I will not forget the day my graduate application tracker indicated I was made an offer of admission to the LSE. Ever since that day, which occurred in March, my expectations have been gradually building. I am not new to the UK or London as I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to do my undergraduate degree here as well. Yet despite all the time I spent here, my ‘seniority’ did not help even the slightest – I could not contain that ‘butterflies in the stomach’ feeling, which many would describe as the beginning of a romantic relationship. And so my relationship with the LSE begins.

The first week was very exciting – there is just so much to do, see and learn. The first event I attended was the departmental orientation for my course: MSc in Management, Organisations and Governance. I know – it’s a pretty long name, so brighter and smarter people, who were here before me, came up with the acronym “MOG”. Those of us taking this course are dubbed “Moggers”, thankfully with an O’ and not a U’. The event started with a thorough introduction to the course, its modules and the lecturers who will be teaching them. We were told that very high standards are expected of us, and that we should prepare to work accordingly – scary. Once the official departmental introduction event finished, we continued to the highlight of the evening: the MSc MOG departmental cocktail party! This is where all of us, including the professors, got to know each other in a more informal setting. To those of you who are curious (which I assume would be most) – yes, free alcohol was provided. Luckily, our forces did not suffer any casualties and the night ended on a very smooth tone. I was overwhelmed with the diversity and calibre of my peers. Our cohort has around 60 students between the ages of 22-42, and well over 30 languages are spoken just amongst this group. Some of the students have already accumulated work experiences which could put many senior and experienced managers to shame. There is one guy who founded a charity in Africa which builds schools and teaches unprivileged people science subjects. He did this during his undergraduate degree and in addition to many other extracurricular activities.

Teaching starts in the next week, which means our intellectual capacity and time management skills will be put to the test. With recruitment fairs and company presentations approaching, we will be looking at a very busy term. The Careers Service already briefed us with the services they are able to provide us with, and it seems like we are in good hands. It looks like my relationship with the LSE is going to be an extremely fruitful one.