Student researchers reflect

LSE GROUPS is a rare opportunity to practice interdisciplinary group-work at LSE. While this can be significantly more challenging and time-consuming than individual work, the contact with different disciplines can broaden your horizon. In our group, the disciplines ranged from Anthropology to Accounting, which initially caused major disagreement about the methodology.  In the end, we settled for a qualitative research project.  This widened us quantitative students’ idea of what counts as good research, making us more familiar with the methods of Sociology and Anthropology.  In that sense, I recommend participants to be open-minded and patient; it pays off.  The project was a lot of fun, and by the end there was a proper 'group spirit'.

I throughly enjoyed my experience in LSE GROUPS as I found it to be the perfect way to cool down after a long year of studying, yet still manage to stay productive.  What stands out the most about GROUPS was the feeling of accomplishment and the feeling of completeness I received after finishing the research paper.  I would recommend this project to other students as it is looks good on a CV, and the skills acquired through the research and literature process are applicable to many internships and jobs.

LSE GROUPS is a great way to get a glimpse into the research process; you spend two weeks entirely immersed in your project, seeing it through from research question to data analysis and even the writing of the abstract and final paper. Going through the process of completing an independent research project - particularly having to choose what to investigate and how to go about it - has left me with a new appreciation for data analysis and interest in mixed-methods research.  I would recommend LSE GROUPS to anyone who is interested in learning more about research and the world around them.

I really enjoyed participating in LSE GROUPS!  I have benefited from learning different types of research methods from both quantitative and qualitative disciplines, as I can deploy different methods more confidently in my future research projects.  The programme also provided a practical opportunity to conduct first hand data collection and then writing up the data and the analysis ourselves.  This process of conducting research is super beneficial for anyone who is interested in future research or to gain some exposure to various research techniques. Highly recommended.

LSE GROUPS opened a whole new world to me – it showed me what it is like to do research for a living.  I got to interact with such a variety of people and experience having one of my most academically challenging discussions.

As for someone doing a quantitative degree, it felt very refreshing to have worked on a research project that accommodated everyone’s interests – people doing maths, stats, econ, politics and IR.

Never have I had such a great feeling of accomplishment as after producing those 20 pages. It was the perfect way to use the last two weeks of the summer term!

LSE GROUPS was such a valuable experience for me on so many levels. I was extremely nervous at first and couldn’t imagine writing an academic paper in the space of two weeks.  Having successfully mastered the project I now have a lot more confidence in my writing skills, especially those for last minute essays.  The final presentation made me feel like my opinion is one that can actually shape change and resonate.  And the lead up of intense discussion and the odd argument showed me the relevance of fundamental, underlying academic debates (such as between quantitative and qualitative research) and the acute importance of inter-disciplinary conversation.

LSE GROUPS was a great opportunity for me to take part in a research project, however small, with all the steps it entails.  I learnt a lot while working on my project as well as when I got to know the projects of the other groups.  There were a few workshops on some specific skills such as conducting surveys which helped us to understand how to formulate and test our hypotheses.  Moreover, the supervisors' advice was crucial to push us in the right direction whenever we had any doubt.

I am very happy that I did the LSE GROUPS project and appreciate the hard work of my supervisor and the good dynamics within our team.  It gives me great satisfaction to see how a vague idea evolves into a specific question, several pages of rigorous analysis, and some really exciting new discoveries.  Of course, what’s most important is what you learn along the way.  The importance of statistical analysis and more insights into different aspects of a good research project are what will benefit me far beyond the two weeks.  I realised the importance of an approachable and accurate research topic as a foundation for research, and the importance of an extended and related literature review to build a solid theoretical structure.  They all work together and it requires a level of insightfulness for researchers to build nice interaction between different parts of a report.

