Department of International History

Why did you choose LSE?
I did my undergraduate degree at the University of London and my modules were designed by the LSE so I was familiar with the structure of courses and assessment systems. Naturally, it made sense to me to look into the institution for higher education. When I was applying for my master’s, I also noticed it was the only high-ranking university that offered a degree situated in two departments i.e. the department of International Relations and the department of International History which was an exciting prospect as it meant I would have more choice when it came to course selection and an opportunity for the degree to be tailored to my own specific research interests.

What did you do before you started your master’s?
I worked as an undergraduate tutor at my alma mater for a year and then went on to do a traineeship at the EU for 9 months where I learnt a lot about refugee and migration policy. I also did voluntary work with Extinction Rebellion UK, including climate activism and briefly interned at an NGO in Lahore called the Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan, which is affiliated with the Harvard-Kennedy School.

Do you have any advice for future LSE master’s students?
Don’t be intimidated by the reading lists! They can seem long and dreadful but if you genuinely enjoy the course, it isn’t as scary as it seems, especially if you make a conscious effort to stay on top of it. Also, be sure to talk to your professors if you are struggling. One thing I love about LSE is how accessible and willing to help the faculty is, especially your academic advisor who will always talk you through your concerns. Lastly, reach out to your class fellows and make friends because you’ll need a support system to unwind with when the workload seems too heavy and you need a bit of fun!

Why did you choose LSE?
I did history for my undergrad but ended up studying a lot of British history. I decided that for my master’s I wanted to study international history to move away from the British history focus. I also wanted to branch out from history a little and study some international relations. LSE is renowned in both fields so I applied and luckily got in.

What did you do before you started your master’s?
I graduated with my BA in 2018. I did a history degree but decided that I wanted to go into commercial law. I completed the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) in 2019 then did a three month legal internship in New York towards the end of the same year. When I got back to the UK I did some paralegalling until the pandemic hit, followed by a vacation scheme in the summer just before starting my master’s.

Do you have any advice for future LSE master’s students?
Make the most of the resources available to you. For instance, LSE LIFE runs some useful workshops on reading and writing essays which are great for a refresher if there’s a gap between your undergraduate and master’s degrees.

If you’ve had some time out of academia in between your undergrad and master’s, how have you found the jump back into studies?
Getting back into academia was definitely a learning curve; I had forgotten how time consuming reading was! After a few weeks I was back into it, though. Despite that, I’m enjoying the academic side more than my undergrad. I think it’s largely because I’m doing a master’s because I want to do it, rather than because I have to do it. Because of that I am doing modules and readings that I am genuinely interested in. I have also been able to employ what I was doing well by the end of my degree, like writing critically, analysing sources and knowing how to navigate a heavy reading list so I am more time efficient than I was during my undergrad.

What can you say about your academic growth at LSE?
My academic growth at LSE was incredible. Being here in London and participating in ‘blended learning’ with the LSE [during COVID] has been enlightening. The expansive reading list, stocked library, intellectually curious classmates – it truly allows one to expand one’s mind.

What did you do before you started your master’s?
I was in Peking before my time in London. I completed my first half of my Master’s program in Beijing, albeit with COVID. I went straight from my undergrad into my Master’s in China.

What were the most important factors influencing your decision to come to LSE?
The most important factors were perhaps the city, London and LSE’s prestige and eminence in my field of interest.

What are you looking forward to doing in your studies?
Discussing the latest readings (the issue on Palestine, Pacific war and Colonial armies) with classmates at a coffee shop or a bar. What’s really exciting is that this usually fosters interdisciplinary (courses) discussion about how certain time period/spatial causes also relates to another. That’s really exciting!

How has the pandemic affecting your experience as a master’s student at LSE?
As a Master’s student, the pandemic does restrict or limit access to archival material, libraries and museums. That’s certainly quite an inconvenience since London truly has an immense repository of historical materials, exhibits and texts.

Do you have any advice for future LSE master’s students?
I think bring an open mind. If you come in willing to positively engage with the academic workload, I think you’ll find the intellectual environment here to be really stimulating.

Why did you choose LSE?
I chose LSE because I was impressed with the MSc in Empires, Colonialism, and Globalisation’s emphasis on non-European history. I also wanted to be part of a community of intellectually curious people.

What did you do before you started your master’s?
I worked as a middle and high school history teacher.

How has your experience been so far?
I’ve had a fantastic experience so far. I’ve been lucky to be surrounded by brilliant, thoughtful, kind, hardworking classmates, as well as knowledgeable, passionate, caring professors.

What’s been the hardest thing you’ve experienced so far, and how have you overcome these difficulties?
Adjusting to the UK education system has been a bit difficult. There is a lot of ‘lingo’ that is different from the US. The grading and assessment systems also look a bit different from what I was used to in the US. I’ve dealt with this by asking my classmates and professors about how the system works. It is also really helpful that we have ungraded ‘formative’ essays to practice writing in the style that LSE prefers.

How has the pandemic affected your experience as a master’s student at LSE?
The pandemic has obviously meant that I am not having a ‘traditional’ experience. Some of my classes are online, but some are in person. However, I still feel like I am receiving a very high-quality education, and that the LSE professors and administrators are doing a good job of adapting to these challenging times.

Do you have any advice for future LSE master’s students?
Reach out to your classmates and professors early on and get to know them.

Why did you choose LSE?
I had initially chosen LSE to do a postgraduate degree in International Relations, seeing as it is one of the best universities for IR studies, but I soon switched degrees back to History, in this case, International History.

What did you do before you started your master’s?
I was doing my undergraduate degree on Ancient History and History, at the University of Leicester.

Do you have any advice for future LSE master’s students?

If you realise you don’t like the Masters programme you are in (as I sadly did, with IR), talk to your personal tutor, and don’t see dropping out as the first option; check out the other programmes LSE offers and see if there’s anything you like there. The degree transfer process is a very simple and smooth one.

What can you say about your academic growth at LSE?
It is certainly a new challenge, and most times I’d say a welcome one. The way History is taught and assessed at LSE pushes me to rethink my approach to the discipline and re-evaluate myself on a postgraduate level. So, though it is early, I’d say there definitely will be some academic growth.

What were the most important factors influencing your decision to come to LSE?
Its ranking as a university on the world stage, the fact that it was in Britain (as in, in Europe, relatively close to my home country of Greece, and employing teaching methods that I’m already familiar with from my undergrad also in the UK), and the hope that at LSE I would be able to make very helpful acquaintances and connections that would assist me both in my academic and professional growth.