UCL or LSE for Philosophy & Economics?

Which leads me to a question. I know it isn't clearcut or anything, but if I ended up looking at postgrad studies, would Harvard/LSE/Oxford tend to look more favorably upon a first class degree from UCL or a 2:1 from LSE?

I knew you were answering the question, it just wasn't a very helpful answer.

Your answer implies that any degree (even third class honours or a mere pass) from LSE would be better than a first at UCL. Perhaps you should spend more time trying to be helpful and less time trying to preach how much better LSE is, then I would feel less like I'm being attacked and more like I'm being helped.

(1). stop trying to place some victim - 'attacked' - if you manage to get hurt or feel attacked from an internet forum god help you

(2). care to quote me on where i said even a third class or a pass from LSE >> UCL?

is it my fault that you get these completely idiotic judgments from my apparent implications (which are non-existent)

didn't think i was dealing with someone that dumb that i would have to spell things out to the last letter so to speak

if this came over has too harsh i don't care, i've had enough of people who get rejected by Oxbridge and/or LSE and then accepted at UCL saying that UCL>> than the LSE etc, or that it is one par

to those who genuinely wanted to go to UCL (i know they exist in many subjects), it is truly an excellent university and good luck with your future studies

(1). stop trying to place some victim - 'attacked' - if you manage to get hurt or feel attacked from an internet forum god help you

(2). care to quote me on where i said even a third class or a pass from LSE >> UCL?

is it my fault that you get these completely idiotic judgments from my apparent implications (which are non-existent)

didn't think i was dealing with someone that dumb that i would have to spell things out to the last letter so to speak

if this came over has too harsh i don't care, i've had enough of people who get rejected by Oxbridge and/or LSE and then accepted at UCL saying that UCL>> than the LSE etc, or that it is one par

to those who genuinely wanted to go to UCL (i know they exist in many subjects), it is truly an excellent university and good luck with your future studies

Oh, don't you worry about me. I was just answering a simple question and I didn't particularly appreciate the tone of your answer.


Your statements were black & white. You say LSE has a well known reputation and UCL does not, and that LSE is better than UCL in terms of reputation "100%". Yes, LSE has a better reputation, but it isn't that clear cut. If I was someone who didn't know better, then your statements could easily be taken to mean that any degree at UCL is worth less than any half decent degree at LSE.


Sure, that's fine, all I'm saying is that you don't need to come over so condescending about LSE's reputation. If you'd read this thread at all you would know that I am fully aware of LSE's superior reputation. Hence, if you felt the need to make such a big point about it, you were either trying to suggest UCL was worthless in comparison or just not being very nice.

Enough with me being stupid anyway. You seem to have some kind of hang-up over it.

You are a total donkey and well cut out for a job amongst the other donkeys in the city

You're clearly missing the point though. I'm not choosing UCL because it's more fun. I'm choosing it because it's more academically suited to me. If it was down to purely economics, I'd be at LSE, but be vary wary of the culture where everyone wants to end up in finance. Yet when half the degree is based on Philosophy too, I have to make a valued judgment. I am not taking Philosophy only to focus on Scientific Philosophy. Infact, that is perhaps the only branch that I specifically would rather avoid - my ability and interest lies elsewhere.

I'll admit it's a bold decision, to put a preference of doing what suits me over what is generally considered a better university college. But to make the scenario even clearer, what if LSE were offering me a degree in Physics instead? Obviously I'd go to UCL for Philosophy and Economics. That is the basis of my decision, albeit with far tighter margins.

Another factor is the tutoring and lecturing quality - from my research it seems a lot of LSE students really don't get much "value" in their tutoring and lecturing. We hear all this fanfare about their great famous lecturers but they're used pretty much entirely on the postgrads, and the LSE undergraduates end up with crappy foreign lecturers. An overly large proportion of the course ends up being from the textbook - they might as well have stayed at home, really. Such a problem doesn't seem to exist at UCL, certainly not to the same degree.

I've taken an academic risk, no denying it. I'd rather do it for the skills and knowledge that matters to me, than the degree at the end. And if I really need a really prestigious degree at the end of it all? You're right, I can do a postgrad. In the mean time, you only live once.

I'm starting uni next year. My two top choices are UCL & LSE, and I already have an offer from LSE... but I don't know which of the two is my first choice.

I'm applying to study Economics & Philosophy. I've read quite a lot of reviews and stuff of both unis... the general impression I get is that LSE has more prestige but UCL is a nicer atmosphere with moderately better undergrad teaching and lectures. However, I also got the impression the teaching/lectures quality varied a lot from subject to subject. I've also visited both, felt slightly more at home at UCL but it's hard to judge tbh.

Could anyone studying Economics or Philosophy (or both!) at either UCL or LSE enlighten me with their advice? (Advice from others welcome too!)

Some personal preferences that may be relevant:
I already do Economics at A-Level, but Philosophy will be entirely new to me, so perhaps a broader look at Philosophy would suit me best.
I don't see myself in a city job in finance in the future... the idea of that doesn't excite me. My priority of going to uni isn't to send myself down a career path but to stretch myself academically.

Please give me advice on what I can do to get into LSE for philosophy and economics!!! What did you write on your personal statement, what a levels did you do, what did you get in GCSEs and A levels?
Thank you so much