Other ADMIS bloggers

Hello again,

Now that I graduated from ADMIS I am no longer the ideal person to blog about the course's mysteries.

However I have been contacted by a current ADMIS student who has also taken up the blogging pass-time.

You may find his, rather well written, blog at http://lseadmis.blogspot.com/.

Also another ADMIS blogger may be found at: http://www.roughtype.com/.

Both blogs, but especially the later, are not entirely dedicated to blogging about the course and they include very interesting articles discussing the technological agenda.

I am inviting both authors, as well as any other interested parties, to join this blog so as to obtain a single coordinating point on strictly ADMIS issues.

Good Luck!!

Hello, No doubt the majority of this blog’s readers have started their new year at the LSE. I wish these people the best of luck and hope that they come to treasure the university and the course as much as I have.

These new students would have already received ample information regarding the publication of the IS Channel – the department's academic journal, founded, reviewed and written by its students. An electronic version of the journal may be accessed from this link - http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/informationSystems/iSChannel/Default.htm

Another important change in the department regards the creation of a new research based course (MSc (Research) ) which is designed to equip students with the skills necessary for further research in information systems (PhD).

As a result of this new course – ISOR – MSc ADMIS students are no longer as able to move into the department's PhD program following completion of ADMIS. - not positive about this.

More information about the new course may be found from: http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/informationSystems/MScProgramme/ISOR/faqsStudying.htm

On the personal side of things, I have received a distinction in my dissertation!! Below is an anonymous version of the feedback I received. I am not sure if it is very wise publishing these details but I feel students may gain by comparing my dissertation style with the criticisms

Course IS499 Dissertation

Category Marker 1 Marker 2

Research question Good Satisfactory
Critical Understanding Excellent Good
Empirical work and evidence Good Good
Use of literature Good Good
Discussion and conclusions Excellent Satisfactory
Language Good Satisfactory
Structure and presentation Good Excellent

Comments
Supervisor (with experience in field): A very strong and original piece of work, which despite difficulties of set up and excecution was managed very well in the time availalbe for the dissertation. It has a very strong academic underpinning and the research process was impressive.

Second Marker with no direct experience in exact field: This is dissertation that seems to focus more on the Delphi method than on the purported research question. The literature review seems adequate, but the theory exposition leaves something to be desired. I found difficulty in understanding how the Delphi method was initialised. The choice of experts, and indeed their claim to expertise, seem to be matters that are not worthy of explanation. The bulk of the findings and discussion seem to be about the method and little light is shed on the substantive matter. Some errors in the text need eliminating e.g. Gibbon's Structuration Theory (not Decline and Fall)

Final mark Your mark is 70. Please note, until the final
ratification meeting, this mark is UNCONFIRMED and may change (either up
or down)

Blog open again

Hi again!

I finally finished the dissertation and to be honest I was not planning on sharing it. After all that hard work I thought I would devalue it by giving it out for free. Fortunately the free spirit of the internet always wins and it compels me to share.

You can download it here! - Modelling Participation in VCoP

Temporary U.K Work Permits as from 2007

Thank you for all the comments and emails. Unfortunately I am unable to respond to any requests at this stage. Rest assured however that I will get straight back on the blogging wagon once I finish my dissertation.

However I received an e-mail today which mentions something far too interesting to skip. Apparently, as from 2007, all international students in Britain will receive a temporary work permit with a minimal duration of one year. It could then be extended depending upon particular criteria: Age, Education, Earnings, Spouse Education and Number of U.K degrees. There may be others but this is all that the source mentioned.

Should you find more authoritative information sources be sure to post a link here!!

Regards,

Michael

To defer or not to defer; that is the question!!

September is fast approaching and, judging from the barrage of e-mails and comments, many of you are still unsure about whether to differ your ADMIS offer or not.

Well I am no career advisor and I am starting to feel like the administration of such an international and expensive course should provide some “pre-tuition fee” advice.

People without a U.K work permit need more information to judge the probability of U.K employment after successfully completing ADMIS.

I am vary wary about giving advice about such matters but since I am being pushed to give one I would like to recycle an e-mail conversation regarding the issue.

