OXFORD or LSE or UBC

[argo360]

One of the things I learned from going to Undergrad in McGill is that ranking means very little when it comes to real student experience.

 

I applied for master's in Environmental Economics and really wants to work on issues on climate change/caps-n-trade/the energy sector. Since LSE and Oxford are very similar in most aspects, which one should I choose?

 

(Okay, I applied to UBC as my last resort, so I don't really think I'd be going for it since I got my other admissions, even though it's my cheapest option as a Canadian)

 

Thoughts? Also you can ask me q's about McGill as an exchange for your help.

 

Thanks ya'll.

 

 

 

 

[actuallyatree]

Have you visited the schools? Even if you aren't able to meet with someone from the department, you could certainly meet someone from recruitment and admissions, which could be of some use, and you could get a sense of what the campus, the culture and the cities are like. If you're looking at the same deal in terms of funding (or as a Canadian student in the UK, the lack thereof), program quality, resources and reputation, it's the locale of the school itself that can help you decide.

 

London you get an absolutely fantastic world class city, with everything that goes with that. Oxford you get a city that is largely connected to post-secondary education, and seem much more able to immerse yourself in that atmosphere. I personally liked Oxford a little bit more, but it was also cold, rainy and yesterday, so the tourists that turned people I know off Oxford weren't really around.

[Kleene]

London and Oxford are completely different cities. I applied to Oxford and got my admit to ETH Zurich this week. For me Oxford's collegiate system is a huge plus. Socializing is much easier if you live together and have a college to bind you. You don't have to look for affordable and reasonable housing. In fact, you would not even have to cook your own meals if you do not want to. London (and Zurich for that matter) are different. I am not saying that you should base your decision on this, but it is definitely something to take into account.

[argo360]

Have you visited the schools? Even if you aren't able to meet with someone from the department, you could certainly meet someone from recruitment and admissions, which could be of some use, and you could get a sense of what the campus, the culture and the cities are like. If you're looking at the same deal in terms of funding (or as a Canadian student in the UK, the lack thereof), program quality, resources and reputation, it's the locale of the school itself that can help you decide.

 

London you get an absolutely fantastic world class city, with everything that goes with that. Oxford you get a city that is largely connected to post-secondary education, and seem much more able to immerse yourself in that atmosphere. I personally liked Oxford a little bit more, but it was also cold, rainy and yesterday, so the tourists that turned people I know off Oxford weren't really around.

Thanks! I'm going to look for meet and greet when they are in Vancouver. Thank goodness Vancouver is a big city so it's likely they'll be here. Unfortunately I'm financial constrained so I can't really go see the campus beforehand, so I just looked up things on Youtube and of course Oxford looks a lot nicer and similar to McGill's gothic buildings, which is my favourite part of the university. It's good to note student experience, I became very close with a professor visiting from Oxford this year and he said student life is absolutely the best at Oxford. 

 

It's curious that you used the word yesterday to describe Oxford, one worry I have over going for a small and enclosed environment is that I lose the whole business feel and street smartness (if you can call it that) of living in a big city and having to constantly put on your competitive face.

 

I see you've chosen SOAS out of all the schools, just wondering what's your reason behind that? 

[argo360]

London and Oxford are completely different cities. I applied to Oxford and got my admit to ETH Zurich this week. For me Oxford's collegiate system is a huge plus. Socializing is much easier if you live together and have a college to bind you. You don't have to look for affordable and reasonable housing. In fact, you would not even have to cook your own meals if you do not want to. London (and Zurich for that matter) are different. I am not saying that you should base your decision on this, but it is definitely something to take into account.

I agree, the collegial system is a definite plus for student experience and networking. I applied to St. John's since I'm a little clueless as to the reputation behind each college, so I chose the one that seems to offer the most well-rounded option, which one did you chose?

 

I suppose not having to look for an apartment and related distractions are also a plus, though the price to pay may be quite high. But living in London is not far off from the 15000 pounds Oxford suggested on its website.

[Kleene]

I agree, the collegial system is a definite plus for student experience and networking. I applied to St. John's since I'm a little clueless as to the reputation behind each college, so I chose the one that seems to offer the most well-rounded option, which one did you chose?

 

I suppose not having to look for an apartment and related distractions are also a plus, though the price to pay may be quite high. But living in London is not far off from the 15000 pounds Oxford suggested on its website.

I went with Balliol. It is a large undergrad/grad college, though grads live on their own campus where also the common room is. They also offer many scholarships in my field, which I am hoping to secure. My overall impression was quite good. Apparently, many admits don't get their first choice college. It all has do to with each college needing a representative student body. If you have a small course, let's say 15 people, probably none of you will be assigned the same college even if it was your preference. I guess a lot can happen here, but it felt vain not to name a preference.

 

I am curious what your decision will be. Just as curious as I am about mine, lol.

[actuallyatree]

@Argo360. I haven't picked SOAS, they're just the first university to get back to me.

 

I'm currently in the UK, to check out Oxford, the LSE and SOAS, and I live in Vancouver and go to UBC, so if you've got any questions PM me and I can answer them, or we can meet on campus somewhere.

[argo360]

I went with Balliol. It is a large undergrad/grad college, though grads live on their own campus where also the common room is. They also offer many scholarships in my field, which I am hoping to secure. My overall impression was quite good. Apparently, many admits don't get their first choice college. It all has do to with each college needing a representative student body. If you have a small course, let's say 15 people, probably none of you will be assigned the same college even if it was your preference. I guess a lot can happen here, but it felt vain not to name a preference.

 

I am curious what your decision will be. Just as curious as I am about mine, lol.

It makes sense. I'm not very picky about the college actually, I chose St. John's because it has the most endowment and is large enough to allow some multi-cultural/experience representations. Though I feel like I'll be stuck mostly with people from my program, which is around 25. One concern I got with Oxford or LSE is that the degree may be considered a "tourist degree" and I don't end up learning much except going away with a nice name on my resume.

 

Another problem for me is the exchange rate. Oh man Canadian dollar is worthless nowadays, I have to end up paying so much more than planned for the same amount of sterling. But I guess you'd have the same problem if you end up in Switzerland.