Course recommendations:
Like most research universities, the LSE favors graduate students. The best courses and the most professor-student interaction are found in the masters degrees. That's not to say that undergraduates are short changed, but when you realize just how many courses are on offer for grad students, you do feel a little left out. As a case in point, there are over 50 full-year courses on offer to masters students in the International Relations Department alone; however LSE undergraduates have about 15 full-year courses taught specifically within the IR Department. To be fair, though, you are still allowed (and encouraged) to take courses otherwise related to International Relations, e.g. courses in the International History, Government, and Law departments.

Personal comments:
Who likes exams? The LSE operates on a very rigid assessment system. Continual assessment is frowned upon because the undergraduate BSc seeks to achieve a breadth AND depth of knowledge within subject matter, and there's a general feeling across the school that mid-terms and continual assessment inhibit that type of learning. There are also concerns over plagiarism and favoritism. For these reasons, very few schools in the UK followed an American-style continual assessment system. Aside from these reasons, the LSE also hopes to hone its students' research skills. To that end, so much of the work throughout the year (e.g. continual essays, et al) is done independently. I'd say you definitely have to be mature and disciplined to succeed in this type of an environment because I have many friends who fell behind quickly - b/c they felt they could just study at the end of the year before exams and still do well.

Course recommendations:
I would not consider the work here especially rigourous. Classes for first years are not taken very seriously but second and third year classes are more competitive.

Personal comments:
Better access to teachers, please. Let course work shoulder the burden of the final grade instead of 100% weight on final exam.

Course recommendations:
too much reading + tough exams. If you can't write 12 pages of literary English in 3 hours DON'T THINK OF COMING HERE!

Personal comments:
improvements to LSE?? are you kidding??? :)))....well, I should say that the campus architecture is a bit shocking for newcomers, but they get used to it very quickly.

Course recommendations:
I chose "Politics of Global Finance", and was lucky enough to be in a course with only 13 students coming from 13 different countries! So I was able to learn about different university systems and academic expectations, and that was very rewarding.

Personal comments:
no! LSE is simply a great school!

Course recommendations:
You make the difference but still a good option to think about

Personal comments:
The english style is very different than the american way of assesing, you have to write like mad on the exams to get a good grade, that lowers quality and encourage to memoraize like crazy.

Course recommendations:
Some of the advanced Economic courses are VERY intense. Don't expect to have much free time at all if you take these.

Personal comments:
Rigorous though not at the same level as full time LSE students. It is a summer programme after all.

Course recommendations:
Took only one course: International Business Strategy. Excellent course.

Personal comments:
Summer course: Students had choice of writing final examination and get a grade or not write it and get a certificate of attendance only.

Course recommendations:
for the summer school, chose whatever you're interested in and do your best in classes!!! take the opportunity to meet every department / area you'd like to get closer to, LSE's worth it!

Personal comments:
no.

Course recommendations:
Great courses, overall... the core course are kind of annoying, but a must.

Personal comments:
yes, definitely. It's annoying that the only grade that counts is your final exam grades. it's ridiculous!

Course recommendations:
The course is really good and the studies are really research oriented.

Personal comments:
None - the LSE has a lot of strengths as an academic institute and there are no weakness I see in the system

Course recommendations:
The variety of courses available was so huge I could take really interesting ones I could have never been able to get at my home university.

Personal comments:
none

Course recommendations:
Take the 'established' courses from the renowned departments, such as economics, operations research and anthropology

Personal comments:
none

Course recommendations:
None. Choose what you want carefully or else you'll end up confused.

Personal comments:
None.

Course recommendations:
Learned a lot in the International Business Strategy course

Personal comments:
none

Course recommendations:
ask, ask, ask others what they have taken and enjoyed

Personal comments:
Professors should be more accessible to students.

Course recommendations:
Yes, the Master in Community Law

Personal comments:
none

Course recommendations:
Management and Entrepreneurship

Personal comments:
none

Course recommendations:
Finance (by prof. Board)

Personal comments:
none

Course recommendations:
no recommandation

Personal comments:
no

Course recommendations:
more open choice

Personal comments:
none