LSE GROUPS taught me to approach research open-mindedly- it's okay if things don't go according to plan but you end up finding your way! Working with peers from other disciplines is challenging but if you are ready to listen and learn, you broaden your expertise and get out with richer ideas. Resource sessions and advice from supervisors have been helpful in understanding the research process. Besides the academic benefits, LSE GROUPS allows one to develop refined interpersonal and negotiation skills through cross- cultural and interdisciplinary dialogue. I would recommend students to participate in GROUPS. Research lies at the core of many things that we see today - so why not start learning about the causes of things!

GROUPS was a fantastic addition to my time at LSE.  This type of collective research, equips you with an incredibly useful skill set. GROUPS provided me with invaluable experience in working collaboratively on a rapidly evolving piece of work.  This is something that I directly draw from in my new work environment.  Feeling as though I’m prepared to handle multi-person drafting projects, has really helped me settle into my position.

If you get the opportunity to participate in GROUPS I would 100% go for it! Participating in GROUPS means taking advantage of the amazing research facilities LSE has to offer, and the chance amazing people along the way.

I honestly couldn’t speak more highly of my experience.  I throughly enjoyed groups and wish I’d done it a second time round!

I was drawn to LSE GROUPS in 2018 primarily because of it providing an inter-disciplinary learning/research environment like that offered by LSE100.  This course had always been a source of immense joy for me and therefore the opportunity afforded to work in an inter-disciplinary environment for 2 weeks during the summer term seemed too tantalising to be missed.  Going in to the project at GROUPS, I didn’t have any expectations beyond enjoying the multi-disciplinary environment but these two weeks turned out to contain some of the best days of learning that I have ever had in my life. 

My group worked on the impact of the new Crossrail connectivity on regional identity in Brentwood, Essex, which lies outside traditional London boundaries and now was in the process of getting connected to London via the Underground network. 

These two weeks taught me a great deal about working in a team and working in the field collecting data from people using a questionnaire prepared for this purpose.  The greatest learning for me from the entire experience was understanding how crucial and how under-appreciated quality data collection is for any social science project. It is an art in itself and one that has to be practiced to be learnt.  Most importantly though, these two weeks at GROUPS gave me confidence that I too could contribute towards writing an original research paper and made me befriend my fellow researchers who have remained valuable friends ever since.

I applied to LSE GROUPS 2018 because I wanted to experience what it is like to do research, and the theme that year, belonging, was of my interest in particular.  I was assigned to a group of six.  In our first week, we were working to formulate a research idea: we read academic papers from different topics and explored what could be a potential research question that we could contribute to.  We also attended workshops on literary reviews, using statistical software and etc., which helped us tremendously in gaining research skills and broadening our skillset.  With the help from our supervisor, we spent the entire second week conducting research and writing up our paper, which provided us valuable experience in synthesizing important findings into a concise report.  At the end of the project, we proudly presented our findings to our peers and our supervisors.  Overall, I think this was a meaningful experience in helping us gain an early and guided experience in research, as well as the opportunity to improve our teamwork, presentation, communication, and various skills that are helpful in the future. I highly recommend LSE GROUPS to anyone who wanted to get some meaningful research experience in their undergraduate years.

I’ve always been interested in doing research as I would like to pursue in the academic direction in the future.  As I was searching for relevant opportunities online, I came across LSE GROUPS and I applied immediately. I originally thought that this would just be a small group of people coming together, all from different backgrounds, and trying to figure out some complicated theories and proofs. However, the reality was that we are more focusing on the social experiments and applications of ideologies. Although certain theories are used, deriving them is not our main goal. We were given a general theme, and our research has to be related to it somehow, but this could be from any perspective or field. Our theme was ‘belonging’, and we investigated the impacts of the LSE campaigns on new students.  I was in charge of the part on collecting, analysing and explaining data, where various skills and techniques on data science were taught and learnt, involving the extensive use of statistical software. This programme has its structure truly modelling a typical research process, from the stage of discussing and deciding our hypothesis, to finalising our reading list and references, along with designing our own data collection methods and analytical approach, further to reaching a deadline and presenting our paper in a conference. I would highly recommend this to whoever wants more experience in doing research, especially to have a try in the LSE atmosphere, regardless of whether you have never done it before and just want to have a taste, or you are looking for more interesting research directions to stimulate your thinking. This is a great way of spending your time just before the long summer holiday as an undergraduate student, where you can actually be part of a meaningful contribution, and also please don’t be scared by the group work and presentation, as everyone around you is just so friendly and supportive.

