SUMMER SCHOOL – STUDENT EXPERIENCE

MS. LAVANYA SHRIVASTAVA – B.Sc Business & Management

I am really grateful to Podar World College for the unwavering support and for providing me with the incredible opportunity to attend the summer school programme in London. I was honoured to receive the summer school scholarship, and I cannot express enough how much it means to me. It has enabled me to become a part of an incredible journey of learning and growth. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to our esteemed Dean, Dr. Mrs. Vandana Lulla, whose enlightening guidance and encouragement has continually framed my academic journey. I am profoundly thankful for the opportunity that Podar has given me and I am certain that the invaluable lessons and learnings I gained will always stay with me.

My course on consumer behaviour provided me with valuable insights and practical knowledge that I will carry with me in my future academic and professional pursuits. I had the opportunity to study under the guidance of professors who are experts in their fields, and the interactive seminars I attended broadened my understanding of diverse topics.

The summer school provided me with the opportunity to experience learning in a way that opened up new avenues and perspectives through cultural exposure. I had the chance to meet some wonderful people from all across the world and create some lasting friendships.

The social events at LSE were truly an unforgettable highlight of my experience. They were full of fun activities, delightful conversations, and amazing views of London’s best landmarks. My favourite was the carnival themed party; I had a wonderful time meeting and dancing with so many people.

My experience at the LSE summer school was truly a remarkable journey and gifted me with so many lasting memories. I am so grateful for this opportunity and would definitely recommend experiencing this programme to everyone who wishes for a broader cultural exposure and holistic academic growth.

MR. YUVAL JHAVERI – B.Sc Economics & Finance

I had the privilege of attending the LSE Summer School, where I enrolled in the course on Development in International Political Economy. The experience was truly enriching and exceeded my expectations on multiple fronts.

The course sessions were exceptionally engaging, characterized by a dynamic and interactive approach to learning. The curriculum was thoughtfully structured, allowing us to delve deeply into complex theories and contemporary issues in international political economy. The professors were not only highly knowledgeable but also adept at fostering an environment where critical thinking and rigorous debate thrived. Their ability to relate theoretical concepts to real-world scenarios made the material both accessible and relevant, enhancing my understanding of global development challenges.

One of the most rewarding aspects of the program was the opportunity to immerse myself in a subject that aligns perfectly with my academic interests. The course content was comprehensive and covered a wide range of topics, from the intricacies of global trade policies to the socio-economic impacts of international institutions on developing nations. This breadth and depth of study allowed me to explore the field of international political economy in a way that was both intellectually stimulating and practically applicable.

I was also honored to receive the Summer School Scholarship Award, which fully funded my participation in this program. This generous support allowed me to take full advantage of the educational opportunities at LSE, for which I am deeply grateful.

Overall, my experience at the LSE Summer School was highly positive. It not only solidified my interest in international political economy but also provided me with valuable insights and analytical skills that I will carry forward in my academic and professional pursuits. I highly recommend this program to anyone with a keen interest in understanding the complexities of global development from an economic and political perspective.

MS. RHEA NOTANI – B.Sc Business & Management

This summer I got the chance to gain a Summer School Scholarship at the LSE for which I thank my Dean— Dr. Mrs. Vandana Lulla for this incredible opportunity.

Here, I was able to extend my learning of the EMFSS courses from my home institute Podar World College to the classrooms of London School of Economics (LSE).
Being in the heart of London and at a prestigious university like the LSE, I was able to experience a perfect balance between studying and exploring London.

I opted for Strategic Management as my course of choice which helped me get a better understanding of what I would like to pursue in the future. The teachers, the campus and the resources LSE has to offer are par excellence. The LSE library is one of the largest libraries in the world and its exhaustive collection adheres to all interests across a spectrum.

Moreso, the teachers ensured that everyone followed through lessons and created a space for everyone to be comfortable and explore their creativity. This made to easy for me to make friends from different cultures and countries whom I hope to see next summer back at LSE.

Overall, I believe the summer school and the range of courses it offers ensures that there is something for everyone.

MR. NIHAR GANDHI – B.SC ECONOMICS & FINANCE

Over this summer I was awarded the chance to receive a summer school scholarship with the LSE, and for which i thank our college Dean— Dr. Mrs. Vandana Lulla.

At the London School of Economics (LSE) I opted for the course ‘Computational Methods in Financial Mathematics (ME200)’ as my course of choice as I felt it helped me pursue my interest in applying finance and especially option pricing to Python, while also giving me an deeper understanding of mathematics and statistics. The classrooms and activities at campus were also designed in a way that made learning enjoyable and engaging at the same time, making the rigour feel lower.

There are numerous courses which LSE summer school offers and no one’s field of interest remains missed out.
Furthermore a must visit place on campus is the LSE library, it is an ocean of information and the best place to study on campus.

