Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

LSE v. St. Andrews (international relations)

Hi. I'm an international student from South Korea, currently holding offers from LSE and St. Andrews for international relations.

Which school is better for my course?

Reply 1

RooT_Fifteen

I'm willing took say LSE flat out due to the following reasons:

1. If you plan to stay and work in London, LSE will provide more opportunities

2. If you plan to move back to Korea, the LSE Korea soc is much larger and incredibly well connected due to the London advantage, giving you an edge in the Korean labour market

3. Both courses offer enough flexibility for most students so it's unlikely you'll miss out in terms of the course

C

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 2

cwonh99

I see! Thanks for answering my question. :smile:

Reply 3

A Rolling Stone

Original post by cwonh99

I see! Thanks for answering my question. :smile:

I will make the case for St Andrews tbh. I went to St Andrews which has a higher % of international students than almost every university in the country, and almost all of whom seem to want to come just for its IR programme.

IR is the degree St Andrews is best known for and its very competitive.

But the reason I would go with St Andrews is because of LSE's appalling student satisfaction scores each year. If you see this league tables, LSE is near the bottom for Satisfaction with Course; with teaching; and with feedback whereas St Andrews is near the top:

https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2017/may/16/university-league-tables-2018

LSE does have a good international rep, but many St Andrews IR graduates go on to do Masters degrees in Yale, Columbia and universities like that, so you get both sides.

Also see

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/good-university-guide-2018-in-full-tp6dzs7wn

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings?s=Politics

There's also very little between the two on graduate prospects, so i would go with where you'd feel most comfortable studying :smile:

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 4

cwonh99

Hmm I see... I guess the main difference is the student satisfaction rate. Thanks for your insight, CollectiveSoul. 👍