I am sorry for the crude from of this post, but I am really hard pressed with my dissertation and this is all that I may provide.

PS: I need two favours; Firstly I need to know what Science and Engineering Graduate System(SEGS) is, please post answer as comment to this post. Secondly since my dissertation is about virtual communities and I would like access to Orkut.com which has taken my fancy and I want to explore its system. I need some one of its members to refer in order to gain access, please e-mail me if you are prepared refer me on Michael(DOT)Zarb(AT)gmail(DOT)com.


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First E-mail sent to me from Mr X

Hi Michael,

I read ur ADMIS blog which was extremely informative and really has helped me to gain a knowledge about the course. But here i am in a fix whether to join the course this year or defer my admission to next year. As written by u in ur blog, international students should gain some more experience before taking the course, I should defer the admis to next year. But because I am a purely technical guy who develops code in {software developing company}, I don’t think I’ll be able to gain enough functional knowledge about the domain by the end of next year as I am not involved in that area of work here in my project.... the only gain will be a technical knowledge. So I am not sure if I should defer my admission or not. Please suggest what will be more suitable to me in this situation (considering I want to pursue a job in UK only). Ur suggestion will really be critical in helping me making this decision as i know nobody more apt than u to answer this. So I’ll be really grateful if u answer.

Thanks MR X ,

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Second E-Mail to me

Hi Michael,

I forgot to mention my profile in my previous mail. I have done Bachelors in Electronics Engineering and have been working as a developer in {Systems/Software Devlopment} since 1 year(just after my graduation in 2005).

Thanks MR X,

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My First Reply to MR X,

Hi MR X ,

I perfectly understand your dilemma, but I am very wary of giving you advice on the matter. I am no Guru, I came to the ADMIS course straight out of my BA and all I can offer is my interpretation of what I have experienced in the last year.

Before even reading what I have to say, please try your best to get the LSE's Career office to help you. I would advise e-mailing the IS department asking them to put you in contact with the careers department whilst also e-mailing the careers office yourself (don't forget to include your candidate number).

My view; Your work experience is not great enough to put you out of the "graduate entry level" category which the major U.K consultancy firms use. So why move when you are already in a position which is giving you the "graduate level" work experience? If gathering the LSE tuition fee is as big a deal for you as it was for me, then I would definitely suggest deferring a year and thus playing it safer.

Before you decide, make sure you visit the sites of all the firms which you may be interested in working for. Compare their entry requirements for both the Graduate entry level and other positions on offer; be certain that by waiting a year you would gain what is required to compete for position directly and not have to go through the graduate entry level system anyway.

Also, and I learnt this the hard way, consider the impact that your A-Levels would have on your career opportunities. The U.K has a big divide in university standards and thus U.K firms rely heavily on the UCAS point system to screen graduates. This system heavily discriminates against many foreign A-Level systems.

In my home country, Malta, there is only one university. To keep enrolment into the university to an acceptable level, A-Levels are made impossibly hard. The average mean grade would be around –C. The opposite situation exists in the U.K. The Labour government enforced a system which divided A-Levels into two parts. They are examined both at the end of their first year and at the end of the second. The system has been designed to reduce examination stress and has elevated the average medium grade to around a B. How could such a soft, tolerant and lenient system be compared to the extremely competitive Maltese system which actually employs quotas to the amount of passes?

Before you decide on anything, make sure you read up upon the UCAS point system. If your A-Levels would translate to anything below 21 UCAS points; definitely differ. 24 points is good, but will not open any magic doors. 26 points significantly increases you employment possibilities.

If you decide to defer, I would suggest completing the first year of CIMA (chartered institute of management accountants) at the same time as working. CIMA is very valuable in the U.K consultancy arena. Other career orientations would have similar qualifications which may and should be started.

If you do accept the offer this year, start looking for jobs as early as possible. Most firms will not even consider sponsoring a work permit for any applications after Christmas period!

I wish I could offer you more concrete advise, however I do not feel that I have the experience to justify making any conclusions. The LSE's careers service should hopefully be more willing.

