STRESS. The forbidden word. Speaking to a lot of people, it’s forbidden because of the idea that we haven’t really even started uni yet – it’s been 3 weeks, right? Not necessarily – stress is more likely to get the better of you now than it is come December – because there’s just so much to take in. I would know…that’s why it’s taken me 3 weeks to write this!!

Almost everyone I’ve met and spoken to is stressed about one aspect or another of life at the LSE. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. No matter what your background, even if you’re starting at the LSE straight out of graduating from another university, even if, like me, you’ve worked for nearly a decade in a high stress environment and still don’t feel like you can hack it, it is a shock to your system and a change. It takes time to get used to. Once you get settled in and understand better what’s expected of you – readings, handing in work, formatives (make sure you do these by the way, they might be the only indication you’ll have of your progress) – it will all be a lot easier.

Hopefully a lot of you are getting there, but if not, see my thoughts below on some of the main stressors in the first few weeks of LSE and ideas to cope – this isn’t an exhaustive list, rather I’ve just listed three points that I’ve noticed people discussing in the last few weeks – if you have any ideas or thoughts please post below, we’d love to hear from you:

Read smart and form an opinion

Like many others I was super motivated at first to read every word of every journal I was assigned for each module every week – this number was upward of about 15 journals per week (probably more for a lot of you). I quickly realised reading every word was neither possible nor necessary. The point of the journals that have been assigned to you is to give you a broad mix of ideas to consider when making an argument. You don’t have to agree with everything you read. In fact, I think it’s good to disagree with the things you read so that your arguments are more interesting (both to you and to the lecturer that has to read 50-100 versions of the same essay question). Steps I take to make reading in general an easier process – it sounds long winded, but the point is to make journal readings work for YOU, to get the most out of them and possibly even (*GASP*) enjoy them:

1. Try and go to your lecture before you read all your journals, where possible. This gives you context so you understand exactly where and how your readings fit into your topic
2. Think about your stance on the lecture topic – after the lecture, I think about what an essay could look like. Sometimes I walk out of a lecture and think “man, I can’t believe companies actually do that, there must be a better way”. This MAY change as you read materials and you need to be open to that, but having a stance helps you take aspects of the journals that are interesting to YOU and use them to form your argument
3. Scan the paper – Read the abstract at the beginning of the paper which summarises the entire journal, then go straight to the conclusion or discussions paragraph to understand the outcome of the journal in greater detail. Take note of the method, which you may be able to use to evaluate the usefulness of the paper i.e. was the study too specific? Is more information needed? Then go back and read more IF you’re interested and you find the paper useful
4. Decide where you stand on each paper – do you agree or disagree with findings and why? Do they support or conflict with YOUR argument, and importantly how do they tie in together? If you focus on this step, you’ll notice that with every journal you read, you’re developing a more coherent stance in your head
5. Be strict on timing – if you’re not getting the paper, put it down and try something else. I have a very strict 45 minutes or less policy on each paper which unconsciously encourages me to focus on what I’m reading and strip out the noise – you might need to modify this time scale depending on the size of your paper – mine are c.20 pages. Adjust as needed. Loads of people may argue I’m not getting anything out of skimming in this way, but I would disagree. You have to do what’s right for you, and only you know what that is, so try a few different things
6. Take notes as you go – jot them down in the margins of the paper. You’ll be glad you did 3 months from now…or even after you’ve finished reading a paper and can’t remember a thing
7. For the love of money, go and see your lecturers. The LSE boasts some of the brightest minds in social sciences. If you’re not loving what you’re reading, chances are you don’t agree with what you’re reading, or you’d like to explore a different angle altogether. Your lecturers are the perfect guys to go see for suggestions on what else to read. Go and see them! If nothing else they can provide clarity on readings or concepts you just aren’t getting. It really doesn’t have to be boring for you

Only join a study group if it is truly right for you

Maybe this sounds obvious but the number of people I saw rushing into a study group without thought for any one of the following was madness:

