When I accepted my offer from LSE, I was already expecting to be surrounded by amazing professors and clever students. But, I did not give much thought to what LSE and London culture would also actually be like.

The reality of my first year

My experience in my first year at LSE was very unexpected, but in the best way possible (this was back in COVID-19 free 2018). Firstly, in terms of studying my degree: I knew that I would be challenged, seeing that Law is a difficult subject, but I did not think that I could grow and change as a student in such a short amount of time. Like most LSE students, I thought that having done well at A-Levels, I had a solid method of studying, note-taking, revising, etc. Doing Law at LSE has really challenged all my preconceptions and allowed me to unlock an array of new academic skills.

Secondly, in terms of my experience at LSE more generally: I did not anticipate meeting so many different types of people and being involved in so many activities. I think two key aspects really affected my experience. Firstly, the fact that I stayed in intercollegiate halls, which meant that I got to meet people from different universities studying very different degrees to mine. Secondly, my involvement in different types of societies. By joining different societies, be it the Dance Club, the Modern Languages Society or the Romanian Society, I not only met some amazing people, but I was also able to partake in well-organized, fun events and activities.

London: bigger than expected

Another thing that was quite unexpected was life in London. I had lived in Bucharest before, so I was used to life in a city, but I soon found that there were many differences. Importantly, London is HUGE – I have lived here for the past two years and have barely ventured outside of Zone 1. Downsides to this include finding yourself lost sometimes. Yet, because of its size it truly means that there are so many places to see: bars, clubs, museums, theatres, parks – there really is something for everyone. I realize that with COVID-19 this may not matter as much now, but one can always keep their fingers crossed for a better 2021!