The EMFSS degree I currently am studying is BSc Economics and Finance at Podar World College and the summer school has helped me extend my concepts and understanding even further.

Being in central in london and more so at LSE itself is an memorable experience itself.
Being on campus with such a vibrant community and many different people from various backgrounds, allowed me to extend my network and socialise even better.

Hence, London and the LSE, is the perfect place to spend your summer as you can add value to yourself and enjoying at the same time. I hope to be back on campus very soon.

MS. DEA AJMERA – B.Sc Business & Management

At summer school, I did the strategic management course, and I chose to study the specific module because I believe it would help me in my current academic pursuits and aid in any future career paths broadly relating to management and innovation in business. Besides my academic knowledge base widening, the tangible skill sets I acquired were: the ability to retain a larger quantum of information in a short time, global exposure and the opportunity to meet peers from all around the world, and how businesses differ based on strategies, innovation and implementation styles. These skills have provided me a sharpened understanding of various business strategies and how they are critical in the execution of an enterprise or even an idea. It has equipped me with the ability to look more closely and keenly at this early aspect of business prospects and planning.

I believe that my dean and the professors at my teaching centre, Podar World College, have played a critical role in developing my skills through these years and arousing my interest to take up this course at summer school. I would like to thank my prestigious dean, Dr. Mrs. Vandana Lulla, for her influence and guidance at every step of the way, and for honouring me with this most prized LSE Summer School scholarship and the opportunities that come with it.

LSE is a world renowned and a world class institution, and for me to be associated with it even in the capacity of a summer school which I hope will translate into a future degree, is a platform that I value greatly. While the summer school is a shorter program, it gave me a taste into the foreign student life, the chance to grow as a young student on the global stage, make colleagues and friends and mingle with peers from across the world. Also, as someone who keenly follows global trends where my EMFSS subjects are concerned, I believe this opportunity put me at the center of it all and I was able to learn and thrive at one of the greatest cultures of the world, and this is what I am very grateful for.

MS. KUSHBOO LUNIYA – Receiver of Summer School Scholarship JULY 2022

I started my undergraduate journey with Podar world college 3 years ago and I have to say that PWC has given me a lot in so many aspects. Recently I received a 100% scholarship to study Alternative Investments at the renowned and prestigious LSE Summer School.

I have a lot of learnings on Hedge Funds, Corporate Finance and Private Equity that I bring back with me. Credits to my professor Dr. Huan Tang that I could develop such deep insights of the Hedge fund industry. Those case studies we talked about in the lectures have helped me better understand the industry side. I learnt more about Venture Capital, Corporate Finance and Private Equity in the second half of the course taught by Dr. Hongda Zhong who is quite popular in the Finance academia and he has also co-authored a few of our UOL-EMFSS Subject Guides.

My professors and teachers truly lived upto my expectations. Those intense classes and discussions on Hedge Fund strategies is something I’ll never forget. The classes at LSE have also been quite involved in helping us learn a lot of new things.

The summer school had a lot to add both in terms of knowledge and networking. Meeting fellow scholarship holders from different UOL centres, top notch students from other universities and even entrepreneurs has given me so many perspectives.

Not just the academics but LSE had a ton of events for us to attend ranging from CV workshops to social events like cruise parties, day trips to Oxford and Cambridge. We had a lot of opportunities to socialise and know different people and cultures. I attended quite a few of these events and now have a large network of friends globally. It was through summer school that I was able to connect with and make friends for a lifetime from different parts of the world ranging from Japan to the USA.

Not to forget that LSE is so centrally located in the heart of London that there is soo much to do around LSE. Quite a lot of events to attend that kept me busy on the weekends.

Overall the entire summer school experience of 3 weeks was quite rewarding and has definitely made LSE my first choice for a Masters degree. Never in my wildest dreams had I thought that I’d get to study at LSE, thanks to Podar World College that this could happen. I’m forever indebted to Vandana Ma’am, my teachers and PWC for such a great opportunity. Now that I look back at the past 3 years I have to say studying at Podar World College was the best decision I made.

MR. PRACHIN PATEL – Receiver of Summer School Scholarship JULY 2022

I had the extraordinary chance to be able to attend the prestigious Summer School at the London School of Economics and Political Science. For me personally, being able to meet & network with top students from top universities all across the world is priceless, as opportunities like these are very rare. It was a great platform to learn from and share different sorts of experiences be it academic or social. Even discussing about future career and academia prospects with fellow colleagues was an enlightening experience.I made lifelong friends and colleagues which I am sure that I will meet them again in the
financial market one day.

I opted for ME200: Computational Methods in Financial Mathematics where I was able to achieve an A+ grade because of the mentorship by the world renowned professors Johannes Ruf and Luitgard Veraart, who have made significant contributions in the world of financial mathematics in recent times. Their teaching approach was extremely engaging and
they made the long lectures feel very short with their intriguing facts and history about the subject matter. Moreover, their hands-on approach when it came to pythons programming was immensely helpful.

