How to get the most out of your time at Summer School

Our experience at LSE Summer School

This is Mariam and Salvatore narrating our LSE Summer School experience. The Summer School has been the most enlightening experience we have ever had for several reasons that we will discuss, including life in London, academics, and most importantly, the community you get to build with people from totally different backgrounds and cultures. Therefore, in this blog, we will make sure to cover our experiences from two different perspectives, so everyone can benefit and be ready to join this summer!

London

London is a vibrant and lively city which offers you everything you can desire, so make sure you know what you want to get out of the city, because you will not have time to get bored. When you arrive in the city, you may feel lost or disoriented - that’s absolutely normal, just give yourself time to settle in. Be aware of the fact that thousands of opportunities are around the corner in London! Moreover, you will rapidly discover that London is big and crowded, but is well connected by Tube, bus and taxis. The LSE is right at the center of everything, and it is surrounded by courts, companies and banks.

Our Summer School Routine

Our day started at 8am. We would start our day with a delicious breakfast at our accommodation or at some cafes close to the campus. Afterwards, we headed to campus to attend the morning lecture, and in the afternoon, we had a class session taught by teaching assistants to discuss our ideas and opinions.

Classes and lessons are interactive, and students are encouraged to participate actively and express their opinions. That’s the huge difference with the Italian academic system where teaching is mostly more theoretical and focuses on the professor. At LSE, instead, students have the possibility to interact with professors and other students on a daily basis and the teaching entails more practical activities.

At the end of the day, we used to spend some time in the library that with its modern facilities is well equipped for independent study. We spent time here preparing for our final exams.

Obviously, summer school is not only about studying but also for exploring. We liked many places, such as Harrods Pizzeria, which had some of the best and most authentic tasting pizzas we have ever had. We also loved Covent Garden, with various cafes and restaurants that suit any taste. Some examples include Sushisamba in Covent Garden and Amazónico in Mayfair. We also appreciated the rooftops the city had to offer.

Moreover, LSE hosts many social events such as the Sunset Cruise on the Thames which offers the opportunity to meet your fellow students during an amazing trip on an elegant party boat. The Welcome and Leaving parties are also great, where you can chat to your friends and have a party and dinner!

Connections at LSE

Community and networking are key words at LSE. The impressive capacity to connect students coming from all over the world with different backgrounds and cultures is the strength of LSE. Mariam and I represent the concrete example of how it’s possible in 3 weeks to create such a deep and long-term friendship. Furthermore, there were many beneficial trainings and workshops to prepare everyone for their future career, such as sessions about writing cover letters and managing stress, as well as industry talks about consulting, investment banking, and various others.

 

On a final note, we truly enjoyed this experience, and the amazing memories will always be in our minds. We hope to come back again soon!

 

This blog was written by our 2022 Student Ambassadors, who are here to share their stories and help you understand the summer school experience at LSE.