1. Group members’ timetable versus yours: this is somewhat self-explanatory – do you have time at the same time the other members of your group have time, to create reading summaries and meet for de-briefs? Or do you find you or someone else is constantly rescheduling because of multiple lectures and seminars that make coordination difficult? Is there another group with members whose timetables are more aligned with yours? You don’t need the added stress of trying to modify your timetable each week to suit your study group. You must work however is suitable for you. Equally, try not to mess people around. It’s a stressful time for everybody
2. Group members’ modules and electives versus yours: short and sweet, but try and join a study group where everyone in the group has the same or largely similar modules and electives for the semester, so you don’t have to keep too much track of who is doing what outside of designated readings or draft in other people to help with rogue readings not covered, which just gets messy; and
3. Group members’ study and work habits versus yours: do summaries and mind-maps even work for you? Do you feel the need to read journals in full or do you skim read and find that’s enough to get a punchy argument together? Do you find discussions helpful? DO YOU WORK BETTER ALONE? You must be honest with yourself as early as possible to be fair to your team

Now don’t get me wrong, I made this mistake too – in fact all three. Thankfully I had a wonderful group who were totally understanding about my late realisations (because we’re all still learning what works for us), but not thinking these points through early is a sure fire way to possibly upset a few people. Don’t feel bad if a study group is not for you – not everyone is the same and it really isn’t for everyone. Sometimes they can even have the opposite effect of creating more stress if they’re not right for you. That said, I’m a believer that study groups can be useful even if you typically prefer working alone, but that’s only if you’ve been selective and taken for example, the 3 points above into account. They’re also a great way to meet like-minded people.

DO NOT freak out about job applications

Remember that you’ve joined this course to learn something useful, not JUST to get a job at the end (which you all will – you’re going to be graduating from LSE and the fact that you even got here suggests that you’re very, very bright). Make the most of all opportunities you have at this school, to make new friends, learn a language, experience London or sit in on public lectures. Take it from someone that worked for 8 years. ENJOY the time you have here, because a few years from now, you’ll look back and think ‘why was I so worried about getting a job? I did in the end… I should have just enjoyed that year’. I get it. Everyone’s scrambling to career fairs and presentations so you almost feel obligated to do the same, but remember that you have the rest of your life to work. You only have this one year at the LSE to truly learn something new. So be selective – although it’s more fun to go to careers things with your friends, sometimes you may need to do things independently to gain real clarity. Some tips to make it all less stressful:

1. Utilise the Careers service at the LSE – it is one of the best in the country. Book an appointment and go see someone for advice on your specific situation
2. Speak to recruiters – don’t JUST rely on graduate programmes. Sometimes going into a company as a lateral hire means you’re not tied down to a rigid 3 year programme and you can progress faster. This is probably better for the entrepreneurs in some of you. Plus recruiters very often know about roles that aren’t publicly advertised, because some companies are just private like that
3. Get on LinkedIn and message people who are from companies or are in jobs you’re interested in, for catch ups. This last one really works and not many people think to do it. What’s the worst that can happen? They don’t reply? They say no? If you don’t ask you don’t get!
4. Above all, don’t compare yourself to your friends or others: your career is yours alone. Don’t feel disheartened if you’re interested in different things or don’t think to apply to that ONE place where someone else got a job yesterday- you are unlikely to end up where your friends end up anyway. So take a step back, and really think about whether all the effort you’re putting in (and all the stress that comes with it) is misplaced

On a lesser note, I know a lot of people are struggling with making friends whilst juggling all the work commitments, and by the very nature of school you feel like you have to be around people all the time and have friends immediately. The reason this isn’t a point on its own is because it really has been only 3 weeks – don’t get yourself down about it. To build a real lasting friendship does take a while, but the main thing is to keep going to different events, try joining a society, sit next to someone different in lectures and seminars every day. Like job hunting, you need to be honest with yourself about what you’re about, in order to form true and lasting friendships. So as cliché as it sounds, just be yourself. This might be frightening but everyone at LSE is open to meeting someone new. If you do have a good set of friends already, that’s great! But still do the above – be open to meeting new people. Your future best man or maid of honour could be just a few feet away.

Amritha