Best of luck!!
Michael

Third Email to Me from X

Hi Michael,

Thank u very much for answering generously.

I have mailed the LSE career service and IS deptt. regarding my query and as suggested by u searching for what employers demand.

But I couldn't understand what do u want to say by: "why move when you are already in a position which is giving you the "graduate level" work experience?"

Do u want to say that I should drop the idea of joining LSE or defer my admission to gain a work experience enabling me to join a firm without going through graduate level entry?

Yes, paying tuition fee is a very big issue for me, but I won't get any relieve even if I work here for 1 year as what I'll be earning here will be in rupees which when converted to GBP becomes a trivial amount to pay the fees. Rather this will become a major problem for me if I defer admission as value of GBP is increasing day by day against rupee.

Here in India, we have marks percentage system. All i could find on net was conversion from grading system to UCAS. If u have an idea of how to convert the marks percentage to UCAS points, please tell me.

And do I still needed to be sponsored by any firm after the implementation of Science and Engineering Graduate System(SEGS)?

I am sorry to bother u again with a large no. of questions.

Best of Luck to u too!

Thanks MR X,

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Second Reply to X

HI MR X,

Yes that is what I meant to say. I think you are already in a position which is giving you valuable work experience. Coming to the UK now would mean that you would only be eligible to work in a similar position (graduate entry level) next year (even though the pay would be obviously more in the U.K but also the costs would).

Searching and getting a job here is a very labour intensive task. Your position with the work permit means you would need to do all the searching and applying before Christmas, making you extremely busy. It would effect your grades.

I undertook ADMIS straight from an Economics degree. IT and the Internet was a hobby of mine nothing more! This made me have to work twice as hard to do well at ADMIS. Others who had more work experience where more in control, they where able to join and participate in societies and enjoy what the LSE has to offer much more. I had to miss out on all that stuff and I do regret not working a couple of years before doing my Masters.

All in all deferring has a lot to offer: You would be better positioned to get a U.K job offer. You would have a year at hand to prepare yourself for the course, enabling you to enjoy the LSE experience more. You would have a year to start additional qualifications which will aid your job hunting in the U.K

About the UCAS points; I am sorry I never had to research it myself as the Maltese system calls itself an "A-Level Equivalent" meaning conversion was unfair but also unproblematic. Do get it checked before making any decisions though.

About getting sponsored: As far as I know the system in the U.K requires a sponsor to be attached to any application for work permits. I am not sure what the sponsor would have to do apart from offer a job. I believe it may something to do paying a application fee. You should consider contacting the U.K embassy, or checking out their site, they should have more specific information.

Best Regards, Michael

On the same day I sent Mr.X another E-mail.

Hi MR X,

The following comment was posted on my blog today, I thought it may help you.

Regards,
Michael

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Anonymous
Date: 04-Aug-2006 10:37
Subject: [THE ADMIS REVIEW] 8/03/2006 11:37:54 PM
To: THE ADMIS REVIEW

I agree with Michael. Coming from India (ADMIS 04) and having gotten a firm to get me a work permit there are a few things guidelines I would recommend

- Have at least 18 months of work-ex prior to ADMIS. This means that you qualify to be an experienced hire and hence the WP becomes that much easier.
- Try your best to get the graduate metit/support awards. You can get upto £25 k.
- Apply for all consulting firms. DO not restrict yourself to IT roles.
- ADMIS is so much more than getting a job in the UK so enjoy the course and learn. That's a big regret that i have.

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MR X last email sent to me.

Hi Michael,

That’s very right it won't be suitable to come to UK if i am going to work on graduate level again. Courtesy of ur blog i didn’t make a spoilt decision .... i never thought of deferring admission before.

From all my findings i inferred i should not join this year.

Thanks for all help. Best of luck for ur dissertation and job.

