First impressions of the LSE

Now that I'm officially a student again (have ID card, will get discount), I feel I should share my experiences at my new university so you can have an idea what it's like to be not just a mature student (+25) but practically an ancient student (+30!).

I'm at the London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE).  Yes, that's right, the one with the whole Libyan government scandal...  Or maybe I shouldn't be emphasising that one!  In serious terms, it's a pretty good university (46th in the world), although not as good as my previous alma mater (Oxford is now 4th in the world).  More importantly for me though, is its ranking as a social sciences university which is very good (check out this link for more info) and the fact that I'm affiliated with a world-leading climate research institution, the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. 

For my PhD I'm going to be looking at something to do with climate scepticism and impacts on policy-making.  Or so I hope!  I'm sure that it's going to change somewhere along the lines, but hopefully a year from now it should all be pretty settled.

But enough about me, and more about the university.  Well, it's right in the middle of London, minutes from the City, Covent Garden, the Thames, and Trafalgar Square.  Hopefully I won't be too tempted to do much shopping!  The campus itself isn't really like a normal university campus, basically being a small collection of buildings virtually un-isolated from the rest of the city (so I found out the other day when a truck barrelled full-bore down what I had naively assumed to be a quiet pedestrianised street).  It's the usual mixture of brand spanking new buildings and old, falling into disrepair mazes of lecturers' offices and study rooms.  I've heard that it can get to fisticuffs in the library around exam time regarding access to computers, so luckily as a PhD student I have access to dedicated computer rooms so won't ever have to defend my computer with my body...

The other students (mostly PhDs and Post-Docs so far) are all extremely friendly and welcoming which is great, and there seems to be no end of clubs and societies, as well as interesting speakers and events to help you while away the time you ought to be spending studying...

But I'm determined to be focused and to finish on time (your three years starts...NOW!), so hopefully it'll be more reading of books than drinking of pints (although obviously some leisure time is a clear necessity...).

Wish me luck!

Autumn in Aotearoa

Paying £1400 for a four minute appointment at the immigration office (solely to get fingerprints and a photo taken - both of which they already had on file from a previous application) seems slightly OTT, but that's what it takes to get a UK student visa these days...  Oh, and that's not including the approximately £250 cost of the visa itself - yikes!

But, it made for a great excuse to go home for a three week visit.  I behaved like a proper socialite, with morning and afternoon teas, lunches and dinners scheduled at every available opportunity.  I gorged myself on sushi as it's so expensive and so terrible in London compared to NZ (massive shoutout to Umi Sushi in Takapuna - the best sushi rolls in NZ and only $1 each!).  Big thank you to Mum for supporting my sushi habit too; I was mightily spoiled.  It was great being at home in general - I certainly got used to a life of luxury again very quickly!

Another highlight was going with Dad to a Rugby World Cup game (Australia versus Italy).  We were passionate Italian supporters, but despite going into half-time at a nail-biting 6 all, it wasn't to go our way, with Australia storming home in the second half.

Here's a video of Dad and I at the game enjoying the fantastically temporamental Auckland weather:

It was great seeing everyone as well, particularly the lovely Auckland ladies who are just as gorgeous as ever.  I had a fleeting visit down to Wellington as well which was excellent.  I tried to see everyone, and even though a few people missed out, my bank balance certainly reflected the fact that I saw as many people as I possibly could!  It was so interesting catching up on what everyone's getting up to, and I particularly enjoyed seeing the next generation - little Sonja and Oscar were so adorable.

I hardly took enough photos, but the few I did remember to take are here using this link, so check them out.