Beaver Life 2011 v05

MPA Student Association (MPASA)
The London School of Economics & Political Science
BEAVER LIFE
A guide to settling into London and getting the most out of your LSE MPA experience by MPAs, for MPAs
August 2011
Questions/comments/edits please contact MPASA: www.mpasa.org

Beaver Life: An Intro to the LSE and the MPA
Introduction

This document aims to present new MPA students with handy, practical knowledge about the LSE and about the MPA Programme Most MPAs move to London from another country Moving to London and adjusting to LSE life and MPA life can be really stressful IF you dont have the right information This guidebook will tell you what you need to know, saving you time and energy and stress
*** AN OBVIOUS BUT IMPORTANT WARNING *** By no means is this an end-all and be-all resource, so for important decisions, contact the appropriate primary sources course materials, your professors, advisors etc. Of course, well do the best we can to keep this all accurate and up to date Please send any updates or submissions to Dennis Keller and Jacob Rodriguez d.i.keller@lse.ac.uk and j.rodriguez4@lse.ac.uk
Enjoy! MPA Student Association
Table of Contents
PART I: LIFE IN LONDON AND AT THE LSE, GENERALLY SPEAKING
1. The comforts of home: Becoming a functional Londoner

Avoiding pickpockets and bag thieves; Toilet paper, paper towels, toothpaste, umbrellas, school supplies, groceries and the like; Cell phones and bank accounts, keeping in touch with people; Transportation: tube, buses, cabs, bikes, trains, and planes
2. Your first few weeks of life at the LSE

Getting internet access and printing things; Registration and course selection; The LSE websites that actually matter; Navigating our facilities; bars, parties and places to eat and/or study
3. The academic year

What the year will look like: MT, Winter Break, LT, Spring Break, ST, Exams; when to travel, when to work, and when to study Picking and scheduling your classes: capped courses, registration, making a theme, half unit/full unit, classes/seminars, formative/assessed
4. How exams and grades work at the LSE

Pass/Merit/Distinction, Cs arent all that bad, and the like
Table of Contents
PART II: BEING AN MPA, IN PARTICULAR
1. MPA programme: an intro
Streams: PEP, EPEP, ID, PPM, WTF; applying for dual-degree programmes

2. The three core courses of the MPA: GV 478, EC 440, EC 455

Why we teach the courses we teach and how to get the most out of them
3. Tackling essays, reading lists, and the joys of reading and study groups
Avoiding plagiarism; further help for non-native English speakers
4. Balancing life and getting involved 5. Getting a job

Part I, Section 1 The comforts of home: Becoming a functional Londoner
The comforts of home: Becoming a functional Londoner

AVOIDING PICKPOCKETS AND BAG THIEVES

BAG THIEVES ARE A HUGE PROBLEM IN LONDON AND ESPECIALLY AT THE LSE Most buildings are accessible to the public and thieves know that many LSE students carry expensive laptops Last year alone, many MPA students had wallets, laptops and other high priced items stolen One laptop was stolen from right beneath the student in the LSEs caf. Another laptop was stolen right from the MPA lounge, in the presence of several MPA students On a happy note two heroic MPAs ran down the thief and retrieved the laptop Tips for avoiding thieves: Be vigilant! When seated, keep a purse/bag strap wrapped around your knee Use a laptop bag with a good zipper/clicking mechanism that keeps shut Keep wallets in your front pocket, and when walking in a crowded area (tube, bus, bar, etc.) keep a hand on your wallet/cell phone Bag thieves look and dress like everyone else. They dont wear striped shirts and masks, and they may seem like nice people Bag thieves often work in teams, so be wary if a group of two people come and sit strangely close to you. Shimmy up that purse/bag strap and let them know youre on to them Invest in a good backup drive for all your documents, and purchase laptop insurance

TOILET PAPER, PAPER TOWELS, TOOTHPASTE, UMBRELLAS, SCHOOL SUPPLIES, GROCERIES AND THE LIKE Note: Shopping will expose you to the Value Added Tax (or VAT for short) This is essentially a sales tax, 20% as of 1 January 2011; most prices in London already include the VAT VAT is refundable if you are a foreigner and only briefly visiting London, but since you are an MPA student, dont bother asking for a refund slip If you have people visit you, tell them to check for VAT slips any time they spend over 75 Department stores bedding, furniture, etc. John Lewis Oxford Street Tube: Oxford Circus Bedding and linens, pillows, towels, a good solid umbrella (an absolute necessity in London, cooking utensils, an electronics department (get a radio for fun) Beauty goods makeup, hairdryers, straighteners, etc. Argos High Holborn Tube: Chancery Lane Hampers/laundry drying racks (save money on drying), ironing boards, simple furniture items, trinkets to deck out your flat/dorm room, etc. These stores are all over the place Check online to make sure your item is in stock at your preferred location

