Oxford vs LSE
Oxford- History
LSE- Economic History
LSE- History
UCL- History, Politics and Economics
UCL- History
I have gotten offers for these but dk which to pic. When i went to oxford i absolutely didn’t like it: the environment was unpleasant, everyone’s nerdy and social life don’t match my likings. If i pick LSE, have i picked wrong choice? Especially if i want to get into IB, consulting or corporate law?
Went to one of these so may have a slightly bias view. I'll split it into 2.
Career prospects:
For IB, Corporate Law and Consultancy given you put the work in you will make it with ease as an LSE or Oxford student. UCL is a bit of a tier down but great regardless. I have probably seen more people from Oxbridge get to top Consultancy places compared to LSE as well. Then there is the culture around applications/jobs. LSE is miles ahead of any other places, this is both good and bad as it is slightly toxic. Oxford people are of course just as determined but ever so slightly laid back (maybe cause they know theyre at Oxford so they dont have to worry). UCL is quite sweaty amongst the Econ/Finance guys as well.
In my eyes, if you're at Oxford or LSE - dont worry about any recruiter being unimpressed by your academic background.
Culture/People:
Honestly UCL takes top spot, great balance of academics and having fun. LSE being smaller, you find it harder to find "your type of people" and Oxford as you've said is quite nerdy or super posh (If thats your vibe good for you), so you'll take time finding you're type of guys.
In all honesty, you'll make great friends at any of these 3, it'll just take longer at Oxford or LSE. The upside is your network will possibly be more "useful" 10 years down the line at an LSE or Oxford.
If I was in your shoes, I'd take Oxford - you might hate it or grow to love it but in 3/4 years you will have graduated from the premier UK university with a great job.
Good luck and congrats! Enjoy the next few years.
I went to LSE but would take the Oxford offer without question. Both on university brand name plus degree subject in this instance.
Economic History is not respected like Economics is at LSE. You’ll find it more difficult to land interviews with that versus Oxford on your CV. Plenty have still ended up in IB having studied it but they successfully traded on the LSE brand rather than the degree.
History at Oxford IS a well-respected degree in the public perception, including interviewers at major banks (more importantly), and not just because of academic excellence. Essay-based subjects at Oxford or Cambridge are inherently prestigious, in a way that no other university can compete. These universities are older than America itself. Even things like Alan Bennett’s famous play helped popularise that particular degree.
Also you will meet a variety of people at uni and should not base your decision on such limited experience. Nerdy? You should see the data on how much time LSE students spend in the library. Point being, you’ll find all sorts of people everywhere, and you should be able to filter out to those you find real connection with. It just takes time.
I’ve heard degree doesn’t matter from people I met, so whether it’s a respectable degree surely doesn’t matter? Are the differences between the 2 choices huge in that case?
It’s more accurate to say that the university brand name matters more than the degree studied (particularly in the UK vs Europe, where there is less emphasis on vocational subjects). Hence the large number of Oxbridge classicists who work in M&A.
Ultimately you should study what you’re most interested in, not least because you’ll be more likely to put in the work to get good grades.
But to claim that, say, LSE Sociology or Geography is just as likely as LSE Econ to land you an interview at Goldman, is naive.
Also think people in Oxford are less ambitious vs LSE due to the overall environment (sleepy town vs centre of London)
Possibly an element of truth to this. Still doesn’t mean you’ll adopt a sleepy mentality too, particularly if you’re aware of it.
LSE is an investment banking production line. Have seen people with no interest in finance succumb to the social pressure from hearing about all their classmates landing spring internships.
Oxford people are more likely to have more diverse ambitions, interested in professions like Consulting or Politics too, for example. The brand name opens you up to wider career paths and optionality.
As for corporate law, you’ll need to do a law conversion course anyway. A Magic Circle firm is more likely to sponsor an Oxford Historian, even though LSE makes it easier to attend interviews in the City. Don’t forget the train ride from Oxford into London is only 1 hour, so the LSE advantage there is marginal.
is the oxford cohort less career (talking finance here) oriented than lse?
Currently pulling an all-nighter in the LSE library lol. Second this advice.
Oxford, hands down. You will not regret it.
thanks
Oxford and I don’t think it’s a question
Agree with all the above - Oxford is the no-brainer.
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Currently doing HPE at UCL - would pick over pure history. Oxford is the obvious choice for prestige but I didn't like it either.
UCL is fun, very socially active, etc. and I've seen pretty good placements from HPE. The course falls under a different department than pure Econ but you can still join the societies/attend events.
I never understood those "arrangements" in UK universities. You study History and then you can become a corporate lawyer or in IB? How is this not a disfavor to those studying law or finance, where the admission process is much more competitive?
There’s a huge amount of writing involved in M&A. It’s more than half the job. Also plenty of liberal arts majors with high intellectual curiosity. These are readily transferable skills to succeed in that profession.
Some degrees have higher entry requirements but they don’t have a monopoly on intelligence. If you want to be an outlier, look at what people like George Soros and Peter Thiel studied.
Also regarding social life, do not expect any social life at LSE lmfao. As others have said, definitely take the Oxford offer.
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