My first year at LSE was a rollercoaster. There were the highs: party invitations, academic seminars, fancy career networking events, a successful election, and coursework going well; things I was signing up to when I accepted my place at the LSE. But there were also lows no one had really prepared me for.
I like to think that experiencing those lows and continuing to pursue a degree at the LSE is character building. But, given the stats that show working-class students are less employable than their privileged peers even if they have the same qualifications, there’s no reason not to make your time at LSE any harder than it has to be.
When I had a quick google to see if there was anything similar to what I intended to write, most sites had suggestions like:
- Talk to your friends!
- Cut down on “unnecessary” shopping/going out
- Work harder than all of the rich kids by getting a job on top of university
… to name a few. I write to you with all of the frustrations with these non-solutions in mind.
Money
The application dates for most scholarships have passed but LSE does have info online so it’s worth taking a look for next year.
Bursaries work differently, and basically every remotely working-class UK or EU student is eligible for them: if your parents earn £42,611 or below, you are entitled to some amount. These should kick in automatically once you’ve chosen to share your financial details with the university, so if you think you might be entitled and you aren’t receiving them it’s worth giving the student services centre a visit.
The in-course funding and access fund is a lesser-known source of income. In-course funding is available for anyone who is facing unforeseen financial circumstances and, despite the intimidating forms, the financial support office (FSO) staff are generally helpful in my experience. Access funds are for anyone struggling with the day-to-day cost of living.
Get comfortable with the FSO. Financial advice is best from the mouths of those who do it for a living. Get comfortable approaching them for answers before you end up in your overdraft or in debt, like me, because you’ve lived wage to wage thus far and have never been expected to budget such large sums of money.
Sometimes you aren’t eligible for bursaries or you get stuck with bureaucracy and it becomes necessary to get a job. It should definitely be a last resort, and the first place you should look for work is LSE itself. Despite current struggles with available hours and a few other snags it’ll always be most convenient to work for a relatively high wage on campus.
Social
Make friends who come from working-class backgrounds. It’s important to have people around you who can relate to your experiences. Feeling pressured to spend money you don’t have because the people around you have no understanding of how disastrous overspending can be is not fun. The constant code-switching is exhausting. It is important to have people who can understand these things. Making working-class friends in your department is particularly beneficial for emotional, practical, and academic reasons.
Before you join societies, try their give-it-a-go sessions. Make sure that this is something you enjoy and a community you feel comfortable and welcome in. During freshers, it’s easy to sign up and pay for societies that don’t actually host any events throughout the year.
Try not to engage with baiting middle-class students who view poverty as a personal deficiency, or those who will refuse to acknowledge the benefits and privileges of wealth. I cannot stress how harmful it can be to your mental health to cater to people who are itching to present classist opinions to you in the form of an “objective topic of debate”. Your passion and attachment to the subject will only be seen as a negative in these spaces.
Academic
Take advantage of your professors. Class ignorance is an issue amongst some of the faculty at LSE, I won’t deny it, but most academics are well-meaning, or at least eager to see their students succeed. So absolutely rinse them of their office hours. £9250 is far too much money for you to pay to not take advantage of the resources that are your teachers and professors.
Remember to take a break. You made it to LSE, and already your career prospects are higher than they ever should have been. There is value in relaxation. If you do want to do extra readings for pure interest, go for it. Otherwise, breathe and tell yourself that it’s going to be okay.
My last tip is to join the SU’s Social Mobility Network. It’s free, it’s fun, and it’s a space for you to make sure you’re heard. Think of it as a union of working-class students, united against structural inaccessibility; log in to the SU website and sign up!