TOILET PAPER, PAPER TOWELS, TOOTHPASTE, UMBRELLAS, SCHOOL SUPPLIES, GROCERIES AND THE LIKE (CONT.) Food, Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, Aspirin Three grocery stores dominate London: Tesco, Sainsburys, and Marks & Spencer Each will suit you just fine for basic shopping For an American-style grocery experience, go to Morrisons, just off the Chalk Farm tube stop in Camden Note that some are open longer hours than others and in general things are usually closed (or open really weird hours) on Sundays Get some tea bags so you can make good use of your kettle and be really British These stores typically have a pretty good selection of beers, wines and liquors, which we also recommend stocking up on. Never know when it may come in handy A store called Boots A good place to buy makeup, aspirin, band-aids, deodorant, and fill your prescriptions These stores are all over London, the nearest to LSE is on the west side of Kingsway Boots = Awesomeness

OPENING A BANK ACCOUNT

This will be one of your first big doses of London bureaucracy Opening a bank account usually requires a meeting and a few documents, as well as some waiting time (potentially weeks) For most LSE students, NatWest Bank is great it is literally on the campus, on Aldwych between Connaught House and Houghton Street Walk in and tell them you are an LSE student; they will set up a meeting Though this may be a week or two out so be sure to come to London with some cash For this bank meeting you will need: Your passport A Certificate of Registration, which you can print from the LSE for You website (see later in this presentation for detail on the key LSE websites) Make sure you have updated your UK address on the LSE for You website and that the change is reflected in the Certificate of Registration Then head to Student Services in the Old Building and have them stamp it for you Natwest will present you with little sales pitches for renters insurance and some other frills Just say you have no interest in any of their other services and you will be able to get a free bank account (note that many banks in London charge a small but annoying monthly fee)

OPENING A BANK ACCOUNT (CONT.)

Immediately after your meeting, you can make deposits and withdraw at the counter Weeks later you will receive your debit card Note that cash withdrawals in the UK are generally free of charge and also are done at pretty decent exchange rates, so if for the first few weeks you need cash, feel free to use whatever card is linked to your home checking account (Visa, etc.) at the UK ATMs Your home bank might still charge you a few bucks, so make big withdrawals and just make sure no sketchy people are around when you do it Once you have a Natwest card, you can withdraw cash almost anywhere in London free of charge

GETTING A CELL PHONE

In the UK, the quickest way to have a phone is the Pay as You Go (PAYG) method With PAYG you simply pay a small fee at the beginning of each month A plan costing about GBP 20 per month provides 300 minutes calling time and unlimited text messages. These rates are very good compared to US rates Longer contracts have only slightly better rates and require you to have a UK bank account, which can take a while, so for most people PAYG is fine, at least initially. In terms of providers, Vodafone is known for having good coverage in central London, though O2, Orange, and others will suit fine as well Just walk into any one of these stores and tell them you want to do PAYG If you own a Blackberry or other cellular device with a SIM card, you may be able to use your own device, but you must unlock your phone first To unlock a phone you have two options: Contact your previous cell phone provider and tell them you have moved out of the country. They will email you an unlock code and instructions on how to do it yourself OR head to Chinatown (see map) and pay around 5-10 to have a skilled Asian laborer unlock it for you We of course do not officially endorse thiswink

GETTING A CELL PHONE (CONT.)

All sorts of shops in other neighborhoods do this unlocking too, just look for the signs Do note it will almost definitely void your phones warranty (so think twice if you have an iPhone or other fancy phone) Once your phone is unlocked, head to any Vodafone store and you can walk out with a working London cell phone Note that not all numbers in the UK are free to call, such as post offices, companies, banks, et cetera In order to dial these numbers you will need additional calling credit ask your provider how to add credit to your account Note that you can usually renew your monthly plan and top up your calling credit right from your phone on Vodafone, just dial 2345 and follow the prompts

TRANSPORTATION: TUBE, BUSES, CABS, BIKES, TRAINS, AND PLANES

An Oyster Card is plastic card on which you can store credit for riding the tube and buses Anyone spending more than one day in London should have one it reduces your fares Buy at any tube stop or convenience store Charge up at the machines in the station and you are ready to ride the Tube in style Just swipe your card at the turnstile or bus entrance and it will automatically charge you based on where you enter and exit the tube system (London has 5 zones) As a student you can also apply for a Student Oyster Card for further reduced fares It is likely worth your time (eventually) to do so, depending to some extent on your mix of Tube versus Big Red Bus Requires a fairly straightforward online application and a few weeks waiting time Google your way to the London Underground website to apply London also has a really cool bikeshare informally called Boris Bikes or Barclays Bikes Google it to check out plans. And please wear a helmet. Tubes generally stop at around midnight/00:30 after that point plan on a night bus Cabs are super-expensive, and generally not a great option unless you can share the cost. Mini-cabs are cheaper but do not ride alone, you could be kidnapped seriously, dont do it.

