postgraduate

When I received the admissions letter in 2005, Harvard was already a familiar place. Even before I applied, I had visited the university, checked out the campus party scene, attended information sessions, met my admissions officer, and gotten involved in the Cuban student group events. I thus began my undergraduate career with a fairly accurate sense of what awaited me in the next four years.

Arriving at LSE

My introduction to LSE was contrastingly abrupt. Before I knew it, classes arrived and I saw myself in Houghton Street absorbing everything for the first time. Of course, I was unprepared for the rushed course selection process, and the unavailability of professor and course evaluations as a public guide for students did not make the task easier. I was surprised to find that there were virtually no British people in my classes, as the majority of my classmates came from other European countries and North America. The school calendar shocked me; my unthinkable number of holidays included two months to study for finals!

My initial intention was to seek a job after I graduated from Harvard. In fact, I decided to pursue a Master’s only after realizing that most of the jobs in which I was interested (mainly positions in large multinationals and international non-governmental organizations) required years of professional experience or a Master’s degree.

Continuing my studies in the United States had a number of potential advantages, including the familiar environment, the costs and the proximity to my family. However, I had my heart set on Europe. I had spent my last summer in university conducting thesis research in London and Madrid, an opportunity that allowed me to travel around Spain, France, Ireland and Italy. This was my first long trip to Europe and the beginning of my love affair with the cultural and historical richness of the Old Continent and its peoples.