Why did you choose to study at LSE?
LSE was the clear choice in my decision to pursue a postgraduate degree. LSE’s professors are not only preeminent in their respective fields, but the proximity to the City of London and Westminster enabled an unparalleled ability to incorporate real world application in an academic setting.
LSE’s global reputation was also a critical factor in my decision making process. LSE attracts a unique international student body and guest lecturers, which certainly broadened the learning experience. LSE’s reputation also provides a vast global alumnae base to remain connected to the LSE community regardless of where one lives in the world.
LSE’s reputation also makes graduates extremely attractive to top employers. The numerous career events held at LSE enabled me to be exposed to a variety of business fields and certainly helped my application stand out during the recruiting process.
What are the benefits of studying in London?
London is a phenomenal city to pursue a postgraduate degree due to the unparalleled academic resources as well as its access to the business and policy-making world.
The research resources in London make it a great city in which to conduct research due to the wide range of libraries and prominent archives, which are easily accessible. The closeness to the City and Westminster also helped see how respective business and policy-making processes actually worked and also facilitated the ability to work part-time to supplement studies.
London is also perfectly situated to travel around the UK as well as Europe. The city’s vibrancy and history is also culpable for the impressive social and nightlife scene. It was also extremely enjoyable to study and learn about respective events that were planned in nearby surroundings.
Why did you choose a degree in International History?
I chose a degree in International History in order to understand the immediate causes of current issues in international affairs. The degree in international history was also more academically flexible in its ability to incorporate aspects of international relations and political economy into the degree permitting greater intellectual exploration.
What did you hope to gain from your degree?
My goal from the degree was to be able to have a comprehensive understanding of global international relations and discover how policy-making decisions impact financial markets. I also hoped to complete a dissertation of a relatively unexplored historical topic.
How did you find the teaching, supervision and social life within the department?
The student experience was extremely enjoyable. The teaching was excellent as the professors not only lectured well, but also made the material extremely engaging. The supervision also helped improve independent research skills, especially in regards to the dissertation. The professors were extremely helpful in discussing the mechanics of writing a dissertation as well as instruct on historiographical skills. The social life was vibrant and regularly met students to study or unwind at the pub.
What are you planning to do (now) next?
I am currently a sell-side equity research associate at a boutique investment bank covering the oil and gas sector in New York.
What was your favourite module and why?
HY429: Anglo-American Relations from World War to Cold War was my favourite module due to the fascinating subject material as well as the in-class discussion. The course massively improved my understanding of Anglo-American relations as well as the development of the modern world order. The knowledge acquired has been particularly useful professionally in being able to understand the background of geo-political events and how they impact companies. The teaching was excellent as the professor was able to engage exceptionally well with the students. This helped enable stimulating in-class discussion as the students understood the material and respective points of historical contention.
Would you recommend this course to incoming students? If so, why?
I would absolutely recommend this course to incoming students. The subject material provides the backbone to why the current world order is shaped the way it is. The course enables students to learn about how Anglo-American relations impacted every part of the globe as well as the economic, political and social consequences of the relationship that are still prominent today.
The broad nature of the course also allows students to incorporate other interests into the topic, which helped contribute to exciting in-class debates and helps supplement a strong knowledge base to excel in other courses.