Hi guys,
it's Saemi here!
Today I'm gonna be sharing with you
what my LSE application process was like
and also possibly giving you a few tips for how to get accepted into LSE.
Now when I applied to the LSE,
I knew that LSE is the only school that I was interested in,
I was working as a financial news anchor at the time,
so it was either LSE or I just continued to work
in the country that I was in which is in South Korea.
So the first thing that I did was I went to the School website
and look through potential programmes that I might be doing my master's in
and once you decided the programme,
this is when you spend the most time going through the website line by line.
So let me show you the LSE Media and Communications website
where the programme that I'm doing is at the moment.
So here in the introduction,
it talks about what the program offers,
what you can expect in terms of teaching and learning
in the year that you'll be studying;
now 'Programme details' is the section where I spent the most time,
trying to understand what the School is exactly asking for.
So here you see the start date;
application deadline, which is a rolling admission,
which means that the school accepts your applications throughout the year.
It's first come first served - not first come first served -
it's first come, first considered basis.
And it shows the duration of your study,
there's a tuition fee,
financial support deadline is also stated,
whether you need a specific test requirement;
and then there are subsections of entry requirements,
assessing your application,
fees and funding,
and information for international students - it goes on.
And here you want to focus on assessing your application because
generally, when you apply to a master studies programme,
it's a very similar process when you apply for your undergrad studies.
So it asks for your academic achievement
which means you have to show proof if you did a full four-year
academic bachelor's degree program at accredited institutions.
And I guess the key critical documents that you need to prepare for the application
are the following:
one, academic achievement;
two, recommendation letters or also known as academic references
from two of your professors;
three, nicely organized CV;
and lastly, your personal statement.
I'm not going to spend too much time talking about academic achievement
because it is what it is.
You've got to be able to submit proof of what you studied
in your accredited institution for your bachelor's degree and also your transcripts.
The next important thing is statement of academic purpose
which is also known as the personal statement.
When I was in the process of writing my personal statement,
I was emotionally and intellectually ready.
Working for eight years, now I needed a transition into academia,
so I already sort of had ideas of what I wanted to say in my personal statement.
The tips that I can give you with personal statement is that
you want to emphasise what kinds of experiences
in terms of professional as well as academic skills
that make you a good candidate for a master studies program here at the LSE;
and also highlight why is it that you want to study this particular subject,
how you developed your passion and interest in studying this;
and also what kind of future you envision yourself doing
after going through this rigorous master's studies programme here at the LSE.
For example in my case, I had a pretty flourishing career
in the media and broadcasting field as a financial news anchor
and I had many opportunities to cover some of the most important issues
that were impacting economic-political ecologies
For example, the very long US-China trade dispute,
geopolitical tensions in the Middle East,
big giant tech platform companies that were concentrating
not only economic capital but also so much of symbolic power.
So I was fascinated and interested in learning more about these power relations
and how they impact our everyday lives,
and media was always in the center of that subject -
and that's why I chose to apply to study
MSc Media and Communications here at the LSE.
So that was certainly my formulation of why I wanted to study at the LSE
and what kind of skill sets and traits that I have built
from my professional experiences how that makes me a good candidate
as a master's student at the LSE.
And the next important thing is the CV.
You want to make sure that it is grammatically flawless;
it lists all your important academic achievements
as well as professional experiences
that will show all the characters and traits
that the School is looking for,
that you're very much engaged in this field of study.
And of course, letters of recommendations.
Now this is really important especially for someone like me
who has had a very long hiatus from academia
after graduating from my college in 2011.
Eight years have passed,
not knowing that I would apply for another degree
but I have personally kept in touch with all my professors
who have left such a big impact in my life,
shaping who I am,
so that has helped a lot
when it came to the time when I needed recommendation letters from my professors.
So my tip is that do keep in touch with your professors
and it is also possible that you ask someone
in your workplace for a recommendation letter
if you have worked for more than two years after you graduated from your undergrad.
And when asking for recommendation letters,
approach them well in advance,
give yourself at least one or two months,
give them your up-to-date resume or CV in this case,
your current role and what you've been doing,
why you're qualified for a specific programme that you're applying for,
what the recommendation letter is for;
and of course, send a thank you letter to them once this whole process is over.
So what could be helpful when you apply for a master studies programme,
have a calendar where all the important deadlines are marked
and requested due date.
So I hope that this video was helpful to you guys.
For the next video,
I'll share with you what you can do
to make the most out of your experience at the LSE.
So for now, please stay healthy
and I'll see you guys in the next video!
Bye!