What are your top tips for applying to an MSc programme at LSE?

1. Apply early - don’t be like me! There’s so much funding for students and opportunities to get scholarships. If you apply early, apply also for scholarships.

2. LSE gives difficult conditions. My offer was conditional on me getting a first overall alongside a first in my dissertation. My friends from Warwick were offered a place conditional on getting a First overall AND a first in both econometrics modules.

3. Do as much Linear Algebra as you can, it will help you later. This likely won’t help you get into the school but for your sake, please know linear algebra.

4. Tailor your personal statement to the university’s strengths. For me I spoke extensively about how much I love the mathematical modelling and econometrics that underpins economic theory and empirical research - LSE is incredibly mathematical. I also talked about a couple books I had read, and backed up my point with an academic paper. I sincerely believe my personal statement was a significant reason I got into LSE (that and my econometrics mark, which is very important to be honest). Beyond this, LSE has some top academics across a variety of fields, including Robin Burgess, Maitreesh Ghatak and John Moore. It’s worth looking into their work and writing about their work if you wish.

5. Have a back-up plan! LSE is hard to get into and university admissions aren’t always fair. I know some genuinely incredibly Economics students that weren’t let in. I would suggest applying to other masters courses in case.

6. Get references from professors that you’ve impressed. Generic references are worse than worthless - contact professors you’ve spoken to or who know how great you were at their subject. I think a reason I got into LSE is because of glowing references from my dissertation tutor and Jeremy Smith (I did incredibly well in his second year metrics module and I’m sure he recognised that when writing my reference).

7. Apply for accommodation early! Rent prices in London are hilariously cruel. Sidney Webb house is a place where loads of LSE students stay and it’s great to be able to live with other MSc economics students.

8. LSE is really, really difficult. You’ll likely go from being one of the best at Warwick to feeling like an actual brain-dead amoeba at LSE compared to your peers - it’s normal but be mentally prepared for the imposter syndrome.

9. On your academic CV say that you know R with incredible proficiency - I literally lied about that on my CV but spent the summer learning it well. It’s an easier language to learn, but Stata isn’t impressing anyone to be honest.