A London School of Economics student shares the story of how a year-long Foundation program at University College London prepared him for university.
Admission to London School of Economics
I entered London School of Economics (LSE) in "mathematics/economics". I chose the university because of its big name and good reputation. For employment in England LSE much better Cambridge University And University of Oxford.
LSE has an internal exam. It is held in March, but the deadline for submitting documents is mid-January. The further application process is as follows: you write a three-hour exam and after a while you receive an offer. I waited for mine for two weeks.
LSE turns down a lot of people. Of the 35 people who submitted documents, only 10 took the exam. And only four received an offer of a place.
To LSE from UCL
The Foundation program helped me get into LSE. I passed it in University College London (UCL). The program is aimed at the exam, at a good result. It allows you to get used to the training system itself. As a rule, Foundation graduates show much better results in their first year of university because they are adapted to the educational system and know what to do.
Foundation is a big and right step. Youyou study two compulsory subjects - English and ARM (Academic Research and Methods) and two additional ones - I chose mathematics and economics. Thanks to strong teachers, there are no problems with learning.
In the second and third semesters you write a big project, the load on subjects increases, and IELTS lessons appear. Twice a year the university gives reading weeks, during which you need to read all the articles and books on the compulsory and additional curriculum and repeat the material covered. If you manage your time correctly, you can do everything, so it is important to learn time management.
UCL selects for Foundation of the best students , so few people fail the program.
Life in London
UCL is an urban university in London. It consists of many buildings. There is no main beautiful campus or atmospheric library. I lived in a hostel where everyone was very friendly. I also developed good relationships with the guys from the course.
A large number of social programs are available for Foundation students. You can get into the theater or musical for free. And in England everyone is very kind, they smile and give directions on the street. That's what I really like here: people treat each other like human beings.
As part of the University of London, the London School of Economics and Political Science (abbreviated London School of Economics - LSE), was opened in 1895 by Beatrice and Sidney Webb. Nowadays it is one of the world's leading centers of economic education and scientific research. The London School is consistently ranked among the top three universities in the UK, along with Oxford and Cambridge.
In addition to teaching, the School conducts extensive scientific work. There are 19 research centers, and according to the results of the UK Research Assessment Exercise, the School is ranked second among 200 universities and colleges in the UK.
The school's special pride is its famous library - the British Library of Political and Economic Sciences, which has the largest collection of books on economic topics. The library's collection includes more than 5 million different publications.
Organizationally, it includes 21 departments (faculty), including Economic Theory, Economic History, Accounting and Finance, Management, Anthropology.
7.5 thousand people study at the London School of Economics, 34% are British, 18% are from the EU, 48% are from other countries of the world. And in the fall of 2007, the number of foreign students increased to 75%. The large number of foreign students is due to the traditional exchange policy with various universities around the world. In Russia, the London School of Economics is implementing a joint program with the Moscow Institute of Economics and Finance with the support of the Higher School of Economics.
Admission requirements: secondary education (A-level, GCSE); The UCAS form is accepted from 1 September to 15 January; level of knowledge of English is not lower: IELTS - 6.5-7.0, TOEFL 603/627.
Tuition fees for the 2006–2007 academic year for bachelor's programs: 11.5 thousand pounds; living expenses are at least 9 (12) thousand pounds for 9 (12) months of residence. There is also a one-year language training program for foreign students - English for Academic Purposes.
Rector - Sir Howard Davis. The teaching staff is about 340 teachers. In addition, the college has an employment system for the desired specialty, but usually talented students are offered a job even before the official graduation from the School.
Faculties: Finance and Accounting; anthropology; economic history; economics; Geography and Environment; management; industrial relations; information systems; international history; international relations; rights; mathematics; media and public relations; operational research; philosophy; logic and scientific method; public policy; social psychology; sociology; statistics. It is practiced to obtain two specialties at the same time.
In addition, LSE has been holding a three-week summer school in London and Beijing since 1989, with more than 2.5 thousand people from 80 countries taking part in it. It is intended for undergraduates, graduate students and young professionals in the fields of law, economics, accounting, business and international relations.
Among the school's graduates, 28 former and current heads of state and 30 members of parliament studied or taught here. No fewer than 13 LSE alumni have become Nobel laureates, 5 of them in economics (John Hicks, Arthur Lewis, John Mead, Alfred von Hayek and Ronald Coase).
History in facts:
10/05/2007 A group of scientists led by Professor Mike Murphy from the London School of Economics came to the conclusion that marriage is beneficial not only personally, but also for the health of spouses and their children. Married people eat much better, have better health, can count on more support from their families and, as a result, live much longer than unmarried, divorced, widowed, and even those living in a civil marriage. Even children living with two parents are much healthier and usually receive a more complete education. Scientists made this dependence after monitoring statistics on the health status of UK residents. Single mothers and widowed men are characterized by poor health - they have the largest number of acute and chronic diseases. When comparing the two groups of people, the death rate was lower in the one that included married men and married women. Professor Murphy explains this by saying that “marriage rates are higher in wealthier countries than in poorer and economically underdeveloped countries.”
