London School of Economics

London

Ask a LSE Student - AMA

JonasF

Hello everyone,

Ask your LSE-related questions here.

(edited 5 years ago)

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Reply 1

Chelsea123

How does the structure of the PPE course at LSE differ from other Universities?
How has your experience been so far?

London School of Economics

London

Reply 2

JonasF

Hello,

PPE at LSE is different insofar that you do not have the option of dropping one of your three subjects. Whereas at other universities you could specialise in philosophy and politics in the 3rd year, for instance, at LSE you do all three for 4 years which means you will have an in depth insight into the three disciplines by the end of your degree. You also have a lot of options in the third and fourth year - 2 out of 4 courses in the 4th year are completely free choices from any department at LSE whilst in the third year you either have 2 or 3 free choices within your departments (so you can choose any 2nd or 3rd year government course for example). Also, in the 4th year you work on a project for a client organisation which is usually only reserved for masters students (Capstone project) which adds to the focus of the fourth year on applying the theory you have learnt to real problems. There are a couple of specially tailored courses only available to PPE students at LSE such as "PPE: Real world applications" which is pretty cool because you get a bespoke courses which no one else gets to do. Another benefit to the PPE course at LSE is that the university organises an internship for you in the summer between the third and fourth year which is invaluable when considering employability. Fundamentally, the course prepares you for a masters in either of the 3 disciplines if you wish so, a uniqe aspect which no other university has to offer.

So far, my experience has been great. Everyone in PPE is friends with each other because our course is quite small (45 people) so its a great atmosphere as you tend to bump into people on campus a lot. The teaching is excellent, and even though the work is very challenging I have enjoyed my time thoroughly. More broadly speaking, LSE has been difficult but I have had an amazing time here and the stereotypes about social life are not true - I have experienced the exact opposite (students from a lot of London unis come to your weekly Student Union club night). It also heavily depends on which halls you choose to live at and how you are as a person; outgoing people are going to have an experience that suits them, whilst people who do not feel as comfortable going on nights out can have an experience which suits their interests, it really is what you make of it.

Summary of course:
http://www.lse.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/degreeProgrammes2016/philosophyLogicAndScientificMethod/L0V0_BSc_PPE.aspx

Feel free to ask more,

Jonas

Reply 3

fran143

What is the teaching like?

Reply 4

ebro96

Just to add on to what Jonas wrote- one of the things I love about LSE is that they try to make what you're studying relevant to the real world. It's not just reading old books/learning ancient philosophers, it's about applying the knowledge to current affairs and modern situations, which is especially valuable for PPE.

In terms of student life there's loads of societies to get involved with, and relatively easy to start your own (we've just created PPE Society for example). As Jonas says, because the course is quite small we've all made friends, and as LSE want to make PPE their flagship degree the Philosophy department (which is the department PPE is under) have been really eager to put on events for us and make us feel welcome. Would definitely recommend!

Reply 5

ebro96

Original post by fran143

What is the teaching like?

The teaching is mixed at LSE. You get some really amazing teachers who will send email after email of extra information and provide really detailed feedback on your work, but you also get teachers who don't put in as much effort. It's really down to luck, however I have known people to change classes if they don't like the style of teaching of someone particular. Quite a large proportion of teachers are PHD students, however for me this really hasn't determined how much I enjoy the class/how much I learn, my best teacher is a PHD student.

Reply 6

mcf

I have been wondering about how having lse's ppe qualification which takes 4 years to obtain will compare to other unis which take 3. With the same cost and time commitment, I could do a bachelor's AND a masters somewhere else. As much as I hate to look at degrees as arbitrary stamps to value us for the job market, surely it would be more worthwhile to spend my fourth year in education getting a masters? Or am i getting this wrong - will i get a different qualification after four years at LSE to that i could get from Leeds or UCL for example? 4 years just seems like a loooong time, esp living in london !££

Reply 7

JonasF

Original post by mcf

The point of having a four year degree is so you are qualified to pursue a masters in all three subjects if you choose to do so, whereas at other universities you obtain a degree in 'PPE' without having done one of these disciplines for two years.

The fourth year is also extremely focused on employability, as you do a course which is basically a project for a client organization. LSE also ensures you gain a summer internship between years 3 and 4 which is crucial to gain employment (this is exclusive for PPE students.) Don't forget that LSE is famous for delivering employability and starting salary - the atmosphere at the university is very career focused.

