Written by Sophie Rose
The Elephant on Houghton Street
It is difficult to walk around LSE’s campus or have a conversation with peers without hearing the same few terms: spring weeks, internships, applications, careers. The prevalence of corporate culture within LSE may seem obvious – it’s woven into the fabric of student life. Even the LSESU ecosystem mirrors the university’s reputation: professional, polished, and career-driven.
But what do students actually think of it? With more and more young people entering the corporate sphere and the Big 4 popping up around us every day on campus, it may seem that Gen Z may just be changing the trajectory set by previous generations.
Looking to investigate, I conducted a survey of LSE students, alumni, and corporate employers.
Even though corporate culture is talked about by the masses at LSE, it seems as though this attitude isn’t entirely positive. The survey sees many describing corporate culture as ‘toxic’, ‘limiting’, even ‘soulless’. This begs the question: If corporate culture is so negatively viewed by students, why is it still so prevalent within the community? And how do we deal with the pressure exerted on us by the presence of corporate culture within the student body?
A double-edged sword
Some students in the survey describe the pressure put on them to enter a corporate role just by being at LSE. With the rise of AI recruitment and interviewing, some suggest that the LSE name will provide them with an advantage when being filtered through these technologies. It was fairly agreed upon that the prestige of LSE provides you with advantages when it comes to applications, with many mentioning that the university is a target for many banks.
Speaking to two BSc Psychology and Behavioural Sciences students – Bianca and Pinidi – they both mentioned how the university name provides a lot of opportunity alone, deeming the course as somewhat redundant. According to them, many from the department are looking at and applying for roles in banking and finance.
However, this prestige arguably also creates a status quo – if you are not looking for a corporate role, you are simply not successful. Bianca noted, “I didn’t even want to necessarily go into corporate. But being here, I feel like I should take advantage of that opportunity.”
Cameron, a postgraduate student, did not attend LSE for his undergraduate studies, and describes the culture around campus as unwelcoming for students like himself, who do not want to enter the corporate world.
Being new to London, Cameron discussed feeling like an outsider at LSE, viewing the LSE student culture as a “mindless pursuit” of the same firms without looking into what the firms actually stand for: “Even in the way people dress and how people are always doing stuff, the ‘lock-in’ culture around campus is so prevalent, it’s hard not to notice.”
Applications, Assessment Centres, and the Performance of Professionalism
Many respondents also discuss how while the LSE name can get your ‘foot in the door’, the steps it takes to actually get a role are becoming increasingly stringent.
Bianca describes putting in ‘hundreds of applications’ and finding it difficult to pay attention to their studies while applying for internships. She discussed how she would spend at least 2 hours every day of summer break prepping for different applications and assessment centres, and that even when trying to strike a balance between this preparation and her personal life, she found herself thinking about the applications non-stop.
Others find it difficult to attend internships and insight days as they often happen during term time and reading weeks, causing a clash between university and career planning.
Another respondent describes how the assessments for roles are deviating from experience and skills, steering towards psychometric testing. This sees the opportunity for roles being ‘slashed’ in early rounds by arbitrary assessments and further limiting entry to the corporate sphere. Pindi mentions how applications feel “cheesy” and fake, becoming repetitive and not truly reflecting herself. She discusses how she has to tailor her applications to match corporate ideals, and for many, these tests and templated questions reduce individuality to reward conformity over authenticity. Even for those outside of the corporate track, it’s easy to see how these processes can feel alienating.
An Insight Into LSESU Societies
Of course, this pressure does not just come from individual ambition. Around one in four of LSESU’s 250+ societies are career-oriented, and 65-70% of these are corporate-focused. Comparing this to the ‘creative and performance’ societies, which account for around 15-20 of the total number, corporate careers have at least double the presence of creative societies, even though LSE students clearly do form passionate creative communities.
Yet this imbalance isn’t entirely negative. For many students, these career societies provide valuable access to competitive industries, networks, and mentorship that might otherwise be out of reach. The question, then, is whether such societies exist to make the corporate world more accessible, or whether they end up reinforcing the very hierarchies they seek to navigate.
Pindi describes how friends of hers found the most connection and friendships within cultural societies and sports clubs, but other societies seem to be more about networking than social support – they “don’t seem as much about real connection”.
