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Janice Rachel Shwetha Jacob

September 3rd, 2019

Final words of advice for incoming LSE students

3 comments | 18 shares

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Janice Rachel Shwetha Jacob

September 3rd, 2019

Final words of advice for incoming LSE students

3 comments | 18 shares

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

In just a few weeks’ time, LSE will be opening its doors to thousands of new students. As I’m nearing the end, as both an LSE student and LSE blogger, I’d like to wrap up this journey with my last post being about important things to keep in mind as each of you start your own LSE journey.

Give equal importance to schoolwork and extracurriculars

TEDxLSE talk (Photo Credit: @tedxlsesu, Instagram)

Before LSE, I was one of those students who NEEDED to be one of the Top 5 in class. I aimed for nothing less than a distinction and by God’s grace, I was always able to achieve that goal. That said, when I came to LSE, I wanted to give a lot of importance to extracurricular activities and I have to say, it was an amazing decision. Because of that mindset, I got to sing at open mic events, I was a finalist at the TedxLSE event and I even got the chance to be a panellist for a Women’s Day event at the British Parliament! I’m so grateful to God for all these opportunities because, as a result of this I learnt so many important skills. Classes and coursework provided theoretical knowledge, but participating in events like these improved other interpersonal skills which after all, is equally (if not more) important in your career. Therefore, my advice would be to get involved with societies, tinker with start-up ideas and use the abundant resources available at LSE as it will help in improving skills such as leadership, time management, networking, etc.

 

Volunteer!

LSE students are spoiled for choices when it comes to volunteering. The school has an amazing Volunteer Centre that conducts several one-off volunteering sessions, in addition to other proper volunteer programs. Just like the previous point, the skills you hone as a volunteer can’t be learned from a textbook or a lecture. Moreover, it feels wonderful to be able to give back to society. If you need more incentive than this, remember that it also looks amazing on your resume.

 

Get your LinkedIn profile ready

Your LinkedIn profile is in some cases, more powerful than your resume. So, before you arrive, make sure to work on it and get it ready so that once you arrive you can start connecting with people immediately. Remember that London is a very competitive city when it comes to jobs so having a good LinkedIn profile and strong connections in your network is an important asset. If you need any help with this, don’t worry! The LSE Careers team hosts special workshops to help you work on your LinkedIn profile and make it presentable.

Try new things

Outside of class, be open to trying new things. Whether it’s new cuisines, talking to people who aren’t from your country, learning a new language (LSE Language Centre) or travelling, prepare yourself to be up for pursuing anything. I say this because when you have that attitude, you will be surprised at the amazing things that come your way and that you get a chance to experience!

To summarise, it’s going to be hard work doing all this – focusing on schoolwork, maintaining a social life, trying new things, participating in extracurricular activities, all while exploring the city! But in the end, it will be worth it; that was the case for me at least. Don’t put all your energy into just getting a great grade because I assure you that you’ll miss out on a lot of more important things! Instead, balance it out. Study hard but also make sure you indulge in a little bit of fun.

With that, I bid you adieu and good luck! This is Janice, signing off 🙂

 

About the author

Janice Rachel Shwetha Jacob

Hey there! I'm Janice from Chennai, India. I'm doing my Masters' in management at LSE. My interests include music, cooking and writing. I can answer Harry Potter trivia like a boss, sing Disney songs without needing to look at the lyrics and make the world's best hot chocolate.

Posted In: Applying: Masters | Applying: PhD | Applying: Undergraduate | Student life

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