Concerning the financial aspect, LSE is very generous in handing out grants and scholarships which are means tested. If you are unable to afford life in London, the university will make sure you have enough funding to bring you through your education without any trouble!

Reply 8

mcf

Original post by JonasF

Okay, thank you :smile:

how do you find the idea of 4 years - does it feel long to you/are you envious of peers finishing before you?

Reply 9

ebro96

Original post by mcf

Okay, thank you :smile:

how do you find the idea of 4 years - does it feel long to you/are you envious of peers finishing before you?

I'm really happy to be here for four years. Obviously I can't tell how I'll feel after 3 years, but I think most people would enjoy an extra year. The fourth year is also probably the year I'm looking forward to most in terms of the course content.

Reply 10

JonasF

Original post by mcf

Okay, thank you :smile:

how do you find the idea of 4 years - does it feel long to you/are you envious of peers finishing before you?

Actually, having talked to a few second years I believe that 4 years is just about right. Many people who are halfway through their second year suddenly realise that they're already half way through their undergraduate degree and wish they had more time at university. Another benefit is not having to apply for spring weeks/insight days in the first year, as in a 4 year course companies often ask for 2nd year students to apply, whereas in a 3 year course it is the norm to apply in the 1st year. This gives you more time to actually decide what you want to do, or gives you the opportunity to do more internships throughout your time at university for those people who are undecided about their career choice. Then again, it is entirely up to your own personal preference - I'm sure many people would prefer a 3 year course.

Concerning my friends who will be leaving university in the 3rd year, many of them will be pursuing masters degrees anyways. Also, I have found that PPE is (one of) the most social courses at LSE, as everyone gets on with each other and we have a lot of events together. This is partially causes by the philosophy department which, as aforementioned, is fostering a familiar atmosphere within the PPE course. This means that in the 4th year you will have plenty of people to spend your time with, especially as 2 out of your 4 courses are exclusively for 4th year PPE students.

Reply 11

mcf

do most students who do ppe come straight from education or is it fairly normal to start having done a gap year?

Reply 12

JonasF

Original post by mcf

do most students who do ppe come straight from education or is it fairly normal to start having done a gap year?

It is not unusual to do a gap year. I know people who have taken more than one gap year and this is viewed as normal, regardless of whether you spend your gap year travelling or in industry.

Reply 13

mcf

are the internship in summer of 3rd year and project with client organisation always in the UK or is it possible to go abroad?

Reply 14

ebro96

Original post by mcf

are the internship in summer of 3rd year and project with client organisation always in the UK or is it possible to go abroad?

The fourth year project with the client organisation is in the UK.

Reply 15

A Wild Student

Thanks for setting up this thread, I had three questions:
1) Would it be okay for me to do my maths A2 in my gap year (i.e. will it put me at a disadvantage)?
2) Would this course allow me to study a masters in economics at LSE (or any other good university)?
3) In terms of the internships, are there many financial ones?

Reply 16

Jamie S

Just thought I'd hop on this thread and say I'm studying BSc Government and Economics at LSE, if anyone has any questions :smile:

Reply 17

JonasF

Original post by A Wild Student

1) I don't think it would put you at a disadvantage, as long as you are predicted an A*. If you did well enough in your As to warrant such a prediction, it won't matter.

If you are applying for deferred entry, it might be different I am not sure about that.

2) Yes it would. Within the first three years you do the exact same compulsory economics courses that straight economics students do:

Econ B, MA100, ST102, Micro, Macro and Econometrics

Of course you can focus in more on economics in the fourth year where you have two outside options (maybe some cheeky finance courses)

3) I am not sure, but I would assume so. It is the only course they do this for, so we will have to wait and see how the plan materialises!

Reply 18

ebro96

Original post by A Wild Student

Just a note on your second point- if you wished to take an economics masters they strongly recommend you do the harder maths option (the MA100 route), which you pick at the start of the year.

Reply 19

JonasF

** disclaimer

After discussion with members of staff, the internship between the 3rd and 4th year is not guaranteed yet. It has only been suggested. However, we do have the capstone project where you conduct research for a client organisation in the 4th year.

Thanks