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The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), situated in Central London, is renowned for the modernity and practicality of its courses. The 2008 Good University Guide (Times) ranked Law at the LSE a place above Oxford and just below Cambridge, an indication of its overall excellence.

LSE, while still belonging to the University of London, has recently moved to awarding its own degrees. All students registering from 2008 onwards will automatically be awarded an LSE degree on graduation. This has been widely applauded by students since the name LSE is now recognized as an assurance of quality in teaching and continuing scholarship.

The LLM is hosted at the very heart of London as the LSE has a city campus situated on Aldwych. Students who have never studied in a city campus may find it an odd concept but nevertheless it can be assured that it has many advantages. The LLM takes place in classrooms designated course wise, of late the law division of LSE has shifted to the new academic building on Kingsway which was inaugurated by the Queen. The new building offers students a hi-tech modern impression of what is in store to come in the following year.

A lawyer’s requirement to have access to quality academic resources is also taken care of. The LSE library also known as the British Library of Political & Economic Science (BLPES) is one of the largest libraries in the world devoted to the economic and social sciences. Law students have access to all the academic journals and books they may ever need during their course. As a LLM students are also given membership to the Institute of Advanced Legal studies which offers access to legislation, case law and electronic law journals for key jurisdictions of the world. Amongst other facilities students have an electronic access to all of these resources and they can carry out their research from anywhere on/off the LSE campus or LSE accommodations.

LSE accommodations are the best option to exercise as an LSE student, they are affordable and centrally located. All of them are very well connected with the bus and the tube system, and I would not recommend private accommodation if you are offered a place on one of LSE’s halls. All of LSE’s accommodations provide a reliable high speed internet access amongst other facilities. One must apply for accommodation at LSE residences as soon as one is offered an admission, since these are prized properties they do go out fast.

Teaching methods at the LSE are innovative, and vary a lot upon the course a student is picking. At the beginning of the session every course tutor offers a snap shot over view of the course they are going to be teaching and how it will be taught in class (either through lectures or seminars). In this manner students are better equipped to decide whether they would actually be interested in selecting the courses they can see on paper.

Students can also audit seminars with the course tutor permission to test whether they are interested in the particular subject, or if they feel comfortable with the teaching methodology. Students are given the first 3 weeks of their LLM to finalise what courses they want to stick with for the rest of the course year. Hence the flexibility offered to new students is helpful, especially for international students who may not be aware about what they may actually encounter in class.

Some courses use guest lecturers, while others use audio/visual aids, power point presentations. Lectures are where the course tutor imparts the study requirements, whereas seminars involve a lot of class participation. Thus while selecting the courses one wants, this may be an essential criteria they may want to bear in mind. The LLM course at the LSE is widely known for its extensive reading lists and it would be advisable (to at least state in hindsight) that one must try and do the minimum of it. Some courses require course packs, that is like a tablet of all the reading one may need to do through the year for that particular subject – these are sold by the LSE library at nominal prices. If one requires a ‘course pack’ for a particular course, the tutor shall inform the students of the same in the beginning of the year.

In the LLM course a student can either do a general LLM or a specialised one. Students are expected to select upto 4subjects, written examinations are given in any three along with a written dissertation in the fourthsubject.  More than four subjects can be selected if one is choosing half units instead of full units (details of which can be seen on the links below). Specialist LLM courses can be tailored by the student to pack in any four courses that they may want to pick.

LSE’s location at London is one of its biggest advantages. London as a sponge city it absorbs all sans any exceptions. Everyday meals can be availed locally, right from the popular Wright’s Bar to the Hare Krishna free food vendor who comes to campus everyday at 1300 hours, other options include the LSE café Garrick.  In total, there are eight restaurants and cafés on the campus, which provide quality food at affordable prices, together with two student pubs those are George IV and the Three Tuns.

Since it’s a city campus all local restaurants are close by, if one ventures out in the middle of a class its easy to buy ones bare necessities (be it beer or books) in a matter of minutes to before resuming the class.

The LLM tuition costs vary per year, details on those should be checked on the LSE website which is updated regularly. Many scholarships are available, however key to getting one is applying well ahead of the deadlines.

The cost factor largely depends on the accommodation one gets and how thriftily one is willing to spend. On an average, an LSE student’s cost of living including accommodation can vary anywhere between 700-1000 pounds.

The social life at the LSE is one of its biggest selling factors. Every student of LSE (graduate or post graduate) is a member of the LSE Student Union (LSE SU). There are over 170 societies in the LSE SU, ranging from the usual like the Arts or Business to the unusual like the Hummous or Knitting, depending on the interests and initiative of each new group of students. The Students' Union also runs a weekly newspaper, a radio station, TV network and journal.

Sports enthusiasts won't be disappointed by the activities on offer. LSE Athletics Union is home to over 30 clubs for a wide range of sports. The standards of sport are high, with teams regularly reaching the final stages of the national British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) leagues.

Many use the School's 25 acre sports ground at New Malden, Surrey, a short train journey away from campus. There are pitches for football, rugby, hockey (both men's and women's), cricket, together with a multi-use games area and grass tennis courts, plus a restaurant and well appointed bar are open on match days. On campus, there are facilities for judo, table tennis, floorball, karate and boxing; a gymnasium and three squash courts. Nearby, there are facilities for basketball, rowing, tennis, cricket and swimming. The LSE campus also provides gym facilities for students at a very reasonable subsidized membership cost.

For the party goers, the LSE SU organises a party every weekend that can be attended by all LSE students and their guests known as “LSE Fresh”. Usually before 10 pm there is free entry after which they charge about 5 pounds. The LLM course society as made up by the students organises an LLM bash every week, usually on Thursdays where one can catch up with class mates over some wine. The LLM batch students can also choose to go on an excursion trip with course tutors sometimes during January (the Lent Term), it’s a social event where one can get to interact with their teachers outside the class environment. LLM students also have an option to go for moot court competitions that fall within their course areas for example the Willem C. Vis Arbitration moot or the ELSA WTO moot, etc.

LSE has a dedicated career service which makes the students aware of all the upcoming job opportunities (full or part time). The LLM course goers also get to attend the LSE law fair which takes place during the Michaelmas Term (winter), wherein representatives of all the major city law firms come to discuss with students the training contract opportunities in the coming year ahead. There is ample support career wise, with London being a student friendly city various off campus jobs are also available.