Information for CEMS visiting students -- Michaelmas Term 2007

The following information has been put together for CEMS students who have been selected to spend their term abroad at the London School of Economics (LSE) in the Fall Term 2007  

Block Seminar
The CEMS MIM begins with participation in a block seminar which takes place immediately before the start of term. Most students will attend the block seminar of the school where they will spend the Fall term, therefore, we expect to host the vast majority of you at the LSE block seminar. The dates of the seminar are Monday 24th September to Friday 28th September. The theme of the seminar will be entrepreneurial finance.    Further details and some preparatory reading will be sent to you over the summer.

The location of the block seminar is York University, approximately 2 hours from London by train. York is a beautiful historic city and well worth exploring (if our busy schedule allows you any free time!!).  see www.visityork.org  The train to York will leave London at around 9.00 a.m. therefore you need to be in London by the evening of 23rd September. We will be happy to arrange hotel or youth hostel rooms for the evening of 23rd for those of you who need help.    

I am sorry to say we have to ask students to contribute towards the cost of the block seminar.  The total cost for all meals, accommodation and transport costs comes to around £250 per student. We ask students to contribute £100 towards that cost, payable once you arrive. We will make all necessary arrangements for travel and accommodation.

Term dates
The official term dates for the Michaelmas Term (Fall) are Thursday 4^th October to Friday 14^th December.    However, actual teaching does not begin until Monday 8th  October. Teaching is continuous over the term.

Induction
An induction session will be held at LSE on Monday 1^st October. Further details to be announced. This session is aimed at helping you to settle in quickly to your term at LSE. It will give you  the opportunity to hear more about the courses being taught and to familiarise yourself with what needs to be done in terms of registration and assessment.

Registration
So that we may register you as a visiting student at LSE we need a passport size photograph and information as required on the attached form. The date for formal registration is yet to be announced but having your forms completed, along with the photo, will allow our graduate admissions department to prepare your  LSE ID card which gives you access to the library and IT facilities at the LSE. A good quality digital photo is acceptable or you can send a hard copy by post.

My mailing address is:    Julie Fordham,  Managerial Economics and Strategy Group, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE.

Course Selection
The following course have been approved by CEMS            

You can find further information on the courses we offer by going to the following link: 

http://www.lse.ac.uk/resources/calendar/courseGuides/graduate.htm

The 2007/08 course guide is not yet available but the descriptions will be much the same as for the current academic year.

This links to a list of courses in alphabetical order, click on the appropriate prefix, i.e. MN then scroll down to find the course number.

You are not required to firmly select your courses until the 3^rd week of term.   So that you may be sure you are choosing the most suitable courses we suggest you go to as many lectures as you wish in the first two weeks of term before firmly deciding upon the courses you wish to be assessed upon.  CEMS students usually take 4 courses during their term here.     

Whilst we do not ask you to select your courses in advance, we would be grateful if you could complete the attached form giving us your initial preference for courses just to give us some indication of the number of potential students who will take each course.    This initial selection will not be binding.

Assessment
The LSE exam period is May/June, long after you will have returned to your home school. Therefore assessment for visiting CEMS students is based on coursework and attendance and contribution as class/seminar discussions.  The format of teaching at LSE is a lecture (usually 1 hour) for the whole group taking the course followed by a class/seminar  meeting. The class size will be around 15 – 20 students, therefore there will often be more than one class per course, they do not necessarily follow immediately after the lecture. You will be allocated to a class by the teacher in charge of the course.   The lecturer may be different to the class teacher. The assessed course work will usually consist of one or two essays.   

Corporate Input
One of the aspects of CEMS courses which makes them stand out from regular courses at most of the CEMS schools is the fact that they are jointly designed and taught by academics and members of the corporate world.    Regulations at LSE do not allow for this type of course.   Therefore we have introduced ‘practitioner seminars’ which are company led seminars run by the Managerial Economics and Strategy Group at LSE,  aimed at linking the academic/theoretical experience of your course  with a more practical approach.    These seminars are compulsory for CEMS students.   They are usually timetabled for early evening and take place approximately 7 times over the term. Further details to follow.

Skills Seminars
We offer several  skills seminars at LSE. One of them is a presentation skills seminar and is open to all visiting CEMS students, it takes place for 3 hours per week over a 5 week period, making it worth 2 days in terms of skills seminars. Details on this skills seminar and the others we will offer will be available in July.

 Accommodation
LSE has a very limited amount of accommodation to offer students and priority is given to those who are here for the whole academic year, rather than for just one term. Therefore, it will be necessary for you to find a room/flat in the private sector. I can’t pretend this is the easiest of things to do but the nearer it gets to the start of term the easier it becomes. The reason for this is that short term lets are not popular with landlords but as the start of term approaches they begin to think it’s better to have someone renting their place for one term than not all.  A good source to help you find short term lets is the Loot newspaper, www.loot.com   be sure to find the short term lettings section though as the regular lettings are for a minimum period of 6 months.   www.gumtree.co.uk  is another good source.  There are also good websites such as    www.easyroommate.co.uk which put people in touch with each other for sharing flats.  The LSE website has a section on housing and tips for finding places in the private sector. http://www.lse.ac.uk/accommodation/ 

Please be cautious when using accommodation websites, there are a number of scams around.   If you have any doubts don’t hesitate to contact me for advice.

I will pass on any tips on finding accommodation if I receive links from students who have found a place.   Please let me know if you find somewhere which can accommodate others  so I can pass it on to other visiting students.

Email: Julie Fordham j.fordham@lse.ac.uk

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