Enrich your life through LSE Summer School

I decided that an LSE Summer School programme would probably be a good experience, as I would be able to explore a new city while also being able to learn something that I am truly interested in. The freedom that such a programme offers was the first thing that captivated my interest, but I never could have known what a beautiful experience it would be.

I had obviously heard of LSE before applying and my professors recommended studying here. After doing some research, I discovered that everything lined up for it to be a really good experience. I decided to take the course IR105: The Diplomacy of War, Profit and Justice, as it aligned well with my interests and current studies.

No one could have prepared me for how beautiful London is when you’re exploring it for the first time. I chose to stay in LSE housing for the three weeks I was there (which I highly recommend) – I went for High Holborn, so I was staying in a very central part of the city. As soon as you step out of your dorm, you’ll meet many students from all over the world - all incredibly social, welcoming, and warm, in my experience. When a building is filled with ambitious, global-minded people who often try to live life to the fullest, you can imagine the experiences this leads to.

When you leave your accommodation, another layer of magic is added, as you’re immediately in one of the most vibrant cities, with the most delicious food spots around, and various unique areas all around. One of the best parts of living in High Holborn, to me, was that I was within walking distance of LSE’s campus. Where I study, campus life isn’t really a thing as it is in many other universities. It was nice to experience the LSE community and atmosphere of a campus located in the heart of London.

As soon as you enter campus, you realise that it is made up of an incredibly beautiful mix of buildings, varying from classical London architecture to modern and high-class buildings, giving the campus a very distinctive style. Each building is big and there are so, so many activities to do on campus, often for free(!), through the LSE Summer School events programme - from taking a mindfulness course to practicing your networking skills to watching one of the many famous theatre shows, which the city is known for.

On top of all this, the academic side was really important to me. I’ve had the pleasure of taking a course that took me through almost all of the theory of international relations in just three weeks, but did it in a way where I didn’t feel as if it went too quickly, and each and every class was incredibly interesting to listen to. The professors we had were very hands on and interactive, and are incredibly respected in their fields. These were teachers who had travelled all over the world, giving different organisations and governments their input on policy, and you could tell. I had never seen passion, knowledge and experience come together on such a level, and I’m happy to have had first-hand experience of this kind of teaching. Talking with these kind professors was amazing and added another layer to my knowledge of politics. I can only imagine how interesting the many different courses that LSE offers are.

I could continue writing about this experience for days, but I want to end my blog with a note about freedom. The Summer School experience is truly what you make of it, but the beauty of it is that the foundations laid by the programme and the university itself, make it so that, however you shape this experience, I can guarantee that it will be unforgettable.

 

This blog was written by one of our 2023 Student Ambassadors, who are here to share their stories and help you understand the summer school experience at LSE.