LSE

I wish I had been more aware of the importance of being "fit for fight". I was too conserned with working crazy hours to earn enough money to make it through the year, that when my studies started I most of all needed a big vacation and wasn't very ready for the crazy-paced studies. Soon also got to experience how vulnerable one can feel when things happen to your family and you're far away from home. That can be a real challenge and give you difficulties coping with your everyday student life. It's important to look after yourself and be honest to yourself if you feel that things are getting more and more difficult

It's a good university - the library is a nightmare, though. I also feel that it's reputation is a bit hyped up. It's academic quality wasn't all that impressive. But the international mix of student was interesting (I wished for more naitives, though - were were all the brits?)

i wish i had known that it's so expensive. Also, i wish i had known that you don't need to study so hard for the first term, you can easily catch up before the final examinations...

Very strongly. You get a Master's Degree in one year from a great University. What more can you ask for. On the other hand, you're not going to learn that much from professors. You are really on your own in acquiring more knowledge.

The expense, the standard of living, the crime rate, the sports facilities.

You gotta be tough as hide and get over bad experiences quickly plus have stamina to study like a bull, but plenty of social graces. You need to be social cos there's a chronic lack of space in London.

That there isn't any academic english course for students during the term.

It's not a place to be friend with british(At least I had a great difficulty). But for the studying, the night life and the international frienship, it is one of the best!

I wish I'd done more due diligence into the British university system before going so that I fully understood the degre to which students must study independently. I expected something more along the lines of the US university system.

Very strongly. It has a top calibre faculty and great students. Also, you can't begin to imagine the diversity of the student body - it's incredible.

LSE is very cramped (in terms of space) but I think the creation of this kind of atmosphere was intentional. It got to me after a while, but you find hiding places, plus, there are a lot of other Universities in the area which will allow you to use their libraries.

Very strong academically, not so much on the student services side. They make you do the whole run around, but at least you are getting smarter.