Born in a small paradise island situated in the Indian Ocean, the idea of coming to the prestigious London School of Economics and Political Science seemed a blurred dream, and I was surprised when a young Mauritian girl (me!) managed to win a scholarship at LSE.
Heading to LSE, my mind was loaded with excitement, adventure, apprehension and a bit of stress, which I cannot deny. My initial reaction upon contact with the noisy and busy London Tube system was shock. Used to blue sky, white clouds, smiling faces and a fresh and warm breeze in Mauritius, London was a bleak, dry and awfully hectic city. But LSE, in the heart of London, home to modern architecture and la crème de la crème of practically everything, has made me love London.
The LSE touch is its quest for precision and excellence, which is my ultimate goal. With an open mind, I made some good and supportive friends, who are not all studying the same course. My favourite place is LSE’s blue library, with which I fell in love at first sight. Adapting to and managing my academic work at LSE was a challenge but backed by the support of the Teaching and Learning Centre and the invaluable help of my academic advisor, lecturers, teachers and peers, I am managing it rather well.
Above all, LSE offers a range of interesting and intellectually challenging courses. The mental curiosity that it throws at you is the cornerstone of an LSE education. My lectures and classes have always pushed me out of my comfort zone. As a result, I have felt myself ushered into a world in which I could believe in no ideas unquestioningly, but could only formulate my own original ones. At first, this was baffling and puzzling.
“Rerum cognoscere causas” has become my motto, like LSE’s.
I have had to overcome many personal obstacles to engage fully with life at LSE. My journey is not over. With my strong enthusiasm and love for LSE and my goals yet unfulfilled, I will continue to plunge into LSE and its community so that the journey becomes memorable, and later I will be able to say, “I am proud to be an LSE graduate”.
