by Alina Chen
At the Beaver, we are flooded by criticisms about LSE. It never stops: from toxic academic pressure to disastrous mental health support, the Beaver has a unique insight into the myriad of other students’ complaints the School’s management fails to attend to. I remember sitting around the table in the Media Centre at one of our meetings, reflecting on the noticeable lack of complimentary or at the very least approving articles about LSE. As a third-year student, I wonder: has life at LSE genuinely been all that bad? So much so that we haven’t had a single positive account of the student experience in the university newspaper? This article, then, could be a first.
I wrote this article after leaving my philosophy class on a random Tuesday evening. Walking down a rain-soaked Kingsway where the Christmas lights had just been put up, I suddenly felt very lucky to be a part of this chaotic city and this screwed-up–yet somehow still lovable institution–we call LSE. I promise this isn’t a repetition of those slogans that LSE puts up during Freshers’ Week every year, in a desperate attempt to cultivate some sense of community. For all the complaints I have (and I must confess, there are many), I can’t deny that there are things I’ve liked about my time here.
I genuinely relish that sensation of having left a class, lecture, or discussion group feeling like my mind has soaked up the interesting ideas and thoughts of others. I feel lucky to be inside the warm and fuzzy atmosphere of a class where the conversation bounces between friendly banter and intellectual deliberation; where the teacher gets excited and swears a little and we sit around and laugh together at some funky philosophical argument. This is where the fondness comes from. This is what I imagined university would be like. It’s the human side of LSE that is the most moving.
While this fleeting sentiment will most likely evaporate with the next traumatic econ problem set, I think these tender moments are still worth documenting. And perhaps life’s just like that – made up of many tiny moments where the sweet gratitude beats the bitter grievances. It could just be that chat with a friend over a cup of hot chocolate; that one night out that you got just a tiny bit drunk and started dancing at Tuns; that one office hour where everything confusing about the lecture started to make sense; or that one catch-up session with a tutor who has been witnessing your personal growth since first year… All of a sudden, you feel thankful to be here, thankful that LSE brought everyone together, thankful that you are a part of this.
It is not only the people that make or break your university experience, it’s also on you. If you feel suffocated by peer pressure around finding an internship, have you considered associating with a different crowd of people? If you aren’t enjoying your course – and find yourself hating how stale and mechanical your classes are – have you considered changing your course, or one of your modules, or taking up an interesting outside option that keeps you going? If you think there’s a lack of support, have you tried proactively building a connection with professors, mentors, peer supporters and counsellors? If you feel drained by the workload, have you considered taking a step back for a couple days?
This is by no means to say that LSE can’t make student life more enjoyable, or that they aren’t complicit in perpetuating structural issues within the institution. This is also not to say that all problems can be fixed by the simple solutions that I’ve mentioned.The point is that; ultimately, you are the one in charge. It is up to you what your uni life looks like and up to you how you will remember your time here. I think LSE has enough in store already to make it enriching and memorable.
I cannot say that LSE is the perfect university for me – I could see myself enjoying life at other universities, if not more. But I can say that I made the most of my eighteen-year-old self had chosen and what the university has offered. I have grown, come out of my shell, changed my degree, tried different lifestyles that I never imagined myself trying, dyed my hair blonde, joined the cult of the Beaver… It’s honestly not been too bad. Blaming LSE for everything is too easy.
