Manchester or soas?

How do the two universities compare with each other? In terms of teaching, reputation, research etc and which one would you choose over the other (your preference)?

Reply 1

Masterbob

This should be interesting, I'm considering SOAS for my ins, what course do you get into?

University of Manchester

Manchester

Reply 2

Scruffyjoe

Original post by Masterbob

This should be interesting, I'm considering SOAS for my ins, what course do you get into?

I would also rate SOAS above Manchester. I feel its reputation is better (at least in my country I'm an international student) it's viewed as being more academic rather than Manchester which is a party school. SOAS also has made a lot of effort in relation to their faculty (better qualified than Manchester I believe) it's a shame I went to Manchester. :frown:

wish I could have gone to SOAS instead.

Reply 3

Origami Bullets

Original post by Scruffyjoe

How do the two universities compare with each other? In terms of teaching, reputation, research etc and which one would you choose over the other (your preference)?

They're both excellent universities.

If you are particularly interested in all things Oriental and African, then SOAS is a strong choice. If you're not fussed, Manchester may be better for you.

SOAS is smaller (4000 vs 38,000 students) which may or may not suit you

Which do you prefer - London or Manchester?

Teaching is a very hard thing to measure. The government is going to attempt it with the TEF, but that's hugely controversial. About the closest thing we have is student satisfaction, but even that's methodologically flawed. You can find the stats on www.unistats.ac.uk

Reputation? Completely impossible to measure with any degree of reliability. Both are good universities. Depending on the subject, one uni may have a very good reputation for that specific subject.

Research? See the REF 2014 scores. Manchester comes out on top.

Reply 4

Scrax

As someone who went to Manchester University and knows SOAS very well I would not hesitate to say SOAS. The only positive I can think of for Manchester is that you will save money because Manchester is naturally a cheaper place to live than London.
I could write a book on what I didn't like about Manchester University, but here are my basic complaints. One, the quality of the teaching is very hit and miss. Some of the lecturers are excellent, others are quite simply hopeless. Two, about three quarters of the people I met at Manchester Uni were there for the partying and nightlife first, the social life and (attempts at) having sex, and the aim of getting a degree on their CV and bagging a well paid job in London. Actual academic study was bottom priority. It really wasn't an especially intellectually challenging or academic environment. I met a lot of people at Manchester uni and had a reasonably enjoyable time but within a couple of years had lost touch with almost all of them as they had nearly all gone into highly paid jobs in London and I didn't. The student body is mostly extremely aspirant, mostly from the London or home counties area, and quite frankly boring. Also the city itself is very hit and miss. Nightlife is great, shopping is great, but crime is high and disaffected young working class Mancs frequently mug or threaten students. So i would definitely say SOAS.

Reply 5

Scruffyjoe

Original post by Scrax

What about SOAS? What kind of people end up going to SOAS? Is the fa iota better? Is the environment more intellectually stimulating?

Reply 6

Scrax

I know SOAS because after graduating from Manc I studied for an MA at the UOL and found myself using its facilities quite often. TBH, Manc and SOAS aren't really comparable they're so different. Firstly SOAS is extremely cosmopolitan, and international students are possibly the majority, and the British students there are often of international heritage, like me, which is why I really like SOAS. Manchester is mainly white British and middle class, although it also has a big international intake. It is also a huge generalist university unlike SOAS, which is small and specialist, which makes the student body and union events far more academically focused. I would definitely say that if you want an intellectually stimulating and challenging environment you should go for SOAS. That isn't really a strength of a place like Manc, where in my experience dashing off essays, partying and landing a well paid job on graduation were the top priorities for most undergrads.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 7

Lawliettt

Original post by Scrax

That isn't really a strength of a place like Manc, where in my experience dashing off essays, partying and landing a well paid job on graduation were the top priorities for most undergrads.

Why exactly is any of that bad? Also, teaching is subjective. My sister actually attended SOAS and moved after a year because she hated their law department.

Plus Manchester is actually nearly 20 places above SOAS in terms of average entry grades which goes against people tending to not prioritise study.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 8

Scrax

Either you go to university because you want to broaden and open your mind, learn a subject that you find interesting at an in-depth level, pursue cultural/intellectual interests and meet the kind of people you have never met before in your life, or you go to university to party, take drugs, get drunk as often as possible and do the minimum academic study required to be able to pass your degree and get a well paid job at a good company when you finish, with the long term goals of living in a nice middle class suburb with 2.4 children, going on nice holidays and having a 4x4 on the drive. Unfortunately, from having studied at Manchester university, although I had a laugh at the time and now have a graduate job, I would say almost all of the people I met were in the latter category, and I can count the number of interesting conversations I had in 3 years there on the fingers of one hand.