Why study Economic History?
I enjoyed both economics and history at A-level and was looking for a degree programme which could allow me to develop my knowledge in these two areas. I came across Economic History, a discipline that applies theories from economics to the real world over time. To give an example, this year I studied EH314, which focuses on key issues in the political economy and formation of financial institutions in medieval Europe. This enabled me to learn about economic ideas very different to those we have in the modern day, allowing an understanding of changes in economics across time.
The programme allows a lot of flexibility in choice of topics, with plenty of support available from the department on a wide range of subjects, which really gives students the opportunity to explore almost any economic history topic we are interested in. Writing the final year dissertation also gives us the opportunity to research and explore our personal interests. For my own dissertation, I have chosen to research working conditions during the Industrial Revolution, as one of my particular interests is how economic growth impacted the average worker.
Student life on and off campus
There is so many different activities that students can be involved in at LSE and in London. I have been involved in a few student societies from first year onwards, such as the Tea Society. I find it a great way to balance academic studies with leisure time and to meet with new people across campus. Therefore I would also highly encourage freshers to pop in to Give-it-a-Go sessions with societies and try out different activities to get a taste of clubs at the LSE.
Also, as our campus is in the centre of London, you can go to musicals, visit museums and much more. Personally, I really enjoyed trying out different restaurants and snacks around campus after a day of lectures.
Life after study
I think the Economic History programme provides a variety of skills that are transferable into a workplace environment or higher education. When I struggled between choosing to pursue further studies or start career the career consultants at LSE careers provided key advice in helping me make the decision to start my career first. There is also a variety of events updated weekly on the LSE career website, as well as networking events with large firms and past students which both provide great opportunities and which helped me to understand different industries and my own interests.
The departmental academic mentors have also been super helpful in providing advice about urther study opportunities and future options in general.