Over the past 121 years, 37 world leaders including former prime ministers and presidents have studied or taught at London School of Economics which has also nurtured 16 Nobel laureates: SUMMIYA YASMEEN Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidney and Beatrice Webb, Graham Wallas and renowned author George Bernard Shaw, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a constituent college of the University of London, and simultaneously a globally respected social sciences — economics, politics and law to sociology, anthropology, accounting and finance — university in its own right. In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2016, LSE is ranked #25 while the Complete University Guide ranks it #3 in the UK. Moreover, the QS World University Rankings 2015 ranks LSE #2 for social sciences and business management worldwide. Currently, the school offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgrad courses across 25 academic departments and interdisciplinary institutes to 9,600 students, of whom more than two-thirds are from 140 countries worldwide including a sizeable contingent from India. Given that it’s the first choice of brightest and best students internationally, it’s hardly surprising that LSE boasts impressive alumni. Over the past 121 years, 37 world leaders including former prime ministers Pierre Trudeau (Canada) and Errol Walton Barrow (Jamaica), and former President K.R. Narayanan (India), among others, have studied and/or taught at LSE. In addition, LSE has nurtured 16 Nobel Prize winners (including Dr. Amartya Sen) as students or faculty. However, some right-wing intellectuals blame LSE for being the nursery of Great Britain’s deadliest export — Fabian socialism and gobbledegook Left wing economics — which have devastated the developing nations of the post-colonial third world. Be that as it may, there’s no doubt this institution is globally respected for its academic rigour and research-based academic programmes. London. Europe’s most populous (8.7 million) metropolis with a business, cultural and academic heritage spanning centuries, London is an education in itself. A global centre of finance, law, fashion, design, media and communications, it is also one of the world’s respected cultural capitals. Surrounding LSE in central London are the headquarters of major UK and transnational corporations, organisations and education institutions offering students numerous opportunities to network with globally respected companies and employers for internships and job placements. There are also many part-time work opportunities in London for students who need to work while studying (international students are permitted to work 10-20 hours a week during term and full-time during vacations). Campus facilities. LSE’s campus is sited in central London within five minutes walking distance of the River Thames, Covent Garden and the Royal Courts of Justice. All campus buildings and facilities are located within a few streets between Aldwych, Kingsway and Lincoln’s Inn Fields. Two new buildings — 32 Lincolns Fields and Saw Swee Hock Student Centre — were recently inaugurated with another three scheduled to be completed by 2020. The Saw Swee Hock Student Centre is the hub of student life and hosts the Students’ Union, cafes, pub and nightclub,…
