AIBU to ask what is better for undergrad economics? Cambridge or LSE?

[downtonabbeyfan1234]

If MNHQ want to move this to higher education that is fine with me.

Fortunate that DS has offers from both unis and I know they are both excellent (no issue cost wise with us thankfully). Anyone has any information as to what has the better undergrad course?

We've both looked at as much info as we can online. Apparently LSE has a new economics curriculum (and that interests DS very much) but Cambridge has a mix of maths and essays. Rankings wise Cambridge is higher up in the UK subject rankings but LSE is higher up in the global rankings for economics. If anyone has any DC currently doing economics, relaying their thoughts would be great.

I know that Cambridge is excellent but DS has heard of some cases where people turn down their Cambridge offer to go to LSE.

I'd agree with PP who've asked which city would suit him better to live in. Eg my friends that went to London unis lived a long way out of the centre & had to commute in which had quite an impact on their social lives. Everywhere in Cambridge is max 10mins away by bike...

senior members in the economics dept say 'LSE is better for economics. We rank higher on global statistics

No one other than academics cares about their global ranking.

Go to Cambridge, do a Master's at the LSE. Cambridge will open far more doors.

I would totally go for Cambridge as the experience as a student will likely be better. I’ve done some post grad courses at LSE and it didn’t have anything like the atmosphere of other city universities I’ve studied at. London will also be expensive. I also personally found there were lots of international students on my course whose English was poor and who struggled to contribute in seminars etc. Cambridge he’d get the smaller tutorials which would be a massive benefit. I felt LSE went for the model of ‘pack them in’ to rake in the cash.

@rainyskylight

London is sprawling and there’s very little community in the big London universities as there’s no campus. Cambridge for sure. He will have closer friends, there’s more investment pastorally. The name also means more internationally for an undergrad course. LSE is mainly lots and lots of foreign students working hard with no hobbies.

(UCL undergrad, Oxford postgrad, many of my friends did the opposite).

Would agree with this. I went to another London university and found the student life extremely dull compared to my friends at other universities. London is expensive and spread out so the living circumstances are just much less set up for fun.

In addition, the banking internships was a massive thing at my London university too. Half my course are in banking and it’s nothing remotely to do with economics!

DS is quite confident about firming Cambridge now! Had a great talk with him. He's not so sure where to insure. He does want to have fun when at uni (I want him to have fun as well).

Definitely Cambridge over LSE! At Cambridge you make friends within your college from across all academic disciplines. At LSE they all tend to be economists, statisticians and mathematicians. Cambridge is loads more fun!*

• I went to Cambridge so possibly biased, but I had way more fun than DH who was at LSE!

Cambridge, every time.

Yes a very different student experience anecdotally. One of my DD’s friends went to LSE and declined Oxford offer but disliked LSE enough to drop out and start at Oxford the following year. On her course, the majority were foreign students who tended to just socialise between themselves and in their own languages. It was tricky for her to socialise with the wider student community as the facilities were so spread out and she didn’t feel comfortable going back to her hall ( plush student rooms above shops in central London, £££ poor parents!) late at night. She was lonely …
Best of luck to your son!

@CrowFriend what course did ur DD's friend study? Glad she's happier now at Oxford. Seems lots of people have bad experiences with LSE. Makes me wonder why so many people apply there then.

Think it was maths with economics?

Cambridge all day long - and I'm an LSE grad. Far better student experience, far better pastoral care. My experience at LSE is you are a bit of a number to them - but I lived in the most incredible halls right in central London but LSE doesn't have the same level of sports or clubs and activities, obviously no college feel etc. The Oxbridge student life is much much better (I've worked in Oxbridge)

Showed this thread to DS. He's been scared off LSE and is now enthusiastic about going to Cambridge.

I went to UCL and loved London student life. I had friends from UCL, Imperial and LSE and it was just a wonderful experience and so much fun. However, I would choose Cambridge if he doesn't know what he wants to do yet. Much like Imperial for sciences it's highly renowned to those in the know but Cambridge will open more doors globally and across industries. I do have a couple of friends who hated Cambridge but I think they'd have hated LSE too!

If you do have the means to help out enough with London living costs, I'd put the aside the amount saved by living in Cambridge as an undergrad to put towards the cost of the LSE Masters. LSE Masters are hideously expensive.

This is a question with no answer. They ae both good but different. He just needs to pick one, and personally I’d be advising him to pick on the basis of the different social/living experiences. A Cambridge college is a relatively small community in a relatively small place. A London uni is, well, London. That is more likely to have the biggest impact on his success than the minutiae of the course content.

LSE is extremely left wing and socialist. Unless he identifies strongly with that philosophy, he'll be in for a miserable time.

@rainyskylight

Nottingham is a terrible idea.

Nottingham is a good university with a well regarded economics department.

@Phos doesn't LSE churn out investment bankers? In DS's research he saw that Keynes was at Cambridge whilst Hayek was at LSE. Hayek seemed to be more right wing.

[quote downtonabbeyfan1234]@Phos doesn't LSE churn out investment bankers? In DS's research he saw that Keynes was at Cambridge whilst Hayek was at LSE. Hayek seemed to be more right wing.[/quote]
Hayek was at LSE in the 30s and 40s! It’s moved on since then. I should have clarified that I was meaning the student body as well simply the institution itself.

@Phos would you recommend Nottingham as an insurance choice?

I would choose Cambridge - which college is his offer from? Close-knit student communities and therefore less chance of getting lost in terms of welfare. More direct contact with tutors via the supervision system. Life-long networks which will benefit him professionally and socially. Better sport and drama if that's his thing too.

Cambridge to London is quick via train or coach but once he's there he won't bother!

If he's considering the social aspect, pick Cambridge.

@ThanksItHasPockets queens. I understand what you mean about sport. But better 'drama'?

[quote downtonabbeyfan1234]@ThanksItHasPockets queens. I understand what you mean about sport. But better 'drama'?[/quote]
Student drama and comedy. Footlights, obviously, but loads of others too including pretty much one in every college. Queens' is particularly well-served as BATS (their amdram soc) has the Fitzpatrick Hall for their own use.

www.camdram.net/societies

Cambridge all the way for undergrad. Plenty of time to live/work/study in London later. We had similar discussions with DS (currently 2nd year at Cam - not Econ but a related subject). I don't think he was seriously considering knocking Cambridge back but as DH (Econ PhD) and I both did our postgraduate degrees in London we had a bit of a view of both.