GENERAL COURSE ORIENTATION 2015

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GENERAL COURSE ORIENTATION 2015
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General Course Student Body

• 106 years old, 1909-2015
• 330 General Course students
• From 45 countries
• From 131 Universities
• Part of the group of 5,000 new students at LSE
• So youre not alone in being new!

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LSE What you will experience?

• Year long programme no semester only study
• 250 undergraduate courses
• Research-led teaching
• Majority of courses cover qualitative social
  sciences not just economics!
• A different academic experience

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Academic differences at LSE

• Structure of the year
• October June three terms
• Rhythm of the year
• Intensive periods of work separated by quieter
  periods
• Teaching style
• Fewer contact teaching hours
• Learning style
• Less direction, more independent study
• Structure of the curriculum
• Greater level of assumed knowledge in advanced
  courses
• Assessment
• Predominantly single exam at the end of the year

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Whos Who at the School?

• Dean of the General Course
• Academic Adviser
• Class Teacher
• Student Services Centre

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Whos Who?Dean of the General Course

• Mark Hoffman
• Office hours every week in term time
• Contact
• gc.dean_at_lse.ac.uk
• Room OLD1.09 (Old Building)
• Tel [phone]
• Twitter _at_LSE_GC

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Whos Who? Dean of the General Course

• Academic and personal matters
• Advice on course selections
• Change of course
• Change of class
• Accommodation issues
• Exam arrangements
• Point of reference for other support
• services

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Whos Who? Academic Adviser

• Academic and personal matters
• Advice on course selections
• Monitors your work
• Point of reference for other support services
• but not a counsellor
• Meet at least twice a term

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Whos Who? Class Teacher

• Weekly point of contact
• Will mark your coursework
• Will mark attendance each week
• Will mark your participation
• Will provide overall class grade that goes on
  your transcript
• Dont be shy, make yourself known as a GC student

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Whos Who? Student Services Centre

• Where?
• Ground Floor, Old Building
• When?
• Open Monday to Friday
• 1100 16.00

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Whos Who? Student Services Centre

• What for?
• Degree School regulations
• Certification/transcripts
• Course choices
• Exam arrangements
• Financial support
• Further information and advice
• Much of this now done on-line

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Structure of the Academic Year

• Three terms of 11-11-7 weeks
• Michaelmas Term (24 Sept - 11 Dec)
• Lent Term (11 Jan 24 Mar)
• Summer Term (25 Apr 10 June)
• Reading week Week 6 (MT LT)
• Two long breaks
• Christmas (4 weeks)
• Easter (4 weeks)

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Structure of the Academic Year

• Teaching in Michaelmas and Lent terms
• Revision and exams in Summer Term
• Four full unit courses (or equivalent)
• Usually one 1 hour lecture and one 1 hour
• class per course per week
• Classes are compulsory
• Expectation of independently managed study
  time 6 8 hours per course per week

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Structure of the Academic Year

• Exams in the Summer Term
• exam timetable out at end of Lent term
• will start on 2 May
• will run through until end of May
• you must sit all of them
• you are expected to sit them here
• will appear on your LSE transcript
• DO NOT MAKE ANY ARRANGEMENTS TO LEAVE LSE
  BEFORE YOUR EXAMS END!

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Teaching Timetable

• Course selection online via LSE for YOU
• get course information via Moodle
• courses with permission via unlisted course
  dialogue box form
• Audit range of courses in first two weeks
• Allows informed decision on appropriate course
• Ensures that there is no gap if you make any
  changes
• Broadens your horizons!

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Teaching Timetable

• Personal Timetable via LSE for YOU
• Changes via LSE for YOU allowed up to
• end of Monday 12 October
• NOTE you cannot change assigned classes to suit
  your personal schedule
• If you need to change a class time meet with the
  Dean
• Personal Exam Timetable via LSE for YOU from
  end of Lent Term

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LSE Grading System

• Very different from US system
• Five broad categories of achievement

LSE class of degree mark equivalent Summary Class Grade
First 75 A 
First 70-74 A
Upper Second 65-69 A-
Upper Second 60-64 B
Lower Second 55-59 B
Lower Second 50-54 B-
Third 45-49 C
Third 40-44 C
Fail 0-39 F

• NO grade inflation at LSE !

