UCL vs LSE (for Gender and in general)

Hello! I'm currently doing the MSc Gender at LSE, so happy to answer whatever questions I can

Unfortunately I can't help in how it relates to the UCL course, as I never really considered that one. The reason I chose LSE is because of its reputation for excellence, the financial aid they offer, and because I liked so many of the Gender department's courses (you can find an overview and description of each in the course calendar).

As for the feel of the place, I'd say that studying Gender at LSE is very different from studying most other courses there. Gender tends to have a very tightly-knit community, and the learning culture is less competitive and more about communal learning than at the rest of LSE. I don't like our campus much; it feels a bit 'corporate', and I tend to just go to my lectures and seminars, then study either in my room or at Senate House (the UL library) - but that's personal taste, of course. The library is really well stocked, and if there's anything else you might need the staff is very good at getting it for you, plus you can access other UL libraries with very little hassle. Social life within Gender is typically really good, and while I'm not a part of any societies or do any sports at LSE, I have an amazing group of friends and I live in the West End, so I'm never bored! LSE has a great program of public lectures and events as well, plus Gender does a good job of keeping us informed about what's happening at other institutions. The department staff is very friendly and approachable; we're on a first-name basis with all our professors, and they do weekly 'drop in' sessions so you can discuss your work or ask questions (or just have a chat!).

As for the question about interdisciplinary studies, I was worried about that too; I studied English before this, so I was afraid I was going to be very out of my depth, or that everything would be so social-science-y as to no longer be of interest to me. I'm happy to say that that's not the case; LSE is a social sciences university, and Gender does offer you a bit of crash course in big theories and approaches within the social sciences - but the courses they offer are very diverse, and they range from policy-related stuff and peacekeeping to culture and media. You can also choose to do courses from other LSE departments (some of my friends do courses from the Media and Communications department, for example), or even from other colleges within the UL; I was in talks with UCL at one point to do a course with them, but in the end I decided I liked LSE's offerings too much to go elsewhere. I'd also say that, despite the title of 'Gender', that isn't the only thing you can study; the courses are really about inequality more generally. Depending on what courses you choose, there's definitely a lot of opportunity to study your own interests; I think I've written about literature in almost all of my summatives so far, which goes to show that Gender is good at providing you with a 'toolkit' of theories and approaches, and they encourage you to then apply that to your own field of interest.

At the end of the day, I'd say that between UCL and LSE there probably isn't a wrong choice; they're both fantastic universities, and I'm sure you'll have a great time wherever you go! If there's anything else I can help with feel free to ask!

I am planning to accept my offer for MSc Gender, Development and Globalisation at LSE and that was a really helpful overview! I have a few more questions which I hope you don't mind answering?

- How are you finding the online teaching? Fingers crossed we will be able to do face to face classes from September, but I wanted to get a sense of how the department is coping with the current situation?

- Agree that LSE looks a bit corporate! Which building do the lectures and seminars take place?

- Which is the best UL library for gender literature? Also what floor can you find the gender books in the LSE library (silly question I know but I'm not a fan of heights and the library looks a bit daunting!).

- Do you have any recommendations for which modules students find most interesting?

- What are you planning to do after your MSc?

Thank you!

Hi! Not at all, happy to help - and congratulations on your offer!

- Online teaching has been okay, overall. All lectures were recorded, so there was little difference there. Seminars have been a bit mixed; one of my professors gave us worksheets and asked us to post responses (and feedback to others' responses) by a certain deadline - which was okay, but I did miss getting the professor's input and feedback. Another professor chose to do 'live' online seminars, where she was online and monitoring discussions, responding to questions and prompting us in new directions - a system that I personally preferred. Overall I think they've done a good job with the limited time they had, and I expect that if the situation continues, there'll be a more uniform approach to online teaching across the department by Michaelmas.

- Where you're being taught depends on your courses - mine have mostly been in Lincoln's Inn (a nice but confusing building - just outside Lincoln's Inn Fields, so nice to walk to) and Centre Building (it's okay; very new and lots of study space, but I don't like their coffee!).

- Definitely the LSE library - there's really a lot available, and LSE hosts the Women's library as well, so if you're into archival work it's an incredible resource. The reason why I'm at Senate House a lot is because my own research is literature-related, and LSE obviously doesn't have resources on that. I'm not actually sure where most gender books are, but don't be daunted by that weird staircase - the books are located far away from it, and you can't see down it when you're studying or in the stacks! Depending on what courses you take, you also might not need the library much; several of my friends have never set foot inside it, as the department is great at making required reading available online, and LSE subscribes to loads of databases. I'm really the exception rather than the rule by going to other libraries; everything you (normally) need is available at LSE.

- That really depends! I don't want to give names, in case my professors google themselves, but I personally really loved the postcoloniality and development course (life-changing might be an exaggeration, but only a slight one), and the media course was a lot of fun, and more 'lighthearted' than some others. I'm a big fan of theory, but I've noticed that some of my friends on the GDG programme aren't, so you might have very different favourites!

