LSE segregation or not?

I am not sure if I should accept my LSE offer, since I prefer UCL, but I prefer a diverse environment. But one of my friends advice me to not go to LSE, because it is more segregation than diversity. He told me, the cohorts are not so diverse and most people have people in cohort from their own nationality and it is hard to get in touch with other people from other nationalities. And he also said that in some cohorts more than half people are from the same country (China, USA, India, Germany, France) and if someone has no luck, you will be the only person from your nationality and then it is hard to find friends and you will be alone. I want to know how true is this?

Reply 1

Anonymous #2

I'd definitely pick UCL in terms of diversity! Did my undergrad at LSE and then my MSc at UCL, and while at LSE I felt alienated (Chinese students only spoke in Chinese with each other, Americans were only sticking with each other and so were the Brits, so as a Croatian student I felt like I don't belong), UCL is more mixed and your ethnicity and nationality does not matter and most friends group are mixed! Now my closest friend group is a Korean guy, a Brazilian girl, myself, a girl from Barbados and a British-Ugandan guy!

Reply 2

londonmyst

19

I was very happy at both LSE and UCL.
Plenty of polite and friendly students keen to broaden their social networks.
Although most of those involved in the CI are either very snide and patronising towards home students with student loans or extremely spiteful towards everyone else creating malicious lies that lead to a toxic atmosphere around them.

Both LSE & UCL do have lots of very cliquey students of all backgrounds that seem not to have realised that their high school life is over and its time to grow up into mature adults.
Along with some recreational drug consuming morons & activist jerks who seem to prioritorise petty squabbling above their education and are inconsiderate enough not to attempt to minimize the disruption they are inflicting on the lives of normal students who want no involvement with any of their nonsense.

Reply 3

Anonymous #3

I can only speak for LSE, but while there were definitely friend groups with people from one background, there are still plenty of groups that are mixed. I felt like LSE has the most diverse student body possible, with 70% international students, and it makes sense that e.g. Chinese students somewhat stick together, given they're moving to a completely new culture, it makes sense to have some people around that grew up with the same language, food, etc. But you don't have to worry about having no chance to make friends with people from other cultures, its super mixed at least from what I experienced

Reply 4

Anonymous #4

Original post by Anonymous

I can only speak for LSE, but while there were definitely friend groups with people from one background, there are still plenty of groups that are mixed. I felt like LSE has the most diverse student body possible, with 70% international students, and it makes sense that e.g. Chinese students somewhat stick together, given they're moving to a completely new culture, it makes sense to have some people around that grew up with the same language, food, etc. But you don't have to worry about having no chance to make friends with people from other cultures, its super mixed at least from what I experienced

Overall it might be diverse. But some cohorts are really not diverse. I've heard from several people that LSE has some cohorts that more than 50% are from China. Another friend told me that in his program from 20 people 13 are from China and besides that there were only 3 other nationalities. So from 20 people there were only 4 nationalities. What is about that diverse? I will definitely go for UCL. Also, UCL has a higher ranking.

Reply 5

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post by Anonymous

I'd definitely pick UCL in terms of diversity! Did my undergrad at LSE and then my MSc at UCL, and while at LSE I felt alienated (Chinese students only spoke in Chinese with each other, Americans were only sticking with each other and so were the Brits, so as a Croatian student I felt like I don't belong), UCL is more mixed and your ethnicity and nationality does not matter and most friends group are mixed! Now my closest friend group is a Korean guy, a Brazilian girl, myself, a girl from Barbados and a British-Ugandan guy!

thanks a lot. I go for UCL then, since ranking and diversity are better :smile:

Reply 6

elinaa-1

9

LSE is actually 3rd on the table and UCL is 9th

Reply 7

Anonymous #1

OP

But in the QS Ranking UCL is 8th and LSE is 57th

Original post by elinaa-1

LSE is actually 3rd on the table and UCL is 9th

Reply 8

Anonymous #5

Original post by Anonymous

But in the QS Ranking UCL is 8th and LSE is 57th

QS is crap lol, has STEM bias.

