Last year, our student ambassador Arne and his older brother Soeren both attended LSE Summer School. While Soeren studied during sessions two and three, taking LL300: Advanced Negotiation and Mediation and LL100: European Union Law, Arne joined him for the third, taking FM230: Alternative Investments. Arne, 23, has a business background and an undergraduate degree in International Business Administration, while Soeren, 27, holds law degrees from Germany and France. We sat down with them both to see what it’s like to attend Summer School with your sibling, and to see what their individual highlights were!
Question 1: Which courses did you attend and what was your reason for attendance?
Arne: I attended the course FM230: Alternative Investments. My reason for choosing the course was to deepen my knowledge of the alternative assets space while experiencing LSE’s unique social-science approach to learning and teaching. Having had a strong interest and previous work experience in the venture capital space, I thought the course would be perfect to complement and expand my knowledge, which it definitely did.
Soeren: In session two, I attended LL300: Advanced Negotiation and Mediation. During my L.L.M. in Paris, I focused on alternative dispute resolution, mainly arbitration but also attended courses on mediation which really fascinated me. As I aim to become a dispute resolution lawyer, I believe it is important to be skilled in every method of resolving disputes. The course LL300 seemed like a perfect fit to advance my knowledge in this field. In session three, I attended LL100: European Union Law, which I was already familiar with through my previous studies in Germany. My reason for attending was to get an in-depth view of the European Union, its purpose and how its law affects transnational investments and disputes.
Question 2: How did your time at LSE Summer School support your goals?
Arne: Attending the course and leveraging the learnings played a vital role in helping me to secure my upcoming internship in the climate-tech venture capital space. The course’s deep focus on the academic background as well as practical application of alternative investments, facilitated through the combination of theoretical lectures and application-focused classes greatly boosted my understanding, including areas such as hedge funds, commodities, real estate, venture capital, and private equity.
Soeren: The course LL300 provided me with skills that are useful far beyond my current job. They made me understand the psychology and reasoning behind indifferences and gave me the tools to do my best in resolving them in a variety of situations. The course LL100 gave me a deeper understanding of the European Union, its purpose, and its legal foundations. This encouraged me to think about going into deeper research on the topic in the future.
Question 3: Did you stay in the same accommodation and how was your experience?
Arne: Yes, my brother and I shared a room in LSE High Holborn accommodation which was a great decision. Besides saving money by sharing a room, living with my brother fostered our already great bond and relationship. I particularly enjoyed our regular cooking sessions together with two friends, who also lived at High Holborn.
Soeren: Sharing a room with my brother was a great experience. It was especially helpful to be able to study together for the final exam in session three since we have the same learning approaches and academic ambitions. Despite taking different courses, we could help each other, which resulted in academic success for both of us.
Question 4: How was life beyond the classroom and did you share social experiences?
Arne: Despite being separated during our lectures and classes for most of the day, we always shared our meals, went to the gym, and explored London on the weekends. Our friendship groups would overlap and often conduct activities together, which was great for meeting people who attended completely different courses. My personal highlight was the Boat Party, at which both of us met many new faces and had a great time with the students and Summer School staff.
Soeren: Arne and I went to the LSE gym together regularly, which allowed us to continue the shared training routine that we conducted in Germany. Furthermore, our friendship groups overlapped which resulted in us sharing many activities. It was great to experience London, especially its pubs, restaurants, and bars over the three weeks.
Question 5: What would you recommend to siblings who think about joining LSE Summer School?
Arne: My time at LSE Summer School was exceptional, but being able to share the experience with my brother was the cherry on top. Being in very different life situations, our possibility to visit new cities and make lasting memories has naturally declined over the years. LSE Summer School was an amazing opportunity to do so again. I believe that many siblings are in similar situations, thus LSE Summer School is wonderful to reconnect.
Soeren: Do it. It is an experience that uniquely combines education and vacation. It is a great opportunity to build or foster your relationship, learn from each other, and share experiences that you will remember for the rest of your lives. You will return home with great learnings, friendships, and stories.