Finally, with some much needed weeks to wind down over Spring break, following lengthy library sessions to meet end of term deadlines, I have found time to reflect on my time at LSE. What exactly have I learnt so far? If I could do it all over again, how would I hit the ground running? Three stand out areas come to mind, and I hope sharing them with you gives you some inspiration for your start at LSE in September.
1. Office hours aren’t scary, they’re actually super useful
Never aware of the benefits of office hours during my undergraduate, it came as a shock when first week into the first term my professors at LSE were encouraging us to book an appointment slot to come and see them. Pushing myself out of my comfort zone, I took my seminar tutor an essay plan for an upcoming formative in his office hours. He was delighted to see me and, unsurprisingly, provided me with extensive feedback on the structure and content of my plan. Needless to say, I was converted to a frequent office hour attendee! From then on, I kept note of questions left unanswered during my seminars to approach my professors with.
On reflection, it was crazy of me to think my professors wouldn’t enjoy discussing their teaching and areas of interest with me; they offer their office hours for a reason after all. As your time at LSE will fly by, you certainly want to make the most of your teacher’s knowledge whilst you can. You will be amazed how much you can learn in 10 minutes.
2. LSE has so much to offer beyond academics
Admittedly, I approached my master’s at LSE with a somewhat narrow mindset, believing the only important thing was achieving good grades. I thought I’d spent enough time joining societies and hanging out with friends during my undergraduate years. However, I quickly learnt that LSE has so much to offer beyond (and complementary to) academia. As the first term progressed, my once narrow mindset transformed as I quickly realised it would be a shame to miss out on what was happening around me because of my head being stuck in the books 24/7.
Not only have the LSESU sports clubs provided me with an outlet for de-stressing in the evening after an intense day, but even if I am looking to keep my mind stimulated after contact hours, I can turn to the LSE Public Lectures. I thoroughly enjoyed Professor Gary Gerstle’s lecture on his new book The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order – not only interesting, but applicable to my course as well.
I expanded my horizons even further in the second term as I started to get serious about job searching and applications. A visit to LSE Careers was on the cards for a practice interview as I spoke to them about potential job offers.
3. Planning (with a hint of spontaneity)
As mentioned, the first term was full of learning about what LSE had to offer, whether that be office hours or societies. This forced me to understand the importance of planning if I was to make time for everything I wanted to do.
Personally, getting in tune with my highest productivity hours was key to effective planning. From morning through to afternoon is when I feel my most productive, and I learnt to plan all my readings and essay writing into these hours, meaning my evenings were kept free for other activities. If you haven’t already established your highest productivity hours, I urge you to have a think and base your planning around them.
Yet, I am human, and not every aspect of my life is planned to a tee, even if I’d like to think it is! I’ve learnt that sometimes going with the flow can present you with opportunities you otherwise wouldn’t have found. So, as great as planning is, keeping that element of flexibility is equally important.