Regards MR X,

The MegaPost

Firstly I would like to thank those of you who left comments or sent personal e-mails to me. Indeed one of the reasons why I blog is in fact because receiving feedback is rather exciting and fun. (Yes, I am a geek and I’m proud of it!! – In fact I own a shirt saying “come on honey, just one more turn/life/frag/game/level etc…”)

Secondly I would like to apologise for not posting in a long while. I have had long vacation where all I did was read Bernard Cromwell’s novels for 2 weeks on the beach, and never touched a PC. That made me extremely behind in my dissertation and hence gave me even less time to blog. In fact, I would like to announce that this is officially the last post I will make on this blog till after my dissertation is complete.

Not to worry though because this last posting is Jam packed with useful information. It will cover:

1) Work Permits VS ADMIS: Looking at the employment opportunities for non EU/UK students.
2) What doors can ADMIS open?: Looking at the array of positions ADMIS students are applying for.
3) Examination Results: A brief analysis of this years’ exam results.
4) Final Preparations: A personal reflection on how best to prepare for ADMIS.

Work Permits VS ADMIS

I have recently conducted a second survey, which although not as successful in participation rates as the previous survey, still yields some valuable insights. Part of the survey tried to examine the post graduate employment opportunities for Non UK Work Permit Holders specifically and this is where the most useful information may be drawn from.

Out of the 149 ADMIS students, 120 (that’s 80%) do not hold a U.K work permit. (This information is not from the survey but from the administrations’ statistics.)
Only 10% of those 120 students completed my survey.

From the survey we may estimate that only 41% have received employment offers from within the U.K. The average salary of those lucky (or brilliant) students is of 30k.
This is a high salary, suggesting that the students who were sponsored a work permit have actually had previous work experience. In fact if I had to make an educated guess, by correlating results from the previous survey, I would suggest that the average “lucky” graduate has had a minimal 2.8 years worth of previous work experience. In fact the most popular offers where for full blown IT consultant positions

Based on these results, and from what people have told me through out the year, it may make sense for a Non EU citizen to gain some experience before accepting to undertake the ADMIS course. Obviously, I am assuming (for no valid reason) that prospective student wish to work in the U.K.

I would like to add that I personally feel that I may have gained a lot by obtaining previous work experience before coming to study ADMIS. The year has been an up hill struggle for me, partly due to a few medical problems but mainly because I had to work doubly as hard as in my undergrad to succeed at the LSE. The fact that I came from an economics background with little more than a strong interest in IT also made it harder but the fact of the matter is that I would have been in a better position to enjoy the full experience of the LSE had I been a little bit older.

This year passed me by far too fast, and I feel I spend far too much time reading compared to my more experienced peers who instead enjoyed the vibrant society culture and the exciting guest speakers and work classes which the LSE is so famous for providing.


What doors can ADMIS open?

Below is the complete list of the positions ADMIS students have applied/are applying for, along with the associated frequency and salary offered/expected.

These are actually rather surprising results. Not because the totals don’t add up to 100%, that’s simply because people where allowed to submit more than one choice, but because the median salary is not the same as my last survey. The previous survey is more reliable because it had more respondents. The discrepancy may be explained by correlating the survey results from the exam results section to this discrepancy.

It appears that this survey attracted only the more experienced and possibly brighter portion of the course. Why this happened is hard to explain but maybe, people who have not done well in the exams may not have wanted to undertake the survey which asked them directly about the results. Another explanation may be that only the most organised, efficient and experienced students found time to fill in the survey in this stressful period. What ever the reason, the higher than expected salary and exam averages suggest that this survey is flawed in that it was more largely populated with the brighter and more experienced students.

Another strange finding was that quite a few students are applying for General Management/Leadership Graduate Trainee Programs. Such fast track management opportunities are extremely competitive and often require an MBA. Observing the amount of people receiving opportunities in this area confirms the fact that IT savvy business people are in high demand. This helps to position the ADMIS course as a technologically oriented MBA.

About the Exam Results

Before I conducted this survey I was sure my grades where just slightly above average. After all I did receive a merit grade in every single exam. Rather annoyingly it turns out I was wrong and that in fact my grades are rather average.

Obviously there where many more modules on offer, however I did not bother calculating the average for any module where I received less than 6 responses, deeming such information worthless.

