Marcus Chee (Singapore)
LSE-PKU Double MSc Degree in International Affairs (2020/21)
What can you say about your academic growth at LSE?
My academic growth at LSE was incredible. Being here in London and participating in ‘blended learning’ with the LSE [during COVID] has been enlightening. The expansive reading list, stocked library, intellectually curious classmates – it truly allows one to expand one’s mind.
What did you do before you started your master’s?
I was in Peking before my time in London. I completed my first half of my Master’s program in Beijing, albeit with COVID. I went straight from my undergrad into my Master’s in China.
What were the most important factors influencing your decision to come to LSE?
The most important factors were perhaps the city, London and LSE’s prestige and eminence in my field of interest.
What are you looking forward to doing in your studies?
Discussing the latest readings (the issue on Palestine, Pacific war and Colonial armies) with classmates at a coffee shop or a bar. What’s really exciting is that this usually fosters interdisciplinary (courses) discussion about how certain time period/spatial causes also relates to another. That’s really exciting!
How has the pandemic affecting your experience as a master’s student at LSE?
As a Master’s student, the pandemic does restrict or limit access to archival material, libraries and museums. That’s certainly quite an inconvenience since London truly has an immense repository of historical materials, exhibits and texts.
Do you have any advice for future LSE master’s students?
I think bring an open mind. If you come in willing to positively engage with the academic workload, I think you’ll find the intellectual environment here to be really stimulating.
January 2021