Btw I have already taken a gap year. Thanks !

Thanks for the post.

I have got rejected from my firm uni , but been accepted by my insurance (LSE).
Is it really as bad as you say? Are there any positives of the uni that you may have not mentioned?
If you were in my position what would you do? That is being accepted into LSE, I do not want to spend £9000 at a university that I do not love.
Btw I have already taken a gap year. Thanks !

Like I said it takes a certain type of person to 'love' LSE. Albeit I do admit that those students studying qual degrees (IR, Government etc) tend to have a better time than those doing quant degrees. But the facts still remain that there is definitely a competitive lse culture, the foreign students are cliquey and london/ lse is an isolating place. The fact that lse has consistently had one of the worst student satisfaction ratings shows how I'm clearly not the only one who feels this way.

But like I said the point of this thread was to advise those who a struggling to pick between unis and only chose lse because they believe the false notion that its the easiest way to get into investment banking. Its not. A student who is active in societies, engages with professors and has a load of extra curriculars is much more appealing than a depressed lse student who rest on there laurels.

Surley, if this is what you believe then you should start to join and get involved in societies/ extra curriculars?
From what you've said i think you're just feeling a bit sorry for yourself.
Firstly, you need to start being grateful of the fact that you got into one of the best Uni's and that this will help you out a lot in the future.
Secondly, get of your bottom and go out there and have a good time, univeristy is what you make it, there ia noone to blame other than yourself if you are not happy at LSE.
Lastly, of course LSE has a competitive culture as it is a competitive uni, and evidently you are competitive accademically or you wouldnt be at LSE!
You need to help yourself become one of those students who love LSE or you will forever regret going to uni - which could make you depressed and less motivated to study!!

No offence but you’re completely missing the point of this thread. I don’t feel sorry for myself in the slightest. Instead I am holding my hands up to my mistake I made of attending lse and advising others.

Firstly, I don’t need to be ‘grateful’ for attending LSE. Not only did my hard work during my GCSE’s and A levels get me here but I’m also paying 19k a year to attend this uni (9k tuition fees and 10k maintenance grant/loan). Again you’re falling foul to this ridiculous notion (which is why I made this thread) that LSE will help me A LOT in the future. Yes it makes it SLIGHTLY easier due to the networking opportunities which are readily available but it doesn’t guarantee anything. I’m pretty sure that I could have still achieved the same internships if I was attending Warwick- the onus is on the individual NOT the uni.

Secondly, LSE has an overwhelming amount of international students. It is human nature to seek out those who are similar to you especially in a foreign country so I don’t blame them for sticking together. The majority of Chinese students (not all) are notorious for sticking together. If you had read my previous posts you would know that the societies are politically fuelled crap.

Lastly, there is a fine line between being competitive and being ruthless.

I don’t need to ‘help myself become one of those students who love LSE’. I dislike LSE with a passion and regret coming here. LSE is not a uni imo. It’s a very serious place. At times I don’t even feel as if I’m at a uni when I’m there.But like I have said several times in this thread, I want to ADVISE prospective students. If you chose lse over another uni you like such as Warwick, Durham etc. just because you believe what is written on tsr about how it is the only way to enter investment banking then you’re making a huge mistake. The difference between these types of unis is negligible. It’s not worth sacrificing your happiness for.

Different people have different experiences. I love studying in London for example, from personal experience I don't feel the same way as others do.
I spent 4 years doing a course at an institution in London with a very high satisfaction rate, higher than all the big universities. I hated the course, I might have been one of the very few to do so.
I know people at UCL who absolutely love it, for example.

Just because someone hates it, doesn't mean everyone has the same expectations.

Different strokes for different folks. Your experience might be amazing and you might love studying in london. My advice to you would be to do your research. I accepted LSE because it was the highest ranking uni I got into, I ignored the other aspects such as no campus, being located in busy central london. Did you attend the open day for offer holders? That would have given you a brief insight into what its like.

damn LSE as insurance...impressive. Do you mind me asking what course you have as insurance?

Well now I'm more apprehensive about going to LSE. I mean, I'm not the sort to enjoy nights out getting black out drunk and much prefer to stay in or just go for a meal or to the pub, but I worry my friends at other places will enjoy their time more and I'll be lonely and jealous. Is there a way to enjoy LSE or is it more the people who just want to go out and get drunk that don't enjoy it?

I'd rather not go into the specifics because I know a lot of lse students frequent TSR but its a quant degree

No offence but you’re completely missing the point of this thread. I don’t feel sorry for myself in the slightest. Instead I am holding my hands up to my mistake I made of attending lse and advising others.

Firstly, I don’t need to be ‘grateful’ for attending LSE. Not only did my hard work during my GCSE’s and A levels get me here but I’m also paying 19k a year to attend this uni (9k tuition fees and 10k maintenance grant/loan). Again you’re falling foul to this ridiculous notion (which is why I made this thread) that LSE will help me A LOT in the future. Yes it makes it SLIGHTLY easier due to the networking opportunities which are readily available but it doesn’t guarantee anything. I’m pretty sure that I could have still achieved the same internships if I was attending Warwick- the onus is on the individual NOT the uni.

Secondly, LSE has an overwhelming amount of international students. It is human nature to seek out those who are similar to you especially in a foreign country so I don’t blame them for sticking together. The majority of Chinese students (not all) are notorious for sticking together. If you had read my previous posts you would know that the societies are politically fuelled crap.

Lastly, there is a fine line between being competitive and being ruthless.

I don’t need to ‘help myself become one of those students who love LSE’. I dislike LSE with a passion and regret coming here. LSE is not a uni imo. It’s a very serious place. At times I don’t even feel as if I’m at a uni when I’m there.But like I have said several times in this thread, I want to ADVISE prospective students. If you chose lse over another uni you like such as Warwick, Durham etc. just because you believe what is written on tsr about how it is the only way to enter investment banking then you’re making a huge mistake. The difference between these types of unis is negligible. It’s not worth sacrificing your happiness for.