Part I, Section 2 Your first few weeks of life at the LSE
Your first few weeks of life at the LSE

GETTING INTERNET ACCESS AND PRINTING THINGS

Right away, you can get free WiFi for free at a few nearby cafes Fleet River Bakery near the northwest corner of Lincolns Inn Fields, right by the LSE Pitcher and Piano on Kingsway, also right by the LSE Camera Caf on Museum Street (near the British Museum, the home of the Rosetta Stone) In your first few days on campus you should activate your LSE email account To do this, you will usually need to go to an LSE computer (like in any dorm or library) and type in selfreg for both the username and password Then the system will walk you through the rest. There are pamphlets at any of the residence halls that walk through how to do this After you have an LSE email address, you can access your LSE email from any computer with Internet access. Google LSE web email access Once you have the wonderful @lse.ac.uk email address, you can join the LSE network on Facebook and show off to all your friends back home You should regularly check your LSE email account, at least 2-3 times a day Teachers frequently send out important announcements like classroom switches and cancellations

GETTING INTERNET ACCESS AND PRINTING THINGS (CONT.)

Getting internet on campus Once your LSE account is activated, if you are in an LSE residence getting good fast internet access is easy. Every LSE dorm has Ethernet jacks and supplies cables Instructions are available in pamphlets at your residence halls front desk If you have more than one computer PER PERSON in a dorm, youll need to go to IT services Most LSE buildings have wireless access Go to IT services on the 1st floor of St. Clements building to get your laptop set up for it If you just use the lsebasicwifi network youll get an annoying re-login screen every ten minutes or so its better to use lsesecurewifi Just Google lse secure wifi and youll probably come to this site: http://www2.lse.ac.uk/intranet/LSEServices/itservices/remote/filesAndResources/ wirelessAndWiredConnection/wireless.aspx If you are in a private flat that doesnt have Internet yet Contact British Telecom, Plusnet, TalkTalk or other providers as soon as you land because you may have to wait up to 5 weeks to get your Internet hooked up. Sad but true.

GETTING INTERNET ACCESS AND PRINTING THINGS (CONT.)

Printing things at the LSE Setting this up is a real pain To use LSE printers, you need to add credit to your student printing account via your LSE Wallet You can put money on this through the LSE website Then from any LSE computer with a printer, hit print, then go to the printing station computer, log in, highlight your documents in the queue and hit print. This year, the MPA contributed 20 to our printing budgets around the beginning of October. It remains to be seen whether this will happen this year. Everything prints doublesided by default.

REGISTRATION DAY

Registration itself is no big deal bring your acceptance letter, a passport, and any other documents you need if you had a conditional offer (these documents should have been listed in your offer letter) You are then given a packet of information, schedule of events for the first few weeks, and your LSE Student ID Card. It should take no more than 15 minutes depending on the queue Each program has its own registration day to avoid big crowds and queues You are now an official LSE student. Hooray!

COURSE SELECTION

Course selection at LSE however has a few quirks you should know about. Please refer to the Option Course Guidebook for further detail about how to pick option courses First, note that there is no big rush in this course selection process There is no first come first served policy. As long as you register by the deadline, you have the same priority as anyone else for a course. This gives you freedom to attend numerous lectures the first two weeks of LSE, and decide later which ones you actually want to register for. You could hypothetically register for no classes in the first two weeks, and then sign up for the ones you like on the deadline date (though we dont recommend that) Second, for your option courses, take particular note of which courses are capped. Capped means that they only permit a certain number of students, so there is no guaranteed entry. Plan a few good backups and lay them out on spreadsheet so you know times do not conflict You may have to write a short application or in a few cases take a short entry exam to take some capped courses. Professors decisions to accept or reject an application can be quite arbitrary and should never be taken personally. The online class registration system itself is full of bugs dont be afraid to click around. You may have to click through things twice, just to get it to appear in the right place. Youll see what we mean.

