Reapply to Cambridge or go to LSE

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Original post by apd25

I applied to Oxford for E&M but didn’t do too well on the TSA so got rejected. On the other hand, the good news is I got an offer from LSE. Should I stick with LSE or reapply to Cambridge Econ next year provided I get all 4A*s at a level. I feel that the TMUA would be more suited to my mathematical skills than the TSA (I do FM a level), but unsure to take that risk

Well, I did the TMUA for CS at Cambridge this year and it wasn't hard but there's an element of risk with the interview phase. While LSE may not have the same "dreamy spires" as Cambridge, LSE is AMAZING and if anything, it's harder to get into LSE than Cambridge. I've lost count of the number of times people have got into Oxbridge for various courses but then rejected from LSE. Not worth taking the risk of reapplying to Cambridge - I would just stick to LSE. It's a fab uni and it's Oxford's loss that they rejected you.

Stick with LSE. Getting 4 A*s at A level, while impressive, will not count for much more to an admissions tutor though you have grades in hand and if anything, they may ask you to sit the STEP (not too sure about this for Economics but I know someone who got an Engineering offer this year and got asked to get a grade 2 in STEP II after reapplying with 3 A stars in Maths, Physics and FM and an A in Chemistry) so that they know you haven't fallen off in your mathematical ability as I hear that Economics at Cambridge is a particularly mathematical course. From what I've heard and experienced myself, the admissions test is fine but at the interview is where they really really grill you in terms of questions asked so as I've already said, stick with LSE.

Congrats!

Reply 2

Kei.rdl

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Bro what? LSE is as prestigious as Cambridge and getting into LSE is harder than getting into Cambridge! Lse is a good university idk whatever course you want to study but it also has ofc his dark side like the pressure and competition in mathematics courses !

Reply 3

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Original post by Kei.rdl

Bro what? LSE is as prestigious as Cambridge and getting into LSE is harder than getting into Cambridge! Lse is a good university idk whatever course you want to study but it also has ofc his dark side like the pressure and competition in mathematics courses !

But that pressure is there at all top unis. Look at Imperial, Oxbridge, UCL etc so it's not really a dark side but obviously it's one of the things that will have to be dealt with.

No one wants to work as hard as this but no pain, no gain. You make a commitment when you accept an offer - to maintain that standard or do better than what you were. If you don't, you not only end up 30,000+ in debt but also you've wasted your time and it may impact your prospects after graduating.

Reply 4

Kei.rdl

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Original post by vnayak

But that pressure is there at all top unis. Look at Imperial, Oxbridge, UCL etc so it's not really a dark side but obviously it's one of the things that will have to be dealt with.
No one wants to work as hard as this but no pain, no gain. You make a commitment when you accept an offer - to maintain that standard or do better than what you were. If you don't, you not only end up 30,000+ in debt but also you've wasted your time and it may impact your prospects after graduating.

Ucl, imperial, and lse vibes and pressure are not the same you can’t compare. Of course, you have to be the best and maintain the good reputation of the uni I don’t talk about that. I’m talking about pressure and toxic relationships between classmates. Talk to these students you will know

Reply 5

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Original post by Kei.rdl

Ucl, imperial, and lse vibes and pressure are not the same you can’t compare. Of course, you have to be the best and maintain the good reputation of the uni I don’t talk about that. I’m talking about pressure and toxic relationships between classmates. Talk to these students you will know

I asked a few Imperial people about this on my interview day and it's only certain individuals whereas this is more pronounced at Oxbridge because of their achievement of getting accepted, which I agree is impressive but doesn't require bragging. I can't speak for LSE because I haven't been there but from what some family members have said who went there, again, it's only certain groups and/or individuals and it's made out to be a lot worse than it actually is.

Reply 6

iamalive

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Original post by apd25

I applied to Oxford for E&M but didn’t do too well on the TSA so got rejected. On the other hand, the good news is I got an offer from LSE. Should I stick with LSE or reapply to Cambridge Econ next year provided I get all 4A*s at a level. I feel that the TMUA would be more suited to my mathematical skills than the TSA (I do FM a level), but unsure to take that risk

Unless you really don't want to live in London or particularly dislike the LSE course, I'd go for LSE. Oxbridge admissions can be a wild card, and especially Cambridge with their greater focus on interviews. There's no guarantee you'll get into Cambridge next year. There is a fairly certain guarantee you can get into LSE this year.
In terms of course, LSE is definitely comparable to Cambridge for E&M. It's Imperial of social sciences! Probably the only area Cambridge beats LSE in is academic research, which is not something relevant to undergrads anyway

Reply 7

sr123456789

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Original post by apd25

I applied to Oxford for E&M but didn’t do too well on the TSA so got rejected. On the other hand, the good news is I got an offer from LSE. Should I stick with LSE or reapply to Cambridge Econ next year provided I get all 4A*s at a level. I feel that the TMUA would be more suited to my mathematical skills than the TSA (I do FM a level), but unsure to take that risk

I think it's a massive risk to reject LSE on the hope that you might get into Cambridge.
LSE and Cambridge are on the same level from a reputation standpoint.

Reply 8

OP

Original post by sr123456789

I think it's a massive risk to reject LSE on the hope that you might get into Cambridge.
LSE and Cambridge are on the same level from a reputation standpoint.

