Moving to London and starting at LSE can be a scary prospect for many, as it was for myself in first year. In this blog, I’ll be talking about my experience moving away from home to London and some tips for how to become settled in the LSE lifestyle.
I originally lived in a small town just outside Portsmouth, on the South coast of the UK. I had an established group of friends, places I loved to go to on weekends, and even my own car to go on day trips to places further away or to take my friends out. Moving to London was a very exciting opportunity; I’d visited as a child and fell in love with the city, and I’ve always wanted to live there ever since. Just because I was excited for this new adventure, it didn’t mean I was any less scared of the process.
Moving to an area I was unfamiliar with in London by myself, and then starting at a brand-new institution, naturally made me quite nervous. The biggest change I found was being fully self-sufficient. From cooking, to cleaning, paying rent, and being responsible for my own transport, moving for university really taught me how to be independent. By staying in self-catered accommodation in my first year (Sidney Webb House), I learnt how to be the independent person I’m today, and I prefer this lifestyle much more than when I was living at home.
London can feel like a lonely and isolated place to live, especially as a student. Unlike other UK cities, London is not a typical “student city”; you’re surrounded by a mixture of different people with various lifestyles, which can make you feel alone. Naturally, you’ll meet students at LSE through your classes and lectures, but day to day, you can really feel like a small fish in a big pond. The best way to deal with this is to get as involved as you can during your first year in LSESU societies. This will mean that you’re meeting fellow students who have similar interests or passions as yourself; you may even meet people you’d have never crossed paths with until you joined a particular society.
Studying at LSE can also be a scary prospect for many. With such a high academic reputation and being surrounded by some of the most intelligent people your age, it can often make you feel as if you don’t deserve to be at LSE. I can promise you that everyone has felt like they’re “not smart enough” to be here at some point in their academic journey. Your programme is rigorous, and as a result, it demands a high level of difficulty, so it’s natural to feel as though you have no idea what you’re doing — I still feel like that now sometimes! Just work together with friends or your cohort to push each other forward, and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it.
If you’re from a British state school/working-class background like me, LSE can also be very intimidating. I’d never met anyone from a private school before I came to LSE. It can feel daunting coming into spaces with people from private school backgrounds, but at university, it doesn’t matter. Everyone’s marked individually based on their own ability, and yes, you may be struggling with certain aspects that others don’t, but keep working and believing in yourself — I promise it’s not as scary as it first seems.
Moving to London and starting at LSE is a nerve-wrecking process for everyone, but don’t let this stop you from being yourself and getting as involved as much as you can. There are many things you can do to make yourself feel more included in the LSE community and in wider London, but it’s up to you to make those decisions. Living in one of the best cities in the world is a unique and exciting opportunity — so make the most of it!
