You should definitely look into taking in a view of London via the Thames!
Read about some options through the blog, London Toolkit: http://bit.ly/16HnQFT
Library Works Planned for 23rd May.
BEWARE early risers & revisors! There’s more drilling to be expected in the LSE Library tomorrow between 7am and 9am whilst the Toilet Refurbishment Works continue.
The ground floor and first floor are expected to be the worst affected areas.
Good luck with the revision!
Are you worried about money?
Over the last year we’ve helped students who have got into trouble during their course, who wanted us to look over their housing contracts and who were struggling with their finances. This is a term when we want to help you as much as possible to focus on studying, revising or writing, so we’ve made some funds available for students who just need a few hundred pounds to get through the term. In the past students have used this money to pay their rent, food bills and travel costs. The funds are available to all students and do not have to be repaid.
For those students who have to pay for childcare, a separate fund exists to support these costs whilst you are studying.
If you have any concerns about your finances or just need some help, then get in touch by emailing su.advice@lse.ac.uk or by dropping into the Advice Service (ground floor, East Building, behind the Helpdesk) between 12-2 and 3:30-4:30, Monday to Friday.
And if you don’t need the help, you can help us by letting someone know that this help exists and they don’t need to worry.
Oxford: A day-trip
Yesterday I escaped TFL zones one through six via the X90 bus from London to Oxford to take in some of the magic that has inspired thousands of the world’s most influential brainiacs (think Erasmus to Adam Smith and Margaret Thatcher to Stephan Hawking) and myriad movie sets (Harry Potter, True Blue and The History Boys). Ah yes, I went to OXFORD!
Even though I only spent a few hours within the bounds of Oxford, those few hundred minutes proved well worth the trip. To start, the journey from London was beyond easy. Having spent the night trying to make sense of the zoo of transportation options available, I rounded up a friend and we headed to Victoria Station where we bought a ticket (a return student ticket cost £13) from the driver of the X90 Bus, which has a timetable with trips every 15-20 minutes. The trip takes about two hours and we arrived in perfect time to grab a quick bite and meander through the streets crowded with tourists and street performers.
We went to Christ Church, one of Oxford’s most iconic colleges, first, and paid the admission fee (there’s a small student discount) that gained us access to the grounds, gardens and the Hall that inspired the Great Hall in Harry Potter. Christ Church was clearly a popular tourist stop and was thick with photographing families and tour groups. Despite the larger than expected price and number of people, however, it was completely worth it.
After exiting the grounds we made our way to the Radcliffe Camera. We wound through cobblestoned pathways that linked the golden toned buildings. Every so often, a student or academic would open the large wooden doors and we’d be able to peak into the lush green quads that laid within each of the individual colleges. Whenever I’d see into this other side, I got the sense that even though Oxford is a very popular tourist destination, it has managed to keep a large part of its life and happenings private: truly, those whom work, live and attend school there are a privileged bunch.
Adjacent to the Radcliffe Camera was the Bodleian Library. Entering through the main gate into the stone quad was free but due to Saturday’s Degree Day (yep, we happened to visit on graduation!!) the actual library room was closed. Nevertheless we took photos with some of the quad’s doors that were labeled with specific subject’s collections. I chose the “Logic” section whilst my friend, a medical student, posed with a natural-science equivalent.
When our cameras had been satiated, we turned the corner and witnessed hoards of graduates and their families taking photos with their degrees and white-fur lined hoods. In a quick trip through Museum of the History of Science, we saw a chalkboard with the physics calculation of the real Albert Einstein, the beginnings of chemistry equipment and a huge telescope.
The highlight of the trip (besides the vanilla cupcake and tea that ended the trip, of course) was our time at Balliol College, which claims that it is probably the oldest of all the Oxford Colleges. With only a £1 student entry fee, this was definitely the best spent combination of money and time. The grounds, which were abloom with brightly colored flowers, were beautiful and housed graduates picnicking in the glory of their finished educations. The dining hall, which was just slightly smaller than the one in Christ Church, also looked like Harry Potter’s Great Hall and the lack of crowds made it much more suited to good photographs (see below). We made a point to sit in a variety of benches that scattered the property so to appreciate the views underneath the gigantic trees and warmth of the sun.
Mindful of a birthday party invitation in London, we hopped back on the X90 bus on Oxford’s High Street in the early evening and within two hours were back in the bustle of London refreshed and in awe of the academic center to the west.
If you’re planning a trip to Oxford I suggest the following:
a) Bring your student ID as many/nearly all of the attractions have student discounts.
b) Make the trip in the earlier part of the day since many of the attractions close between 4 and 5:30. We actually were turned away several times because of closed exhibits.
c) Save about 7 hours for a quick trip (the bus will always take about 2 hours each way) and a very brief sampling of Oxford’s high points. Invest the entire day so to take a more leisurely lunch and maybe some shopping; visit multiple museums and colleges; and end the day with dinner and a pint with the locals and students.