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A Good GC Transcript

• Lists two letter grades for each course, exam
  and coursework
• Exam Coursework
• EC201 Microeconomic B A
• EC210 Macroeconomics B- B
• EC307 Development Economics B A-
• EH315 Africa and World A- A
• Economy
• Home university makes decisions on credit
  transfers

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A Poor GC Transcript

• Lists two letter grades for each course exam
  and coursework
• Exam Coursework
• EC201 Microeconomics F C
• EC210 Macroeconomics C B-
• EC307 Development Economics F C
• EH315 Africa and World C C
• Economy
• Home university makes decisions on credit
  transfers

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A Very Bad GC Transcript

• Lists two letter grades for each course exam
  and coursework
• Exam Coursework
• EC201 Microeconomics F F
• EC210 Macroeconomics C B-
• EC307 Development Economics F F
• EH315 Africa and World C C
• Economy
• Home university makes decisions on credit
  transfers

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GC Overview of Exam Results

• 1411 exams sat in 2014-15
• 58 failed exams 4.1 overall
• Up from 3.6 in 2013-14
• 90 of those in quantitative subjects
• EC201 33 failure rate 17 49
• EC210 16 failure rate 31 27
• EC220 11 failure rate 0 12
• EC313 16 failure rate 7 12
• FM300 23 failure rate 13 19

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Change of Department

• Possible but not guaranteed. You need to see the
  Dean first
• Requires space in the department concerned
• Most departments are oversubscribed
• Change usually only possible if students already
  assigned to a department move or other
  departments are willing to be flexible
• Remember, only one course need be taken in your
  home department (two if in Economics)

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Transfer to LSE

• Can I transfer and finish my degree at LSE?
• NO.
• Really? Someone from my university transferred in
  previous years.
• LSE Policy changed as of 2013-14. Absolutely no
  transfers will be allowed.
• But what if I really, really fall in love with
  LSE?
• Come back and join us on an MSc programme

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Student Support Resources

• Careers Service
• Internships
• Jobs board part time term work
• Language Centre
• Foreign language teaching certificate courses
• English for Academic Purposes
• Teaching and Learning Centre
• Advisor to Students with Disabilities/Dyslexia
• Register with advisor to receive support
• ISSA covering teaching and exam arrangements
• Student Counselling Services

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Student Support Resources

• TLC Study Skills Programme
• Weekly set of lectures/talks/advice
  sessions/workshops
• Reading and note-taking
• Analysing concepts, critical reasoning,
  creative thinking
• Essay writing
• Making the most of lectures
• Exam preparation and revision
• See http//tlcevents.lse.ac.uk/ , Moodle and
  weekly email and Twitter notification

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Student Support Resources

• IT Services
• LSE emails and login details
• Computer rooms
• Laptop support
• Supervised tutorials independent learning
• British Library of Political and Economic Science
• Worlds largest social science library
• Teaching collection and main collection

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Student Support Resources

• Mentoring by 2nd 3rd year u/g
• Students Union
• support and advice for students
• social function bars, shop café, entertainments
• newspaper and radio station
• over 200 student societies
• Freshers Fair Thursday Friday

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General Course PresidentStudents Union Rep

• Part of the Students Union executive
• Represents GC views in SU
• Helps promote/maintain contact amongst GC
  students
• Coordinates social events with SU and Dean
• Elections for the post in early-October

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Paid Employment, Internships Voluntary Work

• Legally allowed to work up to 20hrs/week
• School recommends 15hrs/week max
• Not to interfere with your studies
• For details on internships, speak to the LSE
  Careers Service
• For summer internships make sure you start after
  the end of your exams
• For voluntary work, speak to the LSE Volunteer
  Centre
• Opportunities to volunteer with Widening
  Participation Team

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Things to Do

• Select courses on-line
• get permission form signed where needed
• Departmental induction meetings this week
• EC201/EC220 information session
• Tuesday 29 Septmber 4.00 6.00 CLM402
• 1st meeting with academic adviser
• Personal teaching timetable via LSE for YOU
• Teaching starts Monday 28 September

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Meet with the DeanDrop in Sessions

• Sessions run throughout October in OLD1.09
• Information on hours via emails, Tembo, Twitter
  and on LSE Orientation website
• http//www.lse.ac.uk/intranet/students/yourFirstWe
  eks/orientation/home.aspx

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General Course Events

• GC Social Calendar
• lse.ac.uk/generalCourse
• Cumberland Lodge
• Friday 2 Sunday 4 October
• Waiting list in operation

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Other General Course Events

• SomewhereNew Tours
• Info in recent Tembo
• Thanksgiving Dinner
• Thursday 26 November
• Traditional Thanksgiving meal plus wine
• Limited number of tickets

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Other General Course Events

• End of year dinner
• Beginning of Summer Term

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General Course Orientation

• Welcome Boat Party TONIGHT!
• Meet at the Tower Hill Pier at 630pm

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General Course Orientation

• Welcome Boat Party TONIGHT!
• Meet at the Tower Hill Pier at 630pm
• Circle line Temple to Tower Hill
• No. 15 bus
• 3 hour boat cruise - 2 free drinks
• Bring photo ID !!

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General Course Hoodies!

• Collect your exclusive FREE GC hoodie as you
  leave the theatre.
• Exit stage left for LARGE and
• EXTRA LARGE
• Exit stage right for SMALL/MEDIUM

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