- I'm hoping to do a PhD in English I decided to study Gender because my research would focus on feminist literature and I felt I had a bit of a knowledge gap there, and I wanted to gain some research skills in the social sciences - both of which I definitely got out of my degree. I have an offer from Oxford, but no word on funding yet, so I might have to reapply, but I definitely hope to stay in academia. As an LSE student you'll have access to a really great career centre, and Gender students tend to do very well usually; I actually got headhunted via LinkedIn today, so even though I said no, it gave me confidence that if I do enter the job market, I'll have options!

Hope that helps, and if there's anything else I'm happy to help!

Hello! I'm currently doing the MSc Gender at LSE, so happy to answer whatever questions I can

Unfortunately I can't help in how it relates to the UCL course, as I never really considered that one. The reason I chose LSE is because of its reputation for excellence, the financial aid they offer, and because I liked so many of the Gender department's courses (you can find an overview and description of each in the course calendar).

As for the feel of the place, I'd say that studying Gender at LSE is very different from studying most other courses there. Gender tends to have a very tightly-knit community, and the learning culture is less competitive and more about communal learning than at the rest of LSE. I don't like our campus much; it feels a bit 'corporate', and I tend to just go to my lectures and seminars, then study either in my room or at Senate House (the UL library) - but that's personal taste, of course. The library is really well stocked, and if there's anything else you might need the staff is very good at getting it for you, plus you can access other UL libraries with very little hassle. Social life within Gender is typically really good, and while I'm not a part of any societies or do any sports at LSE, I have an amazing group of friends and I live in the West End, so I'm never bored! LSE has a great program of public lectures and events as well, plus Gender does a good job of keeping us informed about what's happening at other institutions. The department staff is very friendly and approachable; we're on a first-name basis with all our professors, and they do weekly 'drop in' sessions so you can discuss your work or ask questions (or just have a chat!).

As for the question about interdisciplinary studies, I was worried about that too; I studied English before this, so I was afraid I was going to be very out of my depth, or that everything would be so social-science-y as to no longer be of interest to me. I'm happy to say that that's not the case; LSE is a social sciences university, and Gender does offer you a bit of crash course in big theories and approaches within the social sciences - but the courses they offer are very diverse, and they range from policy-related stuff and peacekeeping to culture and media. You can also choose to do courses from other LSE departments (some of my friends do courses from the Media and Communications department, for example), or even from other colleges within the UL; I was in talks with UCL at one point to do a course with them, but in the end I decided I liked LSE's offerings too much to go elsewhere. I'd also say that, despite the title of 'Gender', that isn't the only thing you can study; the courses are really about inequality more generally. Depending on what courses you choose, there's definitely a lot of opportunity to study your own interests; I think I've written about literature in almost all of my summatives so far, which goes to show that Gender is good at providing you with a 'toolkit' of theories and approaches, and they encourage you to then apply that to your own field of interest.

At the end of the day, I'd say that between UCL and LSE there probably isn't a wrong choice; they're both fantastic universities, and I'm sure you'll have a great time wherever you go! If there's anything else I can help with feel free to ask!

Hi! Thank you so much for taking time out to reply, it was really helpful to hear from someone directly who is actually doing the course and I really appreciate all the info

That's really reassuring to hear the gender department is friendly and helpful, that was definitely one of my reservations as I was hearing that LSE has a bit of a reputation for being quite a stressful place in terms of academics and competitiveness, and mixed things about student satisfaction (although I've read that about UCL too!)

I also did a BA for my undergrad so I was definitely worried about the MSc aspect and the social science focus so it's also reassuring to hear that it isn't too overwhelming. I think I'm more used to learning about gender in more abstract/arty ways for lack of a better term!

I know from visiting unis for my undergrad that London universities to tend to feel a bit less 'homey' in a sense, but did you find the atmosphere of the uni in general positive? And the uni in general organised? From what you said about the lecturers they sound helpful and friendly which is great, did you find them good at teaching? I know LSE on the whole has a reputation for good teaching especially for finance related degrees, but I think I was a bit nervous that the degree would either have too much of a science focus (and possibly try and link gender mostly to social science) or if the degree was outside that specialism the teaching wouldn't be as strong. You mentioned going on to further study and being head hunted which is amazing! Did you find the support for employment and opportunities have been strong? I know both unis are good names, but I think I'm afraid of turning LSE down if it might lead to better employment opportunities!

I know it's a fairly expensive course too for the year, did you find them helpful with regards to funding and possible help with living expenses etc?

If you don't mind me asking random specific questions, I wondered how big the class sizes are? And is it mostly lecture based or equal seminars? And did you find it overall more coursework based or written exams? Of course I'm sure that depends on the modules too!

Thank you again for taking time to answer all these questions when you must be really busy, and for the reassurance, and I'm sure you're right about both universities being a good choice!