It’s been a few months now at LSE and life as a General Course student has been full of new and exciting opportunities. I wanted to take a moment to describe a little bit of what life as a General Course student is like, and what you should expect when moving here.

What being a ‘General Course’ student means at LSE:

LSE does not distinguish between full-degree undergraduate students and General Course students, in terms of opportunity. This, to me, is one of the highlights of coming to LSE for my year abroad. I was very worried that I’d arrive and feel a sense of separation between the full-time students and the Study Abroad students, as we’re only here for a year. But at LSE, you’re allowed to join all of the societies and really embrace everything on offer. At Welcome Week, you’re all mixed together and able to meet people from all the different courses, both full-time undergrads as well as General Course and master’s students. It’s easy to feel a sense of belonging as you’re not prevented from doing anything that a full-time, degree-seeking student does. You can also take part in almost any subject, though this is typically dependent on your academic background at your home university. There’s really no obstacles from really embracing being an LSE student and taking advantage of everything the university has to offer.

Dorms:

Coming to LSE, one of my biggest fears was “where am I going to live?” LSE made this really easy for General Course students, as we’re given access to an accommodation portal and able to choose from different options, depending on what best suits our preference and budget. They have a range of rooms in University of London accommodation, as well as LSE only dorms. I personally live in a University of London building, which means I share facilities with students from other universities in London. Living in a student dorm was one of the best decisions I ever made. Where I live, there is catering 7 times a week, breakfast and dinner included. In my opinion, it is one of the best ways to make friends. I have met people from other universities, other courses, and it’s really a diverse way to meet new people.

Socials and Societies:

I have mentioned societies a bit before, but it’s such a big part of being a student that I think it’s worth mentioning again. LSE gives you the option of joining just about any student society you can possibly think of. From academic, to creative networks, activities, careers, sports, media, charity, faith and culture, there’s something for everyone. This is another way to meet new people, and where you’ll probably spend most of your time outside of classes. There are events constantly being organised, both social events as well as events that introduce you to your career field and job opportunities. At LSE, they’re also always organising events outside of societies. I see this especially with the General Course students. For example, the Study Abroad Team organised a Thanksgiving Dinner for fellow American students who have the tradition of celebrating and are now away from home. All of these different events are not only great for bringing us together, but also bring a sense of belonging as you take part in LSE events and never feel out of place.

A Sense of Home:

From the months that I’ve been at LSE so far, not once have I felt as if I don’t belong here. As I had mentioned, I thought it’d be very different to be a student for one-year versus being a full-time degree-seeking student. But there’s always something happening at LSE, always something to make us feel welcomed and supported. Moving away from home is hard for most of us, but every day I have something new happening which keeps me occupied, introduces me to new people and new career opportunities. I have never felt more at home than I do at LSE and these last few months have been academically rigorous, but have brought a lot of satisfaction and it has been everything I hoped when I was applying to move here.