(Should any current Admisers still wish to complete the survey, they may use this link : http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=918682351298 . Should I receive enough responses I will edit this post)

Preparing for ADMIS

Don’t believe what the welcoming letter says about relaxing prior to the course. Good preparation will mean you stress less throughout the year and hence you are more able to enjoy what the LSE has to offer. Even more crucially, good preparation will mean that you can better understand what the lecturer is talking about and hence benefit much more from the course itself.

Indeed most of the lecture material from the first term only started making some sense during the exam time, when I was given space to really digest the reading material.

I believe that if I had prepared myself better before starting the course I would have been able to rely less on intensive reading and more on just listening to the lecturers speak. You may feel that this is not going to happen to you but trust me, the course dives head on into very philosophical stuff very early on. This stuff will not make sense till you actually get a grips with the way IS is studied or before you try research the phenomena yourself for the first time. During my second term, when the first real research papers where due, I finally started understanding why IS theory is important, but the fact that I was not able to apply the theory straight away created a huge amount of confusion and extra work.

The first thing to do to prepare yourself is to look up the following on Wikipedia.

About IS Theory: Structuration Theory, Actor-Network Theory , Social constructivism

About Philosophy of Science: Organizing Knowledge Cognitively, Epistomology, OntOlogy (not computer science meaning)

Secondly, one of the best ways to prepare yourself for ADMIS would be to read Angell’s and Smithson’s book, Information Systems Management; opportunities and risks, Macmillan 1991. You will be given this book for free when you start and I recommend you spend the first weekend reading it from cover to cover.

Another book you should read is Oxford Press’s Introduction to Philosophy of Science. Small but brilliant, a must read before any post graduate course.

The next best way to prepare yourself is to start reading IS research. Reading papers, will teach you how the subject is studied and will introduce the major dilemmas and recurrent themes of the subject. For this purpose, an excellent place to start is the LSE’s IS department’s own working papers series.

The IS channel should also be another good read. The IS channel is an excellent initiative by this years’ ADMIS students. It is a new academic journal which only publishes work from the LSE’s postgraduate IS programmes. The journal is set to be published soon and I believe it is to be sent to all the major IS research institutes.

I will get back to you about how to gain access to it.

Well that’s it for now. See you after I complete my dissertation and good luck.

PS: Should any ADMIS students wish to continue this blog I will gladly make them a team member.

LSE’s MSc ADMIS’ Value for Money and Expected Wage After Successful Completion of Course.

Only 20% of the survey’s population sample indicated that they receive some sort of sponsorship. The most popular source of sponsorship is from the LSE itself. The median sponsorship is for £22,427 whilst the maximum is actually the full LSE scholarship of £30k. Other sponsorships include primarily programs from the European Union and otherwise interest free loans and other scholarships from student’s home governments.

Most of the student, in fact 65%, where satisfied with the program’s overall value for money. It is surprising to note, especially if you had to compare LSE’s fees to a first class university in the states, that the remaining 45% where dissatisfied with the course’s value for money.

Though such a large negative response is alarming it is countered by impressive results in terms of students’ expected wages. The median expected wage is the range between 27-30K with almost 40% of students opting for such a forecast. This is impressive considering that 66% of respondents have little or no prior work experience.

The second most frequent wage expectation is between 25-27K with a score of 30%. This is followed by wage expectations of over 33K with 27% and finally between 30-33K with only 3% of votes.

Hence the average wage expectation after graduating from MSc ADMIS is approximately 28.6K, but this needs to be seen in conjunction with the fact that the average student has had only a year and a half worth of work experience. These statistics are obviously very crude, nonetheless they may be used to give an idea of the wage one should expect after graduating.

Here are some more precise details about the work experience demographics of the course.

66% Under 1.5 years (Graduate Entry Level)
22% 2-3 years work experience.
12% Over 5 years work experience.

The next update will tackle the course’s influence on gaining a U.K work permit.
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On another note, this blog has finally allowed for RSS feeds.

It currently utilises 3 different types of feeds:
ATOMS: http://admis.blogspot.com/atom.xml
RSS: http://admis.blogspot.com/rss.xml
Burnt RSS: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheAdmisReview