London School of Economics

Over the past 121 years, 37 world leaders including former prime ministers and presidents have studied or taught at London School of Economics which has also nurtured 16 Nobel laureates: SUMMIYA YASMEEN

Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidney and Beatrice Webb, Graham Wallas and renowned author George Bernard Shaw, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a constituent college of the University of London, and simultaneously a globally respected social sciences — economics, politics and law to sociology, anthropology, accounting and finance — university in its own right. In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2016, LSE is ranked #25 while the Complete University Guide ranks it #3 in the UK. Moreover, the QS World University Rankings 2015 ranks LSE #2 for social sciences and business management worldwide. Currently, the school offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgrad courses across 25 academic departments and interdisciplinary institutes to 9,600 students, of whom more than two-thirds are from 140 countries worldwide including a sizeable contingent from India.

Given that it’s the first choice of brightest and best students internationally, it’s hardly surprising that LSE boasts impressive alumni. Over the past 121 years, 37 world leaders including former prime ministers Pierre Trudeau (Canada) and Errol Walton Barrow (Jamaica), and former President K.R. Narayanan (India), among others, have studied and/or taught at LSE. In addition, LSE has nurtured 16 Nobel Prize winners (including Dr. Amartya Sen) as students or faculty. However, some right-wing intellectuals blame LSE for being the nursery of Great Britain’s deadliest export — Fabian socialism and gobbledegook Left wing economics — which have devastated the developing nations of the post-colonial third world.

Be that as it may, there’s no doubt this institution is globally respected for its academic rigour and research-based academic programmes.

London. Europe’s most populous (8.7 million) metropolis with a business, cultural and academic heritage spanning centuries, London is an education in itself. A global centre of finance, law, fashion, design, media and communications, it is also one of the world’s respected cultural capitals.

Surrounding LSE in central London are the headquarters of major UK and transnational corporations, organisations and education institutions offering students numerous opportunities to network with globally respected companies and employers for internships and job placements. There are also many part-time work opportunities in London for students who need to work while studying (international students are permitted to work 10-20 hours a week during term and full-time during vacations).

Campus facilities. LSE’s campus is sited in central London within five minutes walking distance of the River Thames, Covent Garden and the Royal Courts of Justice. All campus buildings and facilities are located within a few streets between Aldwych, Kingsway and Lincoln’s Inn Fields. Two new buildings — 32 Lincolns Fields and Saw Swee Hock Student Centre — were recently inaugurated with another three scheduled to be completed by 2020. The Saw Swee Hock Student Centre is the hub of student life and hosts the Students’ Union, cafes, pub and nightclub, and study spaces.

LSE’s library — the British Library of Political and Economic Science — is among the world’s major social sciences libraries. It houses over four million books and journals in 50 km of shelving and offers 2,000 study seats. The library is recognised by the Higher Education Funding Council as one of the UK’s five National Research Libraries.

Sports facilities at LSE include a gym with Olympic-standard equipment and an exercise studio. Students can also play tennis and netball in the contiguous Lincoln’s Inn Fields and use University of London Union facilities including swimming pool, badminton and squash courts. Moreover, the campus hosts excellent bookshops, cafes, pubs and restaurants, a medical centre, dental service, faith centre, and over 200 societies and 50 sports clubs.

Admission. Admission applications for the school’s undergraduate programmes must be made online through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (www.ucas.com) with code L72 LSE. Minimum eligibility criteria for admission into LSE’s undergrad programmes are successful completion of Plus Two (85-90 percent in the CBSE/CISCE class XII exam) and English language proficiency. Plus Two school-leavers from exam boards other than CBSE/CISCE need an average score of 80-85 percent in class XII in addition to a University of London International Programmes qualification, or must complete a foundation programme, or a year of university (undergrad) study. Moreover, applicants may be asked to write the Undergraduate Admissions Assessment test. For proof of English language proficiency, students need to submit IELTS score of 7.0 or 107 in TOEFL.

Though the UCAS application procedure allows international students to apply between September 6, 2016 and June 30, 2017 for admission into term beginning September 2017, given the intense competition for admission into LSE, applicants are strongly advised to submit their applications to UCAS by January 15, 2017.

For admission into LSE’s postgraduate programmes, a bachelor’s (honours) degree with a 65 percent-plus average and English language proficiency are minimum requirements. Some Masters programmes also require GRE or GMAT scores.

For further information, contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office, LSE, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 207955 7123; e-mail: [email protected]; website: www.lse.ac.uk.

Accommodation. LSE allocates over 4,000 residential places across 17 locations in London. They include LSE halls as well as University of London inter-collegiate halls within walking distance of the campus. All the halls have games rooms, laundry facilities, central heating and Internet access. Self-catering and catered options are available.

For those wishing to live independently, the LSE Studentpad (http://www.lsestudentpad.co.uk/Accommodation) offers a choice of private housing options.

Degree programmes. LSE offers study programmes not only in economics and political science, but in a wide range of social science subjects, taught within 25 departments and a number of interdisciplinary institutes (see box).