Btw this isn’t LSE Bsc Economics…. This is LSE Bsc Management….. I couldn’t apply to the pure econ course as i couldn’t do the Oxford TSA and Cambridge TMUA at the same time….. do you think it is still worth it to go to LSE for that course, which only has an AAA requirement, or reapply for Bsc Econ at both Cambridge and LSE next year with grades in hand

Reply 9

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Original post by apd25

Btw this isn’t LSE Bsc Economics…. This is LSE Bsc Management….. I couldn’t apply to the pure econ course as i couldn’t do the Oxford TSA and Cambridge TMUA at the same time….. do you think it is still worth it to go to LSE for that course, which only has an AAA requirement, or reapply for Bsc Econ at both Cambridge and LSE next year with grades in hand

Depends...do you still like Management or no? If not, then reapply. If you still do, go for reapplying next year.

It will depend on what happens on results day and what you get. What are your A levels?

Reply 10

OP

Original post by vnayak

Depends...do you still like Management or no? If not, then reapply. If you still do, go for reapplying next year.
It will depend on what happens on results day and what you get. What are your A levels?

Maths, FM, physics and econ. It seems like a good course.. but asking current students, they said the course would be too easy for someone who did FM at A Level, and business management courses are looked down upon by many.

(edited 10 months ago)

Reply 11

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Original post by apd25

Maths, FM, physics and econ. It seems like a good course.. but asking current students, they said the course would be too easy for someone who did FM at A Level, and business management courses are looked down upon by many.

Yeah, your A levels are fine. Seems like you have a good chance provided you smash TMUA.

Yeah, it will be easy for you if you do FM at A level.

I wouldn't say looked down on, but BM is a very generic degree so you have to develop your skills outside of the degree and so it's not really that valued as a result. But at the end of the day, your job application involves more than just your degree certificate detailing what uni you went to.

Reply 12

OP

Original post by vnayak

Yeah, your A levels are fine. Seems like you have a good chance provided you smash TMUA.
Yeah, it will be easy for you if you do FM at A level.
I wouldn't say looked down on, but BM is a very generic degree so you have to develop your skills outside of the degree and so it's not really that valued as a result. But at the end of the day, your job application involves more than just your degree certificate detailing what uni you went to.

Thanks for the advice

Do you think, despite being a business management course, and despite being very economics-based in nature, I should stick with LSE on a reputation standpoint, or am I still cooked in the job market and should I aspire for higher? I know it’s a decision I have to put a lot of thought in …..and it is highly dependent on results day, but I appreciate any advice from other fellow students.

Reply 13

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Original post by apd25

Thanks for the advice
Do you think, despite being a business management course, and despite being very economics-based in nature, I should stick with LSE on a reputation standpoint, or am I still cooked in the job market and should I aspire for higher? I know it’s a decision I have to put a lot of thought in …..and it is highly dependent on results day, but I appreciate any advice from other fellow students.

the way I see it, I would look at what you want to do in the future (Management-related or Econ?). Now, with management, because the course isn't as focussed as other courses in that area like Econ, isn't as great prospects-wise compared to other areas, which is why I agree that you should reapply for Econ. You will be able to go into both management and Econ related fields with an Econ degree, and this is not the case vice versa.

Now, I'm sure you're aware, LSE and Cam Econ are very very competitive so by declining the offer, you run the risk of not being accepted by either of them when you reapply next year (if you choose to do so) and you've also lost out on your place at LSE which you worked hard to get this year. So this leads on to the next question (below).

How big of a factor is prestige for you? Are you set on going to LSE or Cam? Or is there some level of wriggle room where if the course is better or if the uni is still respectable or if it's still a target school, you are OK with going to that uni instead? If prestige matters to you, take up the LSE offer - you have no guarantee of receiving the offer next year and it's just too big of a risk given the competitive nature of the course and the number of hurdles between now and the point at which you receive your offer (admissions test etc.). If prestige is not a major concern and you just want to do Econ because you feel like you would like it more than management, then reapply.

As for the job market, well, if there was a set formula for giving yourself the best job prospects, don't you think I would follow it myself? 😂 In all seriousness though, it is becoming hyper-competitive to land any job in this day and age and with the amount of restructuring taking place within companies, more and more people are being laid off, resulting in a greater pool size of applicants for a job. University is only surface level nowadays for head-hunters and recruiters - experience matters far more. I know someone who has just graduated from UCL Econ with a first and they're currently struggling to find a job for the past 2-3 months. They've done lots of internships and things and yet are still struggling. But between management and Econ, the skills required in an Econ degree are more specialised so it's harder to pick up those sorts of skills compared to those involved in a management degree. I'm sure there is some overlap, but exactly how much overlap, I wouldn't be able to tell you.

By the way, if you disagree with me on any level, trust your own instinct and not mine. I'm a CS applicant so I can only let you know what I think from my perspective. The final thing I'd say is, I'd wait until Results Day to make your decision. Think things through about whether you want to reapply (if so, you may want to consider doing some supercurriculars over summer, which isn't fun given how we've endured exams for the past two months (or one month in my case - Maths, FM, CS and Chem) so that you have something more specialised and recent to talk about in your application) and then come results day, you can make your decision.

I hope this was helpful. 😉

Reply 14

OP

cheers mate, ig I will wait until results day and enjoy at least some of the summer before making a decision. Just curious, what uni r u hoping to go to in September for CS?

Reply 15

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