LSE GROUPS is a research exercise with a theme that is given to you.  However, in some contrast to what students typically experience on other programmes, there is a far greater degree of flexibility involved, as well as a chance to research something closer to your heart.

For students studying courses like Law or Economics where they are unlikely to see many other topics, this is a good opportunity to break out of the classroom confines of your subject and academically involve yourself in a new area of study!  You will likely interact in GROUPS with students from many other fields and have the opportunity to learn from them about what they do, as well as allow a confluence of ideas unlikely to happen during your studies.

Personally, as a student in the History Department, I found it quite interesting to see the way members of my group from quantitative fields approached data compared to how I did, and the different angles from which we analysed the same issue.

GROUPS offers a chance to test yourself and take advantage of one of the many (often overlooked) opportunities the LSE offers.  It also allows you to interact with all kinds of other students whom you might not have met otherwise!  I know that members of my group kept in touch for quite a while after the project.

Participating in LSE GROUPS was a great opportunity for me to work on a group research project without the added pressure of being graded.  I enjoyed meeting and collaborating with fellow LSE students from a range of departments.  I really valued the advice given by experienced academics.  They answered our queries but also gave us space to explore and construct our project as a team.  I acquired and worked on a variety of research skills that prepared me for future research projects on my degree programme.  I would definitely recommend LSE GROUPS.

LSE GROUPS was exactly what I was needed as a student hungry for a taste of independent research experience.  I appreciate the freedom to choose our own research question while getting enough mentorship to not feel lost throughout the research process.  I also really enjoyed meeting and working closely with new people from different degrees and years. It was a highlight of my second year.

I decided to take part in GROUPS as a first year, excited to step into the world of research and learn more about how it works in real life.  I made friends from different disciplines at LSE who I would have never met otherwise, and we used our specialties to collective create a paper which showcased all our strengths.  The support we got was invaluable as well, from the workshops held every day to our own mentor.  Our paper on automation and job uncertainty used both quantitative and qualitative methods, and we went on to win the best paper award.  What’s more, everyone at GROUPS was so supportive that we were funded to go to the annual British Conference for Undergraduate Research, and we even got to publish our paper in iSChannel, a journal at LSE.  Even now, having graduated, I still look at my 2 weeks of summer doing GROUPS as one of the best times of my undergraduate life.  It is one of the best ways to get started in the world of research, and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone!

LSE GROUPS was a great opportunity to learn about important issues from a new perspective.  This was particularly valuable because these were issues and approaches not covered in my own degree programme and so helped me expand my knowledge and research technique.  It was also a great opportunity to work intensively in a small team over two weeks, helping me improve my communication and problem-solving skills.  I’d recommend LSE GROUPS to anyone wanting to improve their collaborative research skills – two weeks may not seem like long but it flies by and you learn so much!

I would highly recommend people going for LSE GROUPS because it’s a good chance for you to work together with people from different departments and cohorts.  Through this 2-week project, I’ve learnt things that I’ll never get to know through lectures, discussed about current interesting issues with people from different departments, which also means viewing issues from different perspectives, and actually write a short research paper, not to mention making amazing friends!

LSE GROUPS 2017 was a great opportunity to meet students from other disciplines. Previously, there was limited chance to interact with students from qualitative disciplines as a majority of my modules were very quantitative; so it was great to broaden my horizon and meet new people that I wouldn't otherwise have had the chance to meet.  It also enabled me to clearly identify and develop upon my weaknesses, which was written communication. During the time I undertook LSE GROUPS, I became more confident in analysing numbers and in relaying this information concisely to others. By contributing in writing the research paper, I was able to build upon this and it helped me further to improve my essay writing skills for my second- and third- year modules. (I took LSE GROUPS in my first year).