Applying for LSE, 2015 entry

So am I but I agree the Oxford one seems better. Have you been to the open day yet? I figured that since its a new course not only will the applicants be less but its possible that the admissions policy will be less strict (wishful thinking, I know)

If anything, there will be lots of applicants. Previously, if you applied for PPE you would either pick P&E or P&P or G&E at LSE as the PPE course didn't exist. Now, everyone who applies for PPE will apply for PPE at LSE. I reckon the other 3 joint honours courses will be less competitive as a result.

Honestly I'm thinking of skipping applying to LSE altogether even though PPE is what I want to study but the odds of me receiving an acceptance are HIGHLY and I don't want to waste my 5th option.

I'm just going to add a little dose of reality as I'm starting Law at LSE in September and I've been through the process. In 2012 (the only statistic that's available), there were 2338 applicants and 186 first year students. So it's around 7% of applicants that end up at LSE. LSE give around 2.2-2.5 offers per place, so let's call it a 15% true acceptance rate. This was in 2012 and LSE becomes more competitive every year, so bear that in mind too.

In my application pool, a very large majority of students who were predicted A*AA were rejected because their grades weren't strong enough. LSE Law is competitive enough such that they could fill the entire student body with people predicted A*A*A or above - people with strong GCSEs too.

LSE does not use the lnat, so they're placing a lot more attention on grades - if you don't have 4 As at AS level, you're already at a significant disadvantage. You need to remember that LSE is probably the most competitive undergraduate institution in the UK - not necessarily the hardest to get into, but simply in terms of plain numbers.

If you have decent GCSEs and 4 As at AS, then by all means apply, but it's almost a lottery - it's a crazy number of applicants from all around the world.

I understand that this may not be exactly what you want to hear, but I think it's beneficial for you to understand the situation you're in now rather than later.




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I'm just going to add a little dose of reality as I'm starting Law at LSE in September and I've been through the process. In 2012 (the only statistic that's available), there were 2338 applicants and 186 first year students. So it's around 7% of applicants that end up at LSE. LSE give around 2.2-2.5 offers per place, so let's call it a 15% true acceptance rate. This was in 2012 and LSE becomes more competitive every year, so bear that in mind too.

In my application pool, a very large majority of students who were predicted A*AA were rejected because their grades weren't strong enough. LSE Law is competitive enough such that they could fill the entire student body with people predicted A*A*A or above - people with strong GCSEs too.

LSE does not use the lnat, so they're placing a lot more attention on grades - if you don't have 4 As at AS level, you're already at a significant disadvantage. You need to remember that LSE is probably the most competitive undergraduate institution in the UK - not necessarily the hardest to get into, but simply in terms of plain numbers.

If you have decent GCSEs and 4 As at AS, then by all means apply, but it's almost a lottery - it's a crazy number of applicants from all around the world.

I understand that this may not be exactly what you want to hear, but I think it's beneficial for you to understand the situation you're in now rather than later.




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Not having 4 As at GCSE will not severely disadvantage you. I got into Bsc IR last year (1000 applicants for 60 places) with AAC at AS. LSE puts a greater emphasis on the diversity of the student body these days, so good grades is not the ultimate prerequisite.

You really shouldn't worry, LSE's philosophy department is very good. It's not you standard philosophy department; there is a large emphasis on philosophy of the sciences and the social sciences. If you look at modules it's very evenly spread across the 3 subjects.

So am I but I agree the Oxford one seems better. Have you been to the open day yet? I figured that since its a new course not only will the applicants be less but its possible that the admissions policy will be less strict (wishful thinking, I know)

Attended both open days and I must say PPE at LSE looks better! Even though it is a year longer than Oxford's one, its all in good use. At least at LSE, you get to do Philosophy, Politics AND Economics (true to the course name). Oxford pushes you to drop one.. It may just be me, but that doesn't sound appealing to me. What do you guys think?

Attended both open days and I must say PPE at LSE looks better! Even though it is a year longer than Oxford's one, its all in good use. At least at LSE, you get to do Philosophy, Politics AND Economics (true to the course name). Oxford pushes you to drop one.. It may just be me, but that doesn't sound appealing to me. What do you guys think?

What sort of work exp do you mean? Also, did you find it extremely difficult to do further maths in one year?

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I worked at HM Treausry for the week

And in all honesty, if you enjoy maths, no.

I'd advise doing the statistics modules (if you're doing edexcel then S2-S4), M2, FP1 and FP2. As it's probably the easiest route to get an A level in further maths. With FP2 posing the only real difficulty