Category: Academic Year

2022 Spring, Academic Year

Franz Gilbert: Post 5

Franz GilbertLondon School of EconomicsLondon, EnglandSpring 2022 Back on an empty Millennium Bridge! Hello! From Round 2 in London. I have been back at school for 3 weeks and it has been a hectic few weeks, to say the least. Initially, on my return, I was worried about how the city was with COVID-19, as the reports coming out of the country were very conflicting. However, as soon as I landed, I was reassured that my term was not going to be significantly affected by more COVID-19 restrictions. In fact, Boris Johnson has announced his plans to make it so […]

2022 Spring, Academic Year

Franz Gilbert: Post 4

Franz GilbertLondon School of EconomicsLondon, EnglandFall 2021 Study View for Formatives I am back in the United States for the next few weeks for the holidays and am extremely excited to get some much-needed rest. As I mentioned in my previous blog, the formative assignments are extensive – taking up considerable time – and that routine did not let up into my last week at LSE. I ended up spending a lot of time on campus studying, and you can see the views are amazing. Until I was on the plane, I was in a constant state of running from […]

2021 Fall, Academic Year

Franz Gilbert: Post 3

Franz GilbertLondon School of EconomicsLondon, EnglandFall 2021 The Social Side:Since my last blog, a lot has happened. I have had some fantastic experiences with my fellow General Course students in the City of London. For example, I have visited Saville Row, the premier place in London, if not the world, for Bespoke suits. Realize that this is not just about the suit, but also the experience. The fitting rooms do look like the James Bond or Kingsmen movies – and the options are amazing, “would you like tortoiseshell buttons?” These suits run several thousand dollars. I went for my first […]

2019 Fall, Academic Year

Thomas Salamon: Post 4

Thomas SalamonLondon School of Economics & Political ScienceLondon, EnglandFall 2019 I started writing this essay on the plane ride back from London. Here I sit, 2 months later, editing it and not knowing exactly where to take it. I remember sitting on the plane and watching the city disappear below me, thinking how I had just begun to hit my stride.  The front entrance of my dorm was across a walking-only street from a converted industrial revolution era factory, with towering windowless brick walls. The Tate Modern, situated on the bank of the Thames river, provided a commanding view of central London.   The Tate had an amazing […]

2019 Fall, Academic Year

Thomas Salamon: Post 3

Thomas Salamon London School of Economics & Political Science London, England Fall 2019 Thankfully, for me, the UK is an English-speaking country. That’s not to say that I would be uncomfortable had I studied somewhere I needed to learn the language; after all, I did fine in Germany two summers ago. I can say that learning advanced topics in mathematics and finance would be a lot more difficult if I had to learn a language as well. The classwork is pretty demanding, and mostly is taught in a way that you need to get the foundation yourself and use the […]

2019 Fall, Academic Year

Thomas Salamon: Post 2

Thomas Salamon London School of Economics & Political Science London, England Fall 2019 Every city has a pattern. Some are organized into grids- some about a central expressway or an intersection of those. Some are oriented in a way to divert traffic to certain districts. London is all of these. It’s a constant reminder of its rich history as an evolving city from the time of the Roman Empire. It isn’t in a grid of streets or even circled about a central location like many European cities. The river Thames cuts it in two, so it’s an easy reference point. […]

2019 Fall, Academic Year

Thomas Salamon: Post 1

Thomas Salamon London School of Economics & Political Science London, England Fall 2019 I only applied to one abroad program because I wanted it to improve upon the studies I was doing at Hampden-Sydney. I had already taken a May Term Abroad in order to study German with some fellow students of mine but when I chose to apply to the LSE, I knew it would be a different experience- for one, I was applying alone and wasn’t going to be abroad with a fellow Hampden-Sydney student. What I knew about the London School of Economics (and indeed, London at […]

Academic Year

Christian Blankenship: Post 4

Christian Blankenship London School of Economics London, England 2018/19 I decided to spend my Christmas break in London so that I could experience the city without the responsibility of school, and also to travel a little through Europe. Admittedly, it felt extremely odd being away from home for Christmas, but my brother came to visit for a week at Christmas which helped. He spent a total of four days in London, and we also visited Paris for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and then we traveled to Brussels for two more days. While in London, we attended an Arsenal match […]

Academic Year

Christian Blankenship: Post 3

Christian Blankenship London School of Economics London, England 2018/19 After living in London for three months, I can now claim, rather confidently, that I have effectively adjusted to living here. Aside from developing a brisk walking pace to replace the traditional slow saunter that I have known my whole life, I have also found myself walking to practically every destination. I rarely use public transport, such as buses, taxis, or the underground, even though there are numerous stations surrounding my residence. The ease of navigating the London streets and the experience associated with it is much more valuable to me, […]

Academic Year

Christian Blankenship: Post 2

Christian Blankenship London School of Economics London, England 2018/19 It has now been nearly two months since I arrived in London and began my studies at LSE. It has been difficult adjusting to the different class format here at the school, but it’s been a refreshing change. I’ve had to improve my studying habits and time management skills in order to properly take advantage of the many activities present in London, and to also keep up with the rigorous schedule here. Aside from the different class structure, I do slightly miss the short 5-10 minute walk to class from the […]