Reply 9

Anonymous #2

Original post by Anonymous

QS is crap lol, has STEM bias.

Times also favours UCL, lol

Reply 10

Anonymous #2

Original post by Anonymous

thanks a lot. I go for UCL then, since ranking and diversity are better :smile:

Depends on how you define diversity - if you mean %of international students then LSE will be "better", but vast majority of those are Chinese students who are very cliquey and only hang out with each other, speaking Chinese, whereas UCL has people from all over the world, North and South America, plenty plenty of Students from Africa and the Carribeans and also quite a large proportion from Asia, but it's not just or almost all Chinese students, lots of south Asians, South-East Asians, plenty of continental Europeans (French, Polish, Romanians)

Reply 11

DeadeyeDuncan

5

I can guarantee you this , no matter where you go the chinese will stick with the Chinese . Even if you are like me , fluent in mandarin . It won’t make an iota of a difference

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 12

Anonymous #2

Original post by DeadeyeDuncan

I can guarantee you this , no matter where you go the chinese will stick with the Chinese . Even if you are like me , fluent in mandarin . It won’t make an iota of a difference

that's true, but if half of the students is Chinese it becomes a worse of an issue for non-Chinese students than when only a small portion is Chinese, other nationalities don't seem to be so cliquey

Reply 13

Anonymous #5

Original post by Anonymous

Times also favours UCL, lol

any world ranking for unis favours STEM, lol

Reply 14

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post by Anonymous

I'd definitely pick UCL in terms of diversity! Did my undergrad at LSE and then my MSc at UCL, and while at LSE I felt alienated (Chinese students only spoke in Chinese with each other, Americans were only sticking with each other and so were the Brits, so as a Croatian student I felt like I don't belong), UCL is more mixed and your ethnicity and nationality does not matter and most friends group are mixed! Now my closest friend group is a Korean guy, a Brazilian girl, myself, a girl from Barbados and a British-Ugandan guy!

I already decided for UCL. But my friend also told me that at UCL you have to take more courses than at LSE. Is that true? I thought every university has this ECTS point? Could you please let me know about that, thanks, since my friend don't really say it clear.

Reply 15

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post by Anonymous

that's true, but if half of the students is Chinese it becomes a worse of an issue for non-Chinese students than when only a small portion is Chinese, other nationalities don't seem to be so cliquey

Is this a reason why the student satisfaction at LSE is lower compared with UCL? I also heard that UCL has a better social life? How true is that?

Reply 16

Anonymous #2

Original post by Anonymous

I already decided for UCL. But my friend also told me that at UCL you have to take more courses than at LSE. Is that true? I thought every university has this ECTS point? Could you please let me know about that, thanks, since my friend don't really say it clear.

Every uni in the UK has the same number of ECTS required, so don't worry about that

Reply 17

Anonymous #6

Original post by Anonymous

But in the QS Ranking UCL is 8th and LSE is 57th

I think the best way to use the QS ranking is by subject to avoid subject bias etc.

Reply 18

thegeek888

18

I was a 'public' member of the LSE library, i.e. anyone can join providing they give their passport and a bank statement printout.

I sat next to a French boy, he was in 1st year for BSc Maths and Economics and was studying content which was clearly A-Level Further Maths.

So the workload is rather 'intense', but it is LSE. :wink:

I also sat near the British students, on the second floor, with the views from the floor to ceiling windows. They were silent and not really wanting to make friends and 'stuck' to their own group.

On another day, I went to the 5th floor, and found some Black African students, and was shocked to see them at LSE, as it is dominated by the Chinese students. But they were friendly and welcoming. But clearly a minority.

Lastly, there were Koreans, Malaysians, Singaporeans, Japanese and Chinese students on the 3rd floor, who were sticking to their own group. Clearly not friendly.

I loved the library, as it has 5,000 desks, and a further 2,000 study spaces in other areas of the library too.

I would choose LSE any day over UCL. :biggrin:

So please, go to LSE!!! :wink:

lol

LSE segregation or not?

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