LSE Sports Ambassador, Ollie Cook.
“I ran out of money… It came to the point where I contemplated giving up rowing so I could take up a part time job alongside working here.”
Ollie Cook was halfway through his BA in International Relations and History at LSE when he had a difficult decision to make. In his first year he was part of the LSE Rugby first XV but returned to rowing due to a sibling rivalry with his younger brother. Cook was competing for the University of London, where he represented the school whilst studying, “It was tough, it was hard… competing and balancing it all”.
He got by selling t-shirts and with the support of some understanding teaching staff.
“I was very lucky in some regards to have good coaches and a good support system, and have good teachers here that said it’s okay to hand in an essay 4 weeks late … and I was very lucky because of that.”
“There are people out there who are doing what you are doing and admire what you’re doing, when you’re getting up at 5am, cycling 10 miles to the rowing club having a session, going to class for 9am and heading back for a second session after.”
Cook knew that after this close call with sacrificing his sport for his studies that he wasn’t going to give rowing up easily.
“It was because of that experience that I made me think that I definitely didn’t want to give up rowing as a sport. I knew I hadn’t got to as good as I wanted to be. I didn’t want to give it up because I couldn’t afford it at University.”
Whilst still at school Cook was advised against studying at LSE if he wanted to pursue sport at a high level, “I was told by a teacher at school that because I had an interest in sport I really wouldn’t be successful at LSE.”
The main problem that he encountered with the School is that they didn’t “have a very established balance between Sport and [its] academic work”. Having overcome his personal financial struggles and the balance of sport and studying he wanted to find a way to help future LSE athletes in the same position, which is when he approached the Students’ Union.
“The SU have been a great help. There’s no way I could have done it without their endurance and ability; they know who to ask and know how to manage it. It wouldn’t have been a project without them.”
Cook approached Matt De Jesus, LSESU’s Activities and Development Officer who’s election manifesto included support from the school for elite athletes to find out how future students could be helped through what Ollie went through alone.
Through LSE’s Annual Fund, De Jesus was able to secure £30,000 for marketing and development of the newly envisioned ‘LSE Sports Ambassador’.
“The LSE Sports Ambassador scheme is a program that helps elite athletes who are here at LSE and who want to continue their sport alongside their studies.”, De Jesus explains.
“We have athletes here that struggle to combine their academic life with continuing to compete at that level. It gives them funding for things like training camps, physiotherapy, equipment and in exchange they are ambassadors for LSE.”
“The University didn’t have the awareness to provide a support framework for these students” Cook explains. “A bit of money from the university would have met those costs and that would have been a worry I could forget about and instead of spending that time working out how to get it; I could have concentrated on my work or on my sport.”
Cook is looking forward to future elite athletes at the school having the financial and educational support to get through their studies and compete at the highest level. He’s sure future LSE students can compete amongst the best, “You can really be successful if you have the drive and the ambition to do it. If you do have those things, don’t give up!”
De Jesus says there are plans in place for 2013’s Freshers already,
“There will be a rolling application process for funding through the scheme for incoming students in October. We’ll be promoting and talking about it at the Freshers Fair so students understand that they can balance elite sport with academic life with the support from the SU , Annual Fund and LSE”.
Cook and De Jesus both hope this is the start of bigger things. “We’re hoping that we can prove that the grant we are receiving is not enough to cover the amount of elite athletes we have here at LSE” says De Jesus who doesn’t think the scheme should stop at Sports. “Hopefully we can expand this out, Ollie’s vision is to expand it maybe to music for example, to help provide funding for elite musicians.”
Cook went on to Captain the University of London Rowing team, winning Henley Regatta, (beating Harvard and Brown in the process) and is now a member of the GB Olympic Team where he is aiming for very highest level of competition in elite athlete’s careers.
“I hope to be involved in the GB Rowing team over the next few years. We’re all striving for Olympic success in Rio and I want to be part of that. I want to be beating the Germans or the Australians or whoever it is for an Olympic Gold and if I can do that whilst juggling my course here then that’d be fantastic.”
Resemble your life at the moment?
(Source: laymnl)
Moving to Passfield Halls of Residence in October?
Did you know that every week, just round the corner, is Bloomsbury Farmers Market? They sell fresh, organic, local produce. Laura, a current Passfield student, studying Environment and Development recommends the market!
Want to know more about great places near your new abode? Our current students have compiled some great advice for any new prospective student at our Student Halls Profile!
eurovision: we just don’t know, mistakes were made and maybe you should do that but you probably really shouldn’t.
Did you watch Eurovision last night? We did and we’re still dazed, confused and amazed.