The idea of founding the London School of Economics (as it is usually called for short, and even shorter - LSE) was visited in 1894 at breakfast by several representatives of the Fabian Club (named after the Roman politician Maximus Fabius), among whom was famous English writer George Bernard Shaw.
And since then (until today), the school has clearly been lucky with celebrities - both among students and among teachers. For example, at different times classes were taught there by the British Prime Minister from 1945 to 1951. Clement Attlee, philosophers Karl Popper and Bertrand Russell, and economist Friedrich von Hayek. And among the graduates and listeners, the “stars” were even brighter - American President John Kennedy, businessmen David Rockefeller and George Soros, world rock and roll legend Mick Jagger and many others.
In addition, they organize public lectures by prominent celebrities, among whom were Margaret Thatcher, Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela, Gerhard Schroeder, Dmitry Medvedev, Angelina Jolie and others.
And naturally, despite the name, it was originally a higher education institution. True, from 1900 to 2008 it was part of the University of London (as the Faculty of Economics), but since 2008 it has become a completely independent university.
Achievements
It is quite obvious that the London School of Economics quite quickly reached the heights of global prestige in education, and still maintains them. So, at the moment she:
- 6th in Europe (THE, 2016);
- 3rd in the UK (Complete University Guide - several years in a row);
- 2nd in the world and 1st outside the US in MBA training
- produced about 30 rulers of various states and 120 influential politicians (over the entire period of existence);
- was the first to introduce social psychology, sociology, anthropology, criminology and international relations into teaching practice;
- “supplies” personnel to the IMF and the World Bank.
In addition, 16 Nobel laureates worked or studied here at one time or another. And a considerable number of its students are offered prestigious jobs in large international corporations and structures even before graduation. Therefore, the competition here is the highest in GB (even higher than in Oxbridge) - 15-20 people per place.
Composition of students, educational system, educational infrastructure
And it is quite natural that LSE is the most international educational institution in the UK. Students from Foggy Albion are clearly a minority here - 34%. And 66% are foreigners. 18% of them are from the EU countries, and 48% (almost half) are from the rest of the planet. That is, training here in practice introduces you to the everyday habits of different peoples, which instills tolerance and respect for those who are different from you.
In accordance with the full name, all social disciplines are taught at the university. And it specializes in them, being the only educational institution of this type in the United Kingdom. Within this framework, 26 departments and institutes operate, offering education in almost two hundred (in total) programs:
- bachelor's degree (including the only bachelor's degree program in economic history in Britain);
- preparation for master's degree (valuable in themselves);
- master's degree
- doctoral studies
At the same time, there are fewer bachelors here than masters, which is very unusual and suggests that this is more of a scientific organization than a classic youth alma mater.
And since all programs in one way or another relate to the field of social studies, there is a lot in common between them - and 1st and 2nd year students are also taught at least one subject that is not related to their module. This helps to simultaneously expand and deepen their horizons and level of knowledge. Strongest directions:
- economic development,
- politics and public administration,
- communications and media.
The local Library of Economic and Political Sciences, with the world's largest collection of literature on social disciplines, greatly helps students and teachers in their studies. Its fund is about 4.7 million printed and 20,000 electronic publications, incl. the largest Russian-language collection of scientific works on social problems outside of Russia. Every day it serves 6.5 thousand students + annually (thanks to the website) - 12,000 online users. The total length of all the shelves of this book depository is 50 km, and books are taken home from here 5 times more often than the average for the rest of the country.
In case of financial difficulties and/or success in studies, scholarships are awarded (up to £26 thousand annually), as well as one-time grants (from 2 to 25 thousand pounds sterling).
student life
LSE is located in the center of the English capital, close to the City and Westminster. Therefore, in principle, there are no problems with finding something to do in your free time. However, it’s not boring at all on campus after studying. The student council organizes various events literally every day. Many of them are held in the second university library, named after the most famous of the founders, Bernard Shaw. Exciting performances are also held in the Peacock Theater and the Main Lecture Hall (by the way, in its “stage” role it is even a member of the London Theater Society).
But beyond this, the choice of hobbies and entertainment is huge - among 40 sports clubs and 200 communities, everyone will certainly find something for themselves. For example, there is an entire media holding company operating here - the weekly newspaper "Beaver" (this animal is depicted on the school's coat of arms as a symbol of hard work and insight), the radio station "Pulse!" and the Svobodny TV channel. Sports competitions, excursions, etc. are also constantly organized. Extracurricular activities are strongly encouraged and have a positive effect on the academic and professional positions of students.
Accommodation
The university owns 11 dormitories in different areas of the capital, located both next to the academic buildings and within a 45-minute drive, and together they accommodate about 3,500 people. In addition, there are a further 8 residences co-owned with the University of London.
Depending on solvency, we offer:
- apartments/studios with separate shower, toilet and kitchen;
- rooms for one to three persons with a private bathroom (they are present in most cases), but shared (for several rooms) restroom, kitchen and recreation area.
Many rooms offer stunning views and landmarks of London.