Just What Kind of a Place is the LSE Anyways?

Ladies and Gentlemen, the LSE:

A Conglomerate of Modern and Late Victorian Architecture,
The LSE includes features such as this cool sunbridge, which
I have yet to actually find.. Most buildings open up to rooftop
lurches where students can rest, bask in the sun, or watch the
others down in the shadowy streets below..

The LSE Library is gargantuan-- over 6 floors, hundreds of computer terminals,
and (see below) the coolest winding staircase I've ever seen, especially in a library.


The Staircase of helixical coolness..


Observed from a different angle-- VERY interesting architecture.

The Shaw Library in the Old Building is more distinguished and somber,
often used for guest speaker lectures and the occasional Chopin Recital.

The London School of Economics (and Political Science) is primarily a sociology-based undergraduate and post-graduate institution, located in Central London and at least 100 years old (Founded in 1895 by Beatrice and Sidney Webb). Currently, the school has 9000 students attending, of which (and get this), 4500 are Post-Graduates. How about that? A 50-50 ratio. I'm pretty sure that's an unusual statistic. What it means is when you walk down the main drag of LSE (Houghton Street, by which lies the Bar (the TUNS), the Old building (where Stern gave his infamous report back in '06 and I was lucky enough to attend.. also where Thomas Friedman is going to give a talk on global warming this Tuesday), a bank, and the Student Union), you are about as likely to bump into an 18 year old 'fresher' as you are to bump into a 30+ year old PhD student. The place is extremly diverse- over 160 countries represented this year. What strikes me the most is that as I walk around, I can't help but be amused at the sheer geekiness of the place. Most of us are dweebs in tweed jackets (or maybe a nice London coat with glasses.. same diff to an outsider such as myself, but apparently not to the locals). The girls don't fare too much better-- there are definitely some more fashion-conscious girls among the undergrads, but for the most part the older ones are happy to walk around in a muted, but somehow pleasant variant of charcoal grey or camel, with boots.

Oh yeah.. Black is VERY in here. I'm not exactly sure why-- perhaps people like to blend in with the gloom as the winter progresses. Also, I'm sure it helps for hiding during air raid drills. Actually I'm not entirely certain why people in this city are so obsessed with darkly-colored clothing. I'd imagine the same goes for New York-- some sort of a wallstreet-driven financial dress code, I believe. London is, after all, a financial city. Very often you see the disheveled old banker shuffling along on the side of Holbourn road, going to and fro from central locations of international financial prowess. Generally, this same personage will not look you in the eye as you pass, and will effectuate some sort of grimace to the effect of "My, my young lad.. You're walking that there bicycle awfully close to one of my stature.." What interests me the most about this black thing is that in some other cities, the so-called 'fashion consciousness' is much more colorful and eclectic-- a sort of continuouos used-clothing rummage sale (Portland comes to mind). I believe I like this colorful sort of ideal a lot more, and have been seeking to emulate it when possible. I'll have plenty of time to wear tweed when I'm older (or, dare I say it, BLACK).

Typical LSE Student clothing.. Hamza demonstrates his London Style :)

So LSE is a group of incredibly intellectual, driven young folk from around the world. The typical grad student is always very well read, very interesting to talk to, and, unless a business-type, of some sort of high ethical modulation not to be found in other groups of students anywhere. Typical MSc (Masters of Science) Focuses include Health and Development, International Relations, Foreign Policy, Public Policy (me), and the like. Very few classes are extremely technical.. most ruminate on theory and philosophical analysis of situations, after which contemporary cases are considered, discussed, and technically understood.

Students gather in the Old Gym (about half the size of a basketball court)
to sign up for various sports clubs. I chose Kitesurfing, Breakdancing, and Yoga.

The Infamous Professor Nancy Cartwright: The Instructor
of my Course in Philosophy and Economics!

The LSE staff is generally brilliant-- some of the finest professors in the world, often coming from places like Princeton, Yale, Oxford, Cambridge, or even the LSE itself. All told, the place is immensely exciting-- it feels new, and energetic; a beacon of liberal light in the center of a city whose emphasis on greedy exploitation of various financial markets has currently landed it in a solid, continuous downturn. Perhaps this is why the banker in the black suit doesn't smile.

At any rate, I'm happy to be on the bohemian side of things. Give me my books, my hermitage, and the occasional night out and/or yoga, breakdancing, kitesurfing. Give me life, liberty, and the pursuit of new challenges. Teach me what liberty means, and let me share what I learn with others. Here's to the LSE-- this place, while only 1/20 the size of UC Irvine, still stands tall with the academic powerhouses of the known universe (3rd ranked behind Harvard and Berkeley, I believe).

More to come on personal anecdotes, but I wanted to give an idea of what this place is about. Personally what it means is 20-30 hours of philosophy reading a week.. that's almost a full-time job just sitting here reading! I have some cool trance music to keep me company, however. Every now and then, I run downstairs and grab a game of pool to chill out, then trudge back upstairs to fulfill the task of being a student here at the LSE. Speaking of which, time to read-- I'll be getting back to everyone very soon, and soon to come: a report on the Kitesurfing Club of LSE.

Oh yeah.. the LSE has this statue of an elephant on one of the main streets.
Rather diminutive, it exists next to the statue of a Penguin?!
Interestingly, the Penguin statue is about 3 times larger.

Oh yeah.. one other cool thing. The school mascot? An industrious, slightly-inebriated BEAVER. Well, it's a step up from an anteater, I suppose :)