The professors went above and beyond when it came to solving doubts and providing external resources for the preparation of midterm and final exams.

I found that the curriculum is highly relevant considering how the recent computational methods are built on the foundational concepts which were taught. The cherry on top was the high level of programming in python using the various libraries and the professors even taught us ideas and LaTeX which wasn’t even in the syllabus. The summer school
courses are curated just perfectly. It has the right balance between theories and applications. Especially, how the topics covered in the lecture were reinforced using assignments and exercises in the class which were lead by passionate teaching assistants. Despite of the course being very rigorous, it still allowed me to travel and experience a
whole lot around London.

Last but not least, I am very grateful for the recommendations and guidance by the Dean, Faculty and Coordinators of Podar World College, enabling me to receive the summer school scholarship and achieve this feat

Ms. RHEA SAHAJWANI – Receiver of Summer School Scholarship JULY 2022

Journey with Podar:

Although my journey with Podar started at the undergraduate level, it has truly played a major role in shaping my personality, ambition and future. While pursuing a strenuous course like BSc Economics and Finance, our teachers, under the excellent guidance of Vandana Ma’am, have made the teaching fun and interactive which led to a perfect score of 100/100 in Mathematics 1 in year1. Through being a part of the core team of the Rotaract Club of PWC, I have been able to work on my organising and public speaking skills. As the President of The Writing Society at ULIC, I have been able to connect with students from all over the world. Podar World College has given me an immense amount of exposure and numerous opportunities like hosting the graduation ceremony, orientation and parent’s meet. Being the campus ambassador to LSE at Podar World College, I have been able to connect with my peers and will be representing Podar at LSE Summer School with great pride while studying the course AC210: Financial Statement Analysis for Investment Banking and Asset Management.

Write up about summer school:
The course AC210: Financial Statement Analysis for Investment Banking and Asset Management provided insights into the world of analysts, especially in regards to the mergers and acquisitions sector. The finance world is everchanging, fast paced and dynamic- to be able to understand and catch up on the technological challenges it faces, the human capital difficulties and the regulatory world, is of great importance. This experience allow me to learn and implement the tools used by them, gain information on industry staples such as Bloomberg and enhance my public speaking and presentation skills. My professors did a deep dive into the quickly growing ESG aspect, that is of great relevance in the valuation industry.

The diverse experience that I received, meeting people from all over the world, engaging in debates with Dr. Ken and having the London experience. Summer school has been a great way to enrich my cultural understanding, an excellent introduction to what my masters experience might look like and an incredibly thrilling start to the summer.

Campus reels:
https://www.campusreel.org/dashboard
under the name- Rhea Sahajwani

Presentation made for the course:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1h-9d5TtibwG7ug0CbqHftMbNuA_Vk60m8LTMxJ_nRBM/edit

Ms. Sakhsi Shetty

Achievement Award 2019 and Receiver of Summer School Scholarship July 2019.

Studying at the London School of Economics Summer School has indeed been a life-changing experience. The institution is renowned for its academic prestige, and the teaching staff truly lived up to its reputation. For an international relations course, there is no place better than the LSE.

I got the opportunity to be taught by the world-renowned Professor Jeffrey Chwieroth. His in-depth knowledge and expertise on the subject invoked an intellectually stimulating environment that allowed every student to excel.

My class teacher, the lovely, Miss Chiara Arnavas, also provided valuable insights and interpretations on a plethora of topics. This allowed for thought-provoking class discussions and provided a basis to formulate our own arguments to counter established perspectives.

The school also hosted a multitude of events and seminars that helped us gain knowledge about the practical applications of our coursework. The frequent diplomatic visits and conferences and having the Parliament, and the House of Commons along the river fostered a real political atmosphere at the campus. I even got the spectacular opportunity to attend the Parliamentary Debate at Westminster Abbey.

Apart from this, the LSE library and online resources are impeccable. These resources enabled me to research, in-depth, virtually on any topic related to the coursework.

However, the best thing about LSE is its diversity. As a summer school student, the institution allowed me to interact and make friends with students of different ethnicity, backgrounds, and perspective. Thanks to the Summer School’s Amazing ‘Social Programme’, I even got the chance to visit some extraordinary places both in and outside London. These included a day trip to Bath and Stonehenge as well as a spectacle of the gripping Lion King play.

Overall, the experience has been fascinating and unforgettable. LSE allowed me to explore a whole new subject, ‘International Political Economy’. The summer school experience has added to the breadth of knowledge and skills that is invaluable to me.

Finally, I’d like to thank Dr. Vandana Lulla as well as the teaching faculty of Podar World College for selecting me for the Summer School Scholarship. I shall forever be grateful for giving me this amazing opportunity.