Finding Support and Facing Burnout
For many, this intensity takes a toll. Behind every successful application lies burnout, rejection, and comparison.
Both Pindi and Bianca described an intense feeling of imposter syndrome being at LSE. For Bianca, “it’s like watching everyone else … like everyone has it all together and everyone is so smart.” Similarly, Pindi recounted “[sitting] in lectures and … [thinking] ‘I never would’ve thought of that’ … it makes me question my ability, if I’m good enough.”
So where do students turn in the face of these pressures? Respondents spoke highly of their support networks when dealing with the pressures of corporate culture at LSE, from their friends giving them ‘reality checks’ and ways to relieve stress, to helping them catch up with work they may have missed while applying for corporate roles. Cameron spoke about how, even though he found most people subscribed to LSE’s corporate culture, he found a community within his course and activism communities that held similar views. He would share his frustrations with these groups, and be involved in activist movements around campus.
Societies also play a huge role in this support network. Some mention how societies provide a network with older members who can provide them with advice, answers, and socials to help deal with career stress. Others suggest that peers can be overly competitive or anxiety-prone, worsening pressures. Bianca also mentioned that, when at one assessment centre, she was buddied up with an existing employee at the firm, to whom she asked for advice and went to for support. Her buddy was receptive to her concerns, having gone through the same process.
A New Generation, A New Definition of Work
The constraints of the corporate world appear to be dissatisfying to Gen Z, with only 10% valuing the traditional corporate model, according to the Times. One respondent describes how the corporate world promotes a lack of consideration for ‘fellow beings’, and that they try to avoid corporate culture and the “roboids” it creates.
Research shows that Gen Z have developed different values surrounding work, including a good work-life balance and a more relaxed working and management style. With countries like France introducing a legal ‘right to disconnect’, where employees are not obliged to respond to work-related communications outside of work hours, and the current Labour government pledging to follow suit, it may be safe to suggest that the needs of the Gen Z workforce are changing the corporate world.
Bianca mentioned this very policy, suggesting she would enjoy a corporate role more if there were no surprise overtime and a decent work-life balance: “I think I’d be more likely to enjoy corporate work if there were boundaries. I want to work my hours and remove myself from it after that.”
Pindi alluded to a corporate career being a necessary evil for some students: “’No one can get a job now. After graduation, I worry I won’t find something I actually enjoy. I don’t think corporate will ever fulfill me, but it might be something I have to do to get by.”
Cameron, however, described his view of corporate culture through a morality-based perspective. When asked if he thinks that his anti-corporate mindset may limit his career options, Cameron noted: “Yes, but that’s something I’ve come to terms with. Currently, I’m not willing to compromise on my morals. Maybe that’ll change. But right now, definitely not”. He further said that, “Even in non-corporate jobs, if I don’t like the values … I wouldn’t consider them.”
Inside the Employer’s Mindset
But is anyone listening to these concerns? Despite the clear positive impacts associated with flexible and ethical working styles, including reducing absenteeism, reducing carbon outputs, and closing the gender employment gap, many employers are keen to maintain the traditional corporate structure.
I spoke to Lena, an employer who spent around 40 years in operations and recruitment for a number of name brands. She mentioned a number of both positive and negative attitudes towards Gen Z workers. Oftentimes, she was surprised at the level of maturity displayed during recruitment processes, thinking that they would not impress her, but instead showed a notably developed self.
We also discussed a number of culture clashes between herself as a manager and younger hires. Lena found she needed to adapt her management style to be more sensitive when dealing with young hires, but young hires lacked the same commitment and passion as predecessors, such as lower attendance rates in young hires.
She found that, in her experience, younger hires had a mentality that they expect more than they give, and that they would ‘do their job and go home’. She believes that, in the future, work culture will become a lot “more relaxed, [but] standards will definitely drop too”.
That being said, she agrees that work culture should welcome some of the values that Gen Z holds – a better work-life balance, more awareness of burnout and mental wellbeing, and inclusivity and equality in the workplace.
Redefining Success
So, how will corporate culture adapt? LSE students are still applying for spring weeks and training contracts, but they’re doing so while talking about mental health, flexible hours, and values-led work. In this mix of ambition and awareness, there’s a quiet evolution taking place. As employers rethink what work should look like, perhaps universities – and the societies that shape our early professional lives – should do the same.
