Electives – hate them or love them, they exist. At the LSE, the system for choosing electives is rather unique. Not all courses allow enrolled students to choose elective modules. These tend to be more specialised courses like MSc Finance and Private equity. MSc MOG, however, requires students to choose at least three elective modules. The course has an extensive list of modules its students can choose, but what’s really nice is the fact that the Department of Management does not restrict the choice of modules to those on the approved list. If a student wants to choose a module taught by a different department – all he needs is the approval of the course leader from that department. Those who take advantage of this can enjoy a very flexible programme and really widen their horizons.

So how do we know which modules to choose? What happens if we make a choice we don’t like? That’s where the fun part starts. During the second and third weeks, students are free to attend any lecture they want without registering – professors call it sampling, I prefer the term “ELECTIVES FRENZY!” The LSE is a small institution and as such, many elective courses are designed for smaller groups of 25-40 students. As you would expect, there are far more students than spaces for some elective modules. Allocation of spaces is based on previous intakes and the desire of the course leader. To make sure departments adhere to the small class requirements of elective modules, they cap them at the maximum number of students the course leader allows. This is fine once everyone knows which course they are taking, but during the second and third weeks, the cap doesn’t kick into place yet – and that’s when the electives frenzy starts. The LSE has so many interesting courses that it’s impossible to decide which ones you prefer – so you make a shortlist (a more accurate description would be ‘longlist’) of courses you like, and you attend their first and second lectures to see whether they meet your expectations. Multiply this behaviour by the number of postgraduates (gross estimate 2500-3000) taking elective courses and there you have it – absolutely packed lecture theatres and seminar rooms with people from different courses. Actually, scratch that. Crammed rooms with people sitting on the floor, window bases, and STANDING just to see whether their might-be elective module meets their expectations. It’s like shooting in every direction possible to see what’s good and what’s not. Did I mention electives frenzy already?

Once people have made up their minds, there is a deadline by which they should submit their choices. But it doesn’t end there. Just because you chose a course, it doesn’t mean you’ll actually get a place in it! Students must apply for a place – there is even a space for a personal statement supporting your application. Capped courses make use of that facility quite often, but not all do. It is very likely that an oversubscribed course will have some applicants rejected. Ouch. But with that said, I support the system because it creates a very efficient learning environment where professors actually encourage discussion during lectures. They also remember students by their first names.