LECTURES AND SEMINARS

At LSE you will have Lectures and Seminars. A very typical structure here is a 2-hour lecture each week, and a 1-hour seminar for that same class A lecture is just what it sounds like the teacher teaches in a big group and ideally sticks pretty closely to the weekly curriculum Questions in lectures should generally be kept to a minimum to make sure the class is able to cover all the material. If you have more detailed questions, save them for office hours and seminars. Seminars are smaller groups where you reinforce what you learned in the lecture, discuss practice problems, do group exercises, etc. Seminars are where much of the most important learning happens at LSE. Sometimes seminars simply repeat what was learned in lecture, other times they cover new topics altogether. If you are going to skip classes at LSE (which we of course do not officially condone), skip lectures, not seminars. Note that typically LSE professors do take attendance in seminars, but not in lectures. If you skip too many seminars, you may not be able to sit for the exam for that class.

LECTURES AND SEMINARS (CONT.)

Seminar timeslot selection opens up once you are confirmed in your course selections. Be sure to note when they are open so you can get the best time slots A few things to consider in choosing seminar timing: Some students find it beneficial to have the lecture and seminar a bit spread out, e.g. have an Econ lecture on Monday, and the related Econ seminar on a Thursday This gives you more time to finish practice problems, essays, etc. It also gives the professors running the seminars a chance to iron out any teaching kinks since they have already run a few seminars earlier in the week Later week seminars generally run a bit smoother and more constructive than the first few seminars of the week Other students prefer to have one subjects lecture and seminar on the same day, as they are fresh on the material and already in the zone to study that subject Weve done both approaches the only potential rule is to maybe avoid the very first seminar of the week, especially if it is a highly technical course

GETTING TO CLASS

If a class is slotted for 10:00 to 12:00, class OFFICIALLY begins at 10:05 and ends at 11:55. The same logic holds for 1-hour long classes/seminars. This is actual LSE policy So feel free to take a few extra minutes at the Garrick (LSEs nice little student/staff only caf on Houghton Street and Aldwych) with a coffee and a hot sandwich Take note what floor your classes are on. Certain buildings (notoriously Clement House) get very congested during passing time. Clement does have another stairwell located toward the center of the building that generally gets very little use best when you are exiting a class and the main staircase is packed with people waiting to buy event tickets, et cetera. Note that lifts can be sporadic in their willingness to work, just like many manual laborers in London.

OUR INGENIOUS BUILDING LETTERING SYSTEM

Buildings at the LSE are labeled with letters. This system was just updated, and all letters changed, just to add to the confusion Clement House is the letter D. Why? No good reason. Connaught House is the letter H. Why? Again, no good reason. I guess Connaught does at least contain the letter H. Columbia House is likewise B St. Clements Building is STC. But dont confuse it with Clement House. The cleverly named Towers 1, 2 and 3 are U, V, and W respectively. Would T1, T2 and T3 make more sense? Of course, but that would be much less fun
In any event, plop your class schedule into your Blackberry or other phone and it will remind you where to go and when Memorize the lettering system as best you can, because sometimes an event invite will just say D302 The one redeeming factor here is that this is a very, very small campus. Even if you dont know where you are going you likely wont be too late, for the simple fact that everything is in about a 5 minute walking radius

Easy, right?


THE LSE WEBSITES THAT ACTUALLY MATTER

MPA Student Association www.mpasa.org The MPA Student Association is the student society of the LSE MPA It organizes and hosts MPA social and service events, professional events, retreats and trips, and our alumni network. From the website you can See profiles for all alumni and exchange messages. Browse MPA job postings. Learn about upcoming MPA events. Create your individual student profile with your professional information. Get useful MPA documents like the one you are reading right now.

THE LSE WEBSITES THAT ACTUALLY MATTER

LSE for You www.lse.ac.uk/lseforyou/ This website (just Google LSE for you in your browser to get there) serves as your administrative point for all things LSE. At this website you will: Register for courses Update your personal information (be sure to keep your address up to date) Check on the status of your tuition payments and bills LSE Moodle moodle.lse.ac.uk/ Moodle serves as the central gathering point for administering courses Professors post their syllabi, lecture notes, course assignments, reading lists, readings in PDF format, grades and course outlines on Moodle Moodle is also where you will upload your papers and group presentations for grading Once you have logged in to Moodle, you can enroll in a class. Enrolling has nothing to do with your actual course registration. All that enrolling means is that once you log in, you will have quick access to the Moodle materials for all of your courses, instead of having to navigate to those courses every time You can also renew books online at Moodle

THE LSE WEBSITES THAT ACTUALLY MATTER (CONT.)

Past Exams (via the Library) https://library-2.lse.ac.uk/protected-exam/index.html All previous exams are available in PDF format online, for students (yes, seriously) These serve as a great way to preview a course you are thinking about taking Just ask yourself: Are these questions I wish I was able to answer? Its obviously also VERY helpful when prepping for your exams in May/June

Part I, Section 3 What you need to know about your academic year, pacing for exams, and grades
What you need to know about your academic year

ONE (SARCASTIC) INTERPRETATION

What you need to know about your academic year

THE ACADEMIC YEAR AT THE LSE The LSE Calendar consists of three terms: Michaelmas Term (MT) (September to December) Lent Term (LT) (January to April) Summer Term (ST) (May and June)

The exact dates are detailed on the LSE diary (just google LSE diary diary means calendar) MT and LT are for real classes, where ST is mainly just for writing assessed (graded) essays and revision (studying) for exams ALMOST ALL LSE EXAMS HAPPEN IN THE SUMMER TERM You might have a half unit class that ends in December The test for this will still be in June Its nerve-wracking, and horrifically inconvenient, but unfortunately true and not changing anytime soon so well give you some tips on how to approach it Note that the way the tests are set up in this system, you can be strategic in the material you study more on this later!
How exams and grades work at the LSE

EXAMS Exams all happen in June Exams vary in their format but many MPA courses will follow this format:

Section One: One compulsory question with multiple parts asking brief questions about specific topics on the course. Designed to test breadth of knowledge. Sections Two and Three: A choice of essays or longer questions about a particular topic Aims to test depth of understanding and knowledge, as well as ability to tie together different perspectives from the course. Because there is almost always a choice in the longer, in depth questions (ex. answer 2 of the following 8 questions), you can be very strategic in your approach to exam prep i.e. you DONT HAVE TO KNOW EVERYTHING this is a key to approaching British style exams and in a few pages well show you how

GRADES

Grading in the UK and LSE can be a little tricky for foreigners to understand, especially any U.S. based students who are used to seeing nothing but As and numbers 94% or higher. But its nothing to be afraid of. As an LSE grad student, you basically you have four possibilities in terms of what happens to you: Graduate With Distinction Awarded for averaging 70 or above in a given amount of classes, which is very, very difficult to achieve. Only a small proportion of masters students at LSE graduate with this, and you might want to think about the tradeoffs involved in achieving at that level. Graduate With Merit Merit awarded for averaging 60 or above. Pass Awarded for averaging between 50 and 60. Fail This is really nothing to be that afraid of see next slide for detail.

GRADES FAILS AND DO THEY MATTER?

Below 50, is a fail. The LSE also has something called a bad fail if you get below around a 29 or so (varies depending on each departments regulations) Very few LSE masters students who make an attempt (i.e. take their exams) to complete their degree fail to do so. This is partly because LSE kids are smart and good hard workers, but certainly also partly because the LSE is actually much more lenient on awarding degrees than it may appear.
What is the difference between the fail and bad fail? A regular fail isnt a huge deal. Again, each department is different, but for many programmes (including the MPA) a fail can be compensated meaning if your grades in the rest of your courses are sufficiently high, then the fail is more or less forgotten and you still get your degree. A bad fail can be more problematic and tends to restrict you from getting your degree. Youll likely need to resit the exam the following year. You may even need to take a year off. But bad fails are quite rare. One way to get a bad fail is to draw a unicorn on your test, and nothing else. That said, if you take a very challenging course in the economics department that is beyond your quantitative skill-level you might really struggle, so be careful in selecting your courses.

GRADES DO THEY MATTER TO EMPLOYERS?

It is worth remembering that in almost all cases your grades will not make the difference between you getting a job or not. Yes its nice to have a good grade, but frankly employers will be looking at a lot more than your grades your work experience matters far more. The only place a grade might really matter is if you intend to continue on to an elite PhD programme, in which case a high merit is typically in the ballpark (cumulative mark of 65 or above). Having talked with many employers, they will first look at your undergraduate GPA, and then as long as you pass your Masters, you are just fine realize that simply having a masters degree from the LSE is enough. You should also consider that you must balance your time between studying and networking and I think most MPAs would agree that the latter is far more important for your long term success.

GRADES MAKING THE SYSTEM WORK FOR YOU

Some degree programs (including the MPA) calculate your final average mark in a program by dropping your lowest grade each year. So if you really hate a course, just pass the course, chalk it up to experience, and move onward. Remember that Cs are just fine here at the LSE. Youll probably get mostly Bs and a good number of Cs on your assignments. Cs are common even for very capable students. As (grades above 70) are rare at the LSE, and if you get any you should be proud of them. Also realize that many courses at the LSE put 90 plus percent of the weight on the final exam. If a project is only worth 5% of your mark, it might not be worth getting stressed about it. It is worth reading the MPA Programmes grade policy in detail, and youll realize that it is very unlikely if you put in a reasonable effort that you would fail. Anecdotally however those who do fail tend to have trouble with English, which is a big challenge for many LSE students. If you are a native English speaker consider yourself very very lucky.

EXAM PREP

Exam time is a big source of stress for students but if you approach exams intelligently, you can have a much better experience. Remember the format of exams you can choose what you want to study so as you go through the year, be thinking in the back of your mind, do I really like this weeks topic? Is it one that maybe I would like to revise for exams? For many classes you can calculate how many weeks of knowledge you should study to safely prep for an exam so pick your favourite topics and approach your revision time as a fun time, to dive deeper into your favourite subjects and really ingrain them into your mind. As an example: A history courses examination provides 14 questions, and you are required to answer three in three hours. There are 20 weeks in a full unit course, and lets assume there is 1 topic per week (this would be the maximum most full unit courses have more like 14-15 chunks). Since 14 of the 20 must appear, at the most you should study (20-14) = 6 weeks, PLUS three weeks, so a total of 9 weeks of information. Your professors should be clear on what is eligible/testable, and depending on your risk tolerance you can study fewer topics (i.e. you are very confident a certain item will appear)

EXAM PREP (CONT.)

Working in teams can be helpful for certain topics, less helpful or damaging for others Realize that each person has different study tactics, and what works for one may not work for you Also realize that your peers have the same information set you do this is their first time going through exams at LSE, and the default for most is to over work as hard as it is try to keep a balance, and maintain your health and energy so that you peak at the time of the exam Be organized you will be much more comfortable if you plan out each day and think hard about your approach to succeeding in each class you will find that the months of May and June fill out very quickly once you lay out your study plan

Part II, Section 1 MPA Programme: An Introduction
MPA
THE MISSION OF THE MPA

As we see it the LSE MPA is here to train the best public professionals and prepare them to work in top jobs all over the world, in all sorts of sectors both public and private. LSE distinguishes itself from other top MPA programmes in a few key ways: A more rigorous, academically focused approach that stresses econometrics as a tool for analysis. An international mindset, based in London perhaps the most diverse student body pound for pound in the world. The backing of perhaps the top social science research institution in the world. Coming to LSE has definite tradeoffs from training at a more traditional institution or a US based university, and it is important to be cognizant of these tradeoffs and maximize the benefits of the tradeoffs rather than simply bear the costs. They key tradeoff to be aware of is that the curriculum is much more academically focused than other programmes but that is also its key benefit. As a graduate of the LSE MPA programme, you will have: Access to a top-notch professional network Rigorous training in economic scientific method Academic credibility honed through reading of foundational academic papers In short, you will be able to think like an LSE academic, and that pulls enormous weight
MPA
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

The MPA programme is young we started in 2003 and minted our first graduates in 2005 MPA alums populate an extremely diverse and accomplished set of professional positions, and they are quickly rising to the senior positions in their respective organizations this network will only get stronger with time
Since the programme is young, there may still be kinks to be worked out and areas to improve, whether thats coursework and curriculum, extracurricular, careers, etc. If you have an idea for making the programme better, give it thought, think of a proposal for making it better, and share your ideas

Part II, Section 2 Streams
Streams
THE STREAMS: ID, PEP, PPM, EPEP, SP

The one thing to remember about streams, is they arent that important after all the MPA is one programme, and one community. Your biggest distinction is you are an MPA student your stream is simply there to allow you to achieve even more specialty in your chosen field. Each stream has its own special course(s) for example ID has the development course in the first year, and development economics in the second year; PPM has budgeting; PEP has a continuation of EC455 focused on policymaking. For careers, a stream doesnt matter so much its more about how you pitch your LSE experience. One pursuing a career at a thinktank might prefer to show as a Public and Economic Policy stream, where one looking to work for the World Bank would prefer to show as an International Development expert. In your first year, if you are in a certain stream but think you might benefit from another stream more, use your option course to take the mandatory course the first year for example, if you are currently PPM but are interested in ID, see if you can take the ID first year course, and then you can potentially change in your second year if you have good reasons.

Part II, Section 3 The three core first year courses of the MPA: Advice for each one, and whats in them for you
The three core courses of the MPA: Advice for each one, and whats in it for you
EC 440: Introduction to Micro- and Macro-economics for Public Policy

This course involves reading foundational economics papers from the top journals, which will rely on and reinforce the econometrics learned in EC455. Note that the papers might be more complex than you will be expected to understand hard math, charts, etc. Do not panic if you dont understand every little word or concept in the papers just try to get the main points, and understand in general what the question was, and how the author tackled the question Weekly problem sets are assigned. Especially in Lent Term, these can be lengthy, but will help your understanding of the material and are good preparation for the exam (100% of grade). Your TA will correct your problem sets but dont worry if you didnt have time to do them perfectly more than anything they are there to help you structure your learning and they are great references for exam preparation Weekly support classes are held by seminar leaders. Look for details, many people find they are very helpful
EC 455: QUANTITATIVE APPROACHES TO PUBLIC POLICY

This course will take you through a range of techniques used by economists to isolate causal relationships between different factors. It is almost entirely about learning how to think like an economist, and we hope you will be amazed by the end of the year that you can discuss cutting edge statistical methods credibly. Many think this course is what really distinguishes LSE MPAs from other top MPAs. The math is nowhere near as difficult as what was covered in the pre-sessional, so dont worry if you had trouble with Lagrangian multipliers and such first year is mostly very basic calculus. In LT you will write a short policy memo analysing and critiquing a piece of data analysis. This accounts for 25% of the mark. In 2010-2011, we analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of a paper which examined how display bans might impact smoking rates. Consult a second year if youd like to see samples. In LT you will also complete a group data analysis exercise (a 15 minute presentation). This accounts for 10% of the mark. You will be asked to develop an analytic strategy to evaluate a particular policy. You will present this as a group, and explain/justify your quantitative approaches. There are weekly STATA assignments in which you are asked to carry out a series of statistical analyses on STATA, a statistical analysis computer programme. There are weekly help classes for STATA, which are useful since STATA commands are not very intuitive. STATA has not appeared on past exams it is more for your professional development. It is the key programme used by the World Bank and most academics.
GV 478: POLITICAL SCIENCE AND PUBLIC POLICY

GV 478 aims to give MPA students a grounding in political science as it relates to public policy. The course has three main sections: Michaelmas Term: Introduction to Game Theory and application to basic political scenarios. Lent Term: Introduction to current empirical political science research. Applications: Group policy analysis exercises culminating in a 15-20 minute presentation. In ST you will write a 3,000 word essay on a topic of your choosing (related to the course, naturally). Some people do a more quantitative analysis, constructing a model (complicated!) and others prefer to write a more qualitative analytic essay. Realize you do NOT have to run fancy regressions or game theory to get a great mark. This is 25% of your grade. Your applications (2 per term, 4 in total) are great opportunities to work in teams and have fun exploring new topics. These 4 applications will take LOTS of time, and in total account for 25% of your final mark the same as your essay (note that weights and time requirements dont always align so well) Dont be worried if you are confused at first by the game theory lessons and problem sets they are actually a very small part of the overall course and the GV 478 exam, only 50% of the mark, lends itself VERY STRONGLY to a strategic approach. The second term (LT) is much more grounded in hard political science concepts Last year, our professors stressed to us that you really should know the biggest concepts of game theory, and they stayed true to that on the exam

Part II, Section 4 Reading lists and reading groups
Reading lists and reading groups

HOW TO TACKLE READING LISTS First things first: Realize that reading lists are NOT to be taken literally!

Unless you have Will Hunting-esque reading abilities, you will not be able to read or grasp all that is assigned to you. If you do try to read and understand everything, you will crash and burn, or at the very best, have a miserable LSE experience. Dont do it. Remember you can be strategic in your studying maybe read harder in the weeks you really like and want to revise, and less hard in other weeks Each professor has a different interpretation of what a reading list is. Each puts varying amounts of thought and care into creating reading lists Most times a reading list will contain further readings. These are rarely actually read by anyone unless you want to get more depth on a topic, which is mainly only helpful if you are writing a paper. Most professors would not expect you to have read these Talk with your professor or past students if you are unclear on what is expected (preferably past students since professors tend to be a bit enigmatic on the topic)
Reading lists and reading groups

READING GROUPS

It is many times helpful (but sometimes actually unhelpful) to form a small reading group to split up readings and write short summaries But be ready to see readings that are not at all suitable for summary be communicative with your group and make sure people are ready to change how to approach readings and summaries If you arent able to adapt, you may actually end up creating more work for yourselves, so be wary of any group that is overly ambitious in its goals

Part II, Section 5 Balancing life and getting involved: Expectation and contradiction
Balancing life and getting involved: Expectation and contradiction

EXTRACURRICULARS

Really a shameless plug for MPASA here but in honesty we are a young group and we really need volunteers to help us out to plan and execute MPA events, so if you would like to get involved but arent sure where to look yet we ask you to get in touch with us at mpasa.org Our priority this year is to enhance the community aspect of the MPA, which we felt was lacking in previous years Beyond the MPA there are tons of great LSE student organizations music, sports, economics, finance, etc. which are a great way to expand your network even further and get some non-MPA time, which can be rejuvenating as MPAs tend to be a bit of a stressed out group Focus on your schoolwork first, and get comfortable with the work, and then we highly encourage you to check out MPASA and other student organizations

Part II, Section 6 Oh yeah, getting a job
Oh yeah, getting a job

CAREERS

LSE has one of the best professional networks in the world, and with your MPA you should be competitive for just about any job you want but you HAVE to know how to use it! We will give you much more detail in an individual format but things to keep in mind for your career search are: Be organized it is up to you to find a job, not a job to find you Start early top banks and consultancies begin recruiting in the fall for the following summer Have a clear goal and make sure your CV is as excellent as it can be Whenever possible, do NOT apply through the online resume drops it is ALWAYS better to go through a special contact you can email and talk with directly resume drops are hopeless black holes especially for competitive positions (ex. World Bank, McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, etc.) Talk early and often with other MPAs about what youre looking for your classmates are the biggest asset you will gain from the MPA Dennis Keller will be heading up Professional and Careers events throughout the year and we highly encourage you to attend

Questions/comments/edits, please contact MPASA: www.mpasa.org
Current ideas for additional segments if youd like to contribute please get in touch A section on London restaurants and nightlife Team work guide Capstone and Dissertation section A guide to London neighbourhoods How to save money in London List of weird British words translated into regular/American English

Beaver Life 2011 v05

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MPA Student Association (MPASA)

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Questions/comments/edits please contact MPASA: www.mpasa.org

MPA Student Association (MPASA)

Enjoy! MPA Student Association

Beaver Life: An Intro to the LSE and the MPA

MPA Student Association (MPASA)

2. Your first few weeks of life at the LSE

3. The academic year

4. How exams and grades work at the LSE

Beaver Life: An Intro to the LSE and the MPA

MPA Student Association (MPASA)

2. The three core courses of the MPA: GV 478, EC 440, EC 455

4. Balancing life and getting involved 5. Getting a job

Beaver Life: An Intro to the LSE and the MPA

MPA Student Association (MPASA)

Part I, Section 1 The comforts of home: Becoming a functional Londoner

Beaver Life: An Intro to the LSE and the MPA

The comforts of home: Becoming a functional Londoner

MPA Student Association (MPASA)

The comforts of home: Becoming a functional Londoner

MPA Student Association (MPASA)

Beaver Life: An Intro to the LSE and the MPA

The comforts of home: Becoming a functional Londoner

MPA Student Association (MPASA)

Beaver Life: An Intro to the LSE and the MPA

The comforts of home: Becoming a functional Londoner

MPA Student Association (MPASA)

The comforts of home: Becoming a functional Londoner

MPA Student Association (MPASA)

Beaver Life: An Intro to the LSE and the MPA

The comforts of home: Becoming a functional Londoner

MPA Student Association (MPASA)

Beaver Life: An Intro to the LSE and the MPA

The comforts of home: Becoming a functional Londoner

MPA Student Association (MPASA)

Beaver Life: An Intro to the LSE and the MPA

The comforts of home: Becoming a functional Londoner

MPA Student Association (MPASA)

MPA Student Association (MPASA)

Part I, Section 2 Your first few weeks of life at the LSE

Beaver Life: An Intro to the LSE and the MPA

Your first few weeks of life at the LSE

MPA Student Association (MPASA)

Beaver Life: An Intro to the LSE and the MPA

Your first few weeks of life at the LSE

MPA Student Association (MPASA)

Beaver Life: An Intro to the LSE and the MPA

Your first few weeks of life at the LSE

MPA Student Association (MPASA)

Beaver Life: An Intro to the LSE and the MPA

Your first few weeks of life at the LSE

MPA Student Association (MPASA)

Beaver Life: An Intro to the LSE and the MPA

Your first few weeks of life at the LSE

MPA Student Association (MPASA)

Your first few weeks of life at the LSE

MPA Student Association (MPASA)

Beaver Life: An Intro to the LSE and the MPA

Your first few weeks of life at the LSE

MPA Student Association (MPASA)

Beaver Life: An Intro to the LSE and the MPA

Your first few weeks of life at the LSE