LSE Summer School Report

Kazumi Takasaki, GLP-GEfIL 7thThe University of Tokyo

College of Arts and Sciences

Studying at LSE
I was amazed with the quality of studying environment of the London School of Economics. I was enrolled in thecourse named “Political Economy of Public Policy.” It offered lectures by professors whose papers are accepted byprestigious journals in the field of political science. The lectures not only taught the basic knowledge of politicaleconomics, but also the most advanced findings in political science. The course has interactive seminars as well,which helped us to understand the concepts taught in the lectures and to apply them to real political situations.
Although the coursework was extremely demanding, I really enjoyed taking this course at LSE. 

In addition to lectures and seminars, LSE provided us the best environment to study by ourselves. LSE has amodern library which is open for 24 hours, and all summer school participants are allowed to use the facilities all
the time and to borrow books there. LSE has a lot of study spaces inside and outside the buildings, and theyencouraged us to have discussions with our peers. Furthermore, LSE gave us access to LSE online databases,
which have abundant journals and literatures. It supported me to complete my coursework and, more importantly,
to get important resource for my graduation thesis.

Social Life in the UK
LSE offered us several social programs including day trips to Oxford and Cambridge. I participated in both day
trips, and it gave me a great opportunity to make friends with other participants. I enjoyed walking around, taking
photos with my friends, and seeing sights from a rowing boat. Both cities are totally different from London, which
are more traditional and relaxing. 

In addition to interacting with other summer school participants, I was pleased to have reunions with my friends
who have participated in the same summer school last year. They guided me around their campus and London City,and we had a great time talking about our campus life and future career. 

What was the most fascinating in London was museums there. Most of museums there were free, so I repeatedly
visited museums there, such as The British Museum, The National Gallery, TATE Britain, and The Natural History
Museum. I loved exhibitions of impressionism that have masterpieces of Monet, Cézanne, and Turner, since it isalmost impossible to see all of them at once in Japan.

Gratitude for Tazaki Foudation
Thank you very much for giving me scholarship. Without the scholarship I would not have been able to study at LSE
because of the high tuition fees, plus the high cost of accommodation. I think it was an asset for my lifetime that I
could enjoy taking classes from professors who have published several papers in top journals, reviewing andpreparing for classes, and visiting museums and galleries in London. In addition, at LSE, I was able to make friends
who had similar career plans to mine. Talking with them about their daily studies, future careers, and sometimes
about life in their home countries, I feel that my own horizons have been broadened. We hope that you willcontinue to support us in the future for highly motivated fellow students.