(Source: arkenstoners)
Post exam and essays cheap treats!
Just finished an assessment? Need a bit of a break before you cook the books for the next one? Here’s some ideas on ways to enjoy your short break!
Sit in the sun and enjoy an ice-cream
Oddono’s, an old-school gelateria of the highest quality has 4 branches in London. There are 16 varieties of freshly-made gelato available, from ever-popular pistachio, to more unusual seasonal flavours such as the delicious salted caramel or green apple. The first scoop is £2.30 and after that each additional scoop is just 1 little pound!
Enjoy a night at the theatre
A night off needn’t be wasted in front of the TV. Our undergraduate blogger, Tarah is quite the theatre buff and recommends the London Theatre Bookings office, which is just 7 minutes away from uni and sells tons of half price seats!
Go for a walk
And not just to the shop to buy some milk! Clear the cobwebs between your ears and take a lovely walk in the sun (hopefully). Richmond Park is nice for a stroll, spot the deer and reenact Fenton, if you like.
Get your swim suit on!
And take a dip in the Brockwell Lido. A Lido is an outdoor swimming pool, and Brockwell’s is a 50-metre Olympic-sized pool housed in a Grade II-listed art deco building! The Lido Café attached to the pool is well worth visiting too for a slice of cake after burning off all those calories. If Brockwell is a bit too south for you, head north for a swim at Hampstead Heath ponds. The men’s and ladies’ are open all year round and the green and leafy surroundings make for a serene swim.
Make friends with the ducks and lambs and llamas!
Vauxhall City Farm is a little piece of the countryside right in the centre of town! From Wednesday-Sunday, 10am-4pm you can go pet the rare-breed animals, for free!
Pamper yourself
Treating yourself to a nice massage needn’t cost the earth. Cucumba specializes in quick urban fixes, such as a speedy massage and a manicure for just £25!
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If things are getting a bit overwhelming this exam season, remember you aren’t alone. LSE has a professional, free and anonymous counselling service for students. They can also advice you on school-related matters such as applying for mitigating circumstances. For more information on how to access the counselling services, click here.
De-Stress Fest: a Review
Whew! We’ve been so busy these past two weeks curating de-stress content and hosting events that we’re going to start taking our own advice now that it’s over!
In case you missed any of the chilling-out action or want a reminder of some of the things that happened, here is a list of all the Fest’s festivities.
What a great Petting Zoo we had visiting campus today as part of De-Stress Fest!
Find more photos from this week on our Facebook page.
Night before and on the day of your exam jitters
Exam revision going well but last night nerves getting the best of you? Here’s 6 simple tips to calm you down and allow you to do your best and succeed!
Screen your calls and take the bus to uni alone…
Spending too much time with your panicking class mates just before the exam will NOT do you any favours. Stress is contagious, so resist the urge to have a last minute revision session with your friend where you just confuse one another about what you know and trigger unnecessary panic.
Get a good night sleep
Last minute cramming sessions will not help. Make sure you get yourself a minimum of 8 hours so you wake up refreshed, and your concentration levels are high! If you can’t sleep, try and do something repetitive- whatever you do, don’t turn on the TV or muck about on Facebook- this will not help you to fall asleep!
Keep it light on the caffeine before your enter the exam hall
Whilst caffeine may give you a boost at the start, it will soon wear off, making it more difficult to concentrate. The last thing you want to do is burn out halfway through. Caffeine is also a diuretic, meaning it is more likely you will need the toilet during the exam! If you’re a smoker, whilst its tempting to chain smoke before your exam, nicotine is also a stimulant which will not do you any favours.
Eat a decent breakfast
There’s a good chance your stomach is flipping about and making you feel rather ill. Try and force yourself to have something to eat; slow burning energy food like cereal such as granola or porridge is ideal. If you really can’t face eating before your exam, take a snack in with you- though don’t let it be something noisy! A banana and a bottle of juice is perfect!
Pace your breathing
The quickest and most effective way of eliminating feelings of stress and panic is to close your eyes and take several long, slow deep breaths. Breathing in this way calms your whole nervous system. Simultaneously you could give yourself some mental pep-talk by mentally repeating “I am calm and relaxed” or “I know I will do fine”.
Keep things in perspective
It certainty might not feel like it at this point in time, but in the grander scheme of your whole life they are only a small part. It’s great to succeed and reach for the stars. But keep things in balance. If you think that “anything less than A+ means I’ve failed” then you are creating mountains of unnecessary stress for yourself. Aim to do your best but recognise that none of us can be perfect all of the time.
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If things are getting a bit overwhelming this exam season, remember you aren’t alone. LSE has a professional, free and anonymous counselling service for students. They can also advice you on school-related matters such as applying for mitigating circumstances. For more information on how to access the counselling services, click here.
