At a big university in a big city, it is easy to feel lost in the shuffle. As a postgraduate student living off campus, I can relate. During Welcome Week, there are activities going on all around you, and there are new people to meet everywhere you look.  And then, finding out you have a project due before you even start classes? I was worried. But that project turned out to be one of my favorite assignments I’ve done so far at LSE.

As a member of the Social Policy Department, every student in the postgraduate International Social and Public Policy Program (ISPP for short) was put into groups of six or seven and was told to make a social media post about what ISPP means to us. This was such a fun way to meet new people and get familiar with our department – a department I have come to love being a part of.  Here are a few of my favorite things about the Social Policy Department here at LSE:

1. The Common Room

Who doesn’t love a comfy spot to hang out, eat lunch, or get some work done right in the centre of campus in the Old Building?  I always see a familiar face when I walk in and it’s one of my favorite spots to get work done during the day.  Not to mention there’s a coffee machine, which yes, was also a big game changer. (Did I mention it’s free?)

2. The Peer Groups

As I mentioned before, peer groups were one of my favorite aspects of Welcome Week.  It immediately gave me six familiar faces to spot around campus, many of whom I still keep in touch with as the term goes on! All of our peer group work was also posted on the Social Policy Department’s Instagram page, which can make you feel a little famous.

3. The People

The Social Policy Department is always running events, lunches, breakfasts, career focused activities, and really so much more! The team behind the scenes in the Social Policy Department as well as all of the professors are always quick to respond to any questions or queries, even during the hectic period that is course selection.  We also have student reps that continuously work to collect student feedback and share it with the department, so that we all have the best LSE experience possible.

4. And of course, the coursework!

With four different streams, the ISPP program is interesting, challenging, and relevant to real world issues. Through seminar discussions, group presentations, formative essays, and lectures, there are so many ways to explore the ideas we discuss in class. But I haven’t had any exams yet, so I’ll have to write back on that!