University Review: London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

by Sajid Amit

The London School of Economics and Political Science, known the world over as simply “LSE,” is a University of London powerhouse, dedicated to the study of social sciences. It is the only university in the UK to have such a focus and one of the leading institutions globally for the strength of its social sciences curriculum. Here’s an interesting factoid: 25% of all Nobel Prizes in Economics have been awarded to LSE alumni and current and erstwhile staff!

Interestingly, while LSE is a constituent institution for the Federal University of London, it is still comparable with independently run universities in the way it is able to set strategy, make board appointments, and involve itself in the British political process.

Founded in 1895 in a historically significant moment during the Fabian Society movement, by George Bernard Shaw and his peers, LSE joined the University of London five years later. Over the last few decades, in particular, LSE has had a profound influence on British society and politics.

In fact, LSE’s alumni include 28 members of the current British House of Commons and a staggering 46 members of the current House of Lords, not to mention several heads of state and government. LSE has also educated the most number of billionaires according to a 2014 survey of billionaires.

The school’s strength in research is further underscored by the 2014 Research Excellence Framework where it was ranked second in the UK, beating both Oxford and Cambridge. LSE is considered to be a part of the golden triangle of highly specialist research-intensive English universities and the prestigious Russell Group.

LSE’s student body is diverse, racially, ethnically, culturally, and particularly in terms of national origin. The international student body comprises 70% of the entire student population representing 155 nationalities. There is a huge contingent of South Asians at LSE – Indians, Bangladeshis, and Pakistanis – from their countries of origin as well as the Diaspora. This usually bodes well for undergraduate and post-graduate students from this part of the world, as they find large and small regional and national communities within which to socialize.

Although several LSE graduates return home after completing their education, many find employment in Europe and elsewhere globally. LSE’s students are ranked the highest in the country in terms of employability. Common sectors of employment for LSE graduates are investment banking, finance, accounting, international development, NGOs, consultancy, education, central and local government.

LSE offers much more than its classroom-based learning and any alumni of the School will agree to this. The LSE Alumni network is probably the biggest asset of its students who get access to the world’s brightest minds and the University makes a very conscious effort to facilitate such. The students, by the virtue of being in one of the most exciting cities and a fantastic global university, get to hear from world leaders in politics, economics, and all other social sciences through public lectures, workshops, seminars, and networking events. The University’s student-first policy means that student voices are given utmost importance and its Students Union work works actively throughout to render the student experience an unforgettable one.

For international students interested in using LSE’s reach to attain a more global educational exposure, LSE also has a host of international partnerships, e.g., with Columbia University and the University of California, Berkeley, in the US; with Peking University and the National University of Singapore, in Asia; with the University of Cape Town in